No Guarantee

 

I am quoting a weekly homily from The Cavalier Chronicle, one of the Revised Common Lectionary homilies, printed on Page 7 of that newspaper on 6/28/2023, and is entitled, The Forever Free Gift:

 

“You will not find a better deal anywhere. Just repent your sinful past. Then, believe in Jesus, the Christ. The gift? Eternal life. That’s it.

 

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ.” Romans 6:12-23.”

 

My response: I largely agree with the homily. God exists. We have free will, and if we choose to live a life of sin, moral and spiritual evil, and do not repent, and wholly accept Christ and/or the other benevolent deities into our lives, than temporary hell (Purgatory route if we get out on good behavior) or permanent hell are real existential threats.

 

If we repent, accepted Jesus or our other benevolent deity into our lives, we have a shot at the free gift of eternal life.

 

But, that initial acceptance of the possibility of getting into heaven is not a guarantee for sure that we will get to heaven, though it is a promising potential. For the rest of our lives, as long as we live, we need to live as ethically and spiritually good life as we can each day until we die.

 

We must remain humble and not get swelled up with self-righteousness, and smugly assume we are saved for sure, no matter if we have lapsed back into sinning, being spiritually and morally bad, while not being self-aware that we have so degenerated.

 

If we try to get to heave, are cautiously optimistic that we will get to heaven, if we constantly self-check where are at, and invite friends, family, the Good Spirits, Jesus and other good deities to help get us back on the straight and narrow path when we begin to stray, then we probably are saved and will be met by Jesus at the gate of heaven.