Heaven's Entrance Exam
A man dies and goes to Heaven. Saint Peter meets him at the Pearly Gates and says, "Ok, here's how it works. You need 100 points to make it into Heaven. You tell me all the good things you've done, and I'll award you a certain number of points for each item, depending on how good it was. When you reach 100 points, you get in."
"Okay," the man says...."I was married to the same woman for 50 years and never once cheated on her, even in my heart."
"That's wonderful," says Saint Peter, "That's worth three points!" "Three points?" he asks.
"Well, I attended church all my life and supported its ministry with my tithes and service."
"Terrific!" says Saint Peter, "That's certainly worth a point." "One point?!!
Hey, I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for homeless veterans!"
"Fantastic, that's good for two more points, " Saint Peter says. "Two points?!!" the man cries.
"At this rate, the only way I'm going to get into Heaven is by the Grace of God!"
"Bingo, 100 points! Come on in!"
What can we learn from this? Although we are saved for good works, we are never saved by good works (Eph 2:8-10). The Bible says that we are all like an unclean thing and all our so called good works are like filthy rags which has no value of righteousness in itself (Isa 64:6).
God pass mark that He has set for all people to enter heaven is humdered percent righteousness and He himself cannot lower His standard because of His perfect purity and holiness (Tit 1:2; 1 John 1:5). But because of the sin nature within all humans from the day we are born, all have failed to reach that place of perfection (Psa 51:5; Rom 3:23).
Finally God because of His love towards all of us humans, knowing that all humans will fail to enter His heaven because of their inability to score hundred mark of righteousness, finally set forth His plan of rescue before two thousand years ago (Isa 59:1-2, 9-16). God sent His very own only begotten Son in to this earth and named Him Jesus in order to forgive all the sins of humans and impart a hundered percentage righteousness in the account of all those who believe Him (John 3:16; Mat 1:21).
God made His only begotten Son who was sinless to die on behalf of each one of us humans and bear all our sins (Isa 53:12, 5-6). Now all the sinful humans who are all deadly sinners who were bound to hell fire, were suddenly given rights by God to receive the hundred percent sinless righteousness of Jesus in their spiritual account and become God's children, as Jesus had died on behalf of all the people who believed his name (Mat 3:15; John 1:12). Those who believed Jesus were given hundred percent righteousness put in their spiritual account and then they themselves became the embodiment of the righteousness of God from then on (Rom 4:5-8; 2 Cor 5:21). This imputation of righteousness is not given as a wage for any man's effort, but is given as a gift for all those who believe God's Son Jesus as their Lord and Saviour (Eph 2:-9). Praise the Lord!
We are all saved because of this hundred percentage perfect righteousness of Jesus which God had put in to our spiritual account when we first believed Jesus. Now if a emergency arises like in the story we have seen above, just tell that it is the grace of God Jesus and His righteousness that has saved you. I bet, immediately you will be led right in to the very area of the throne of God with much fanfare and royalty to be in heaven forever happily with God. Pat yourself on your back and say now, "Congratulations you have passed the heaven's entrance exam with hundred percentage honors because of believing JESUS." Praise the Lord! KEEP SMILING!
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