Several years ago, I read an article about boxing legend Cassius Clay. Clay converted to Islam in 1972 after winning the heavyweight boxing title and changed his name to Muhammad Ali.
At the time I read this article, Ali was still alive but barely able to speak because of the brain damage from multiple head traumas. His brother was interviewed about the former champ's declining health and made an interesting statement about his brother’s fate.
“He’s going to heaven, there’s no doubt,” Rahman Ali said. “If his funeral was tomorrow, all the statesmen of the world would turn up. He touched everyone from the rich to the poor.”
Wait. Did his brother just claim that Ali’s popularity was the golden ticket to get him into heaven? That’s not what Islam teaches, or any other religion for that matter.
What happens after we die? Since no one has permanently died and lived to tell about it, we don’t know for sure. Unfortunately, many people have opinions about the afterlife that are not based on evidence, facts, or even educated opinions.
The Bible is very clear about the pathway to heaven.
Regarding that path to heaven, it’s important to note that in the end, someone is going to be right, and someone is going to be wrong. The tragic problem is that it's too late by the time we figure out if we ignored the truth revealed in scripture.
Heaven Help Us
God created human beings with a “God vacuum.” This is the space that can only be fulfilled and completed through a personal relationship with the God of the universe. When people reject the knowledge of God, it creates a vacuum that must be filled with something else.
This is one reason many people struggle with addictions. We probably all know of individuals who have attempted to use drugs, alcohol, food, sex, or whatever else to numb the pain and fill the void.
Others, however, attempt to use religion to fill that void. As hard as it may be to believe, religion can actually keep people from finding the truth. That was a difficult concept for me to grasp at first.
Religions exist because we were born with a desire for knowledge that God placed in all of mankind. God created us with a burning desire to know Him.
It is important that we recognize that religion does not point the way to eternal life; only Jesus does.
In fact, many religious systems attempt to find a way around Jesus’ redemptive work on the cross by replacing the free gift of salvation with a list of do’s and don’ts. This is based on the assumption that we can work our way into heaven.
Religions are theories made by man, but Biblical Christianity is divinely inspired. Religion makes you work for your salvation. But in Christianity, Jesus paid for your salvation. All you have to do is accept His free gift. But that’s just the beginning of the story, not the end.
In true Biblical Christianity, the process is to focus on our relationship with Jesus. The more we concentrate on learning about him and reading the instruction manual He left for us—the Bible— the more we want to know about him. The gains come in small increments, but soon, we learn to think and act more like Jesus.
We begin to understand that getting to heaven isn’t the main objective; it’s our reward for accepting the free gift of Jesus and allowing Him to save us from ourselves.
We don’t like to admit it, but the Bible is very clear: Faith without works is dead. Tragically, not everyone who identifies as a Christian is willing to put in the work to accept the gift of salvation by grace through faith.
You can’t earn your salvation, but you can’t take it for granted either. Walking into a church doesn’t make you a follower of Jesus Christ any more than visiting the Space Museum makes you an astronaut.
The task may seem daunting at first. Below is a quick guide to help you take your first steps.
A – Ask God to save you from yourself. Our human nature is evil and only Jesus can redeem us.
C – Change your behavior; you are now a new person and God will give you the strength to act like one.
T – Tell someone else about your decision to accept Jesus as your Savior—there’s power in it.
Yes, it’s easy, but it’s not simple. Step 2 above—changing our behavior—could be an entire book on its own.
In Philippians 2:12-13, Paul writes, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed – not only in my presence but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his purpose.”
Working out your faith is a critical piece of the puzzle. Have you accepted Jesus, not religion, as your savior?
Have you signed up for our Stand Summit on Saturday, May 4? We’ve added more speakers that you will not want to miss.
Reserve your ticket now. Visit: StandforGodandCountry.com/Conferences
Great and simple article Amy. The Ali story grabs your attention and I like your analogy - visiting the space museum doesn’t make you an astronaut. It’s hard to encourage people to accept a free gift. I suppose we have to come to the point when we realize we can’t save ourselves.