I was surprised by what a friend said at bible study recently.
He said, "I realize my brother-in-law isn't a Christian, but he's a good guy and I can't imagine him not being with us in heaven. We would all be missing something without him there."
My friend has otherwise consistently explained the redemptive role of Jesus with clarity when he's said, "you can't earn your way to heaven, because its about faith, belief in Jesus, and what he did on the cross."
Amen to that. So, why this other, seemingly inconsistent reference to his brother-in-law? If not through good works (you can't 'earn' heaven), and not believing in Christ, how else will his brother-in-law find his way to heaven?
We all hold what I call a sentimental, heartfelt hope for unbelieving friends and loved ones, past and present, to be in heaven with God's peace.
But trying to put our personal spin on heaven is just the tip of a spiritually drifting iceberg.
The companion conversations start with,
"I can't believe in a god that would ______"
or alternatively,
"I would only believe in a god that would _____ "
A god. A god as defined by personal beliefs or morality.
That is actually the start of a healthy conversation. Tell me more about that god. One of many gods? Sovereign over all others? Accessible via prayer? With a shared plan for all people to see?
These are all fair - and to me at least - interesting questions to raise and debate.
Its a debate because you can't genuinely reconcile these personally defined gods with God as we understand Him from the bible.
Our sentimental, heartfelt desire to say that heaven "wouldn't be the same without....." is natural.
But if God is truly the the sovereign Creator of all things, all powerful and worthy of praise and worship...then it may be that all our earthly personal relationships and life experiences fade in the light of His glory. And maybe the infinitely magnificent attributes and elements of God transcend even the most intelligently constructed (and convoluted) boundaries of our human attempts to define and shape Him to our expectations.
Of course we can't specify whom God has gathered to himself across the ages, or whom he has not. Its His call. Surprises ahead!
That said, Christianity is confident to explain with surety the clear path that God himself has declared in the bible: forgiveness of our sin, redemption and eternal life is through Jesus. And for our loved ones, those who believe in Jesus, there is no sentimental hope of heaven required. We can know. 1John 5:13
A believer in this God can best show their concern and compassion for loved ones by sharing what we know to be true of Him. They'll hear plenty of other options - perhaps even create a few of their own.
What do you believe?
