The greatest burden of my life is the conviction that so many, perhaps even most people who proclaim to be Christians are not. It’s not the first time I’ve written about this, and it won’t be the last. That’s what happens when a burden is constantly crushing down on you. When I look around at the modern church, and even more broadly at the industries that have sprung up around it, my soul aches for those who think they are on one path but in reality are on another.
To quote J. C. Ryle, “According to the men of the world, few are going to hell; According to the Bible, few are going to heaven.” The great tragedy of our day is not that we aren’t bringing more lost people into the body of Christ, but that so many lost people believe they are already in the body of Christ.
It would be fair to ask, “Who are you to judge someone’s salvation?” I admit only God knows what is in the heart of any person (Luke 16:15). At the same time, God’s Word instructs us to be discerning (1 John 4:1; Hebrews 4:12). It also tells us we will know those who belong to Christ by the fruit of their life (Matthew 7:17-20). A saying I’ve heard many times from pulpits is, “No fruit, no root!” If our lives do not reflect that of our Lord, there is a better than good chance we don’t know Him. If His blood is coursing through our veins, it will show in the way we live and in the things we love. Few are going to Heaven because they don’t take Jesus seriously enough to forsake everything and live for Him (Matthew 16:24; Luke 14:26-27).
It is not enough to believe in Jesus. Even demons believe in Christ, and I assure you they will not be welcome in Heaven (James 2:19). Salvation comes not from a simple belief but from an unwavering faith in Whom we believe. We believe Jesus is the Son of God who came to live among us as a man so He could live a life without sin in order to allow Himself to be a blameless sacrifice for all our sins. His resurrection proves even death cannot defeat God and thus He has made a way for us to live eternally with Him. Few are going to Heaven, but some are. Don’t you want to be one of them?
That is what we believe, but if we stop there, we have missed the point. We were created to glorify God by the way we live in humble obedience, unspeakable awe, and fearful reverence to Him. Belief without faith is useless, just as faith without works is dead (James 2:14-18). We must work out our salvation (Philippians 2:12-13). There is more to a relationship with Christ than believing He Is who He says He is. You cannot build a relationship on a one-time profession of commitment. We cannot earn our salvation, but we can prove our love by doing the things Jesus commands us to do (John 14:15).
Despite the proclamations of the world and many so-called pastors, few are going to Heaven. They think they are, but will be cast aside when they meet Jesus (Matthew 7:21-23). The Word of God is clear: if we love the things of this world, we do not love God (1 John 2:15). For me, this is the most heartbreaking verse in the Bible. Who among us can say with complete honesty that we do not love the things of this world? If we love the world more than we love God, we do not understand who He is. We have not grasped His Holiness, nor have we understood His wrath and judgment over sin.
This is a longer post than usual and I have so much more to say. For now, I will close with this. Few are going to heaven because they aren’t willing to surrender their lives to the One they claim to love more than anything else. Do you love Jesus so much that everything else you love is like garbage compared to Him? Is He worth giving up all your desires, comforts, and dreams? Do you love Him for who He is or what He can do for you? Don’t miss eternity with Jesus because you are so attached to this decaying life in the here and now.