Christianity for Dummy's part 2

"Good people go to heaven, while bad people go to hell." "I'm basically a good person." "I donate millions and do volunteer work." You've heard it, or it's been insinuated, or the theme has been played out in theatre, TV, film, or print.

Here's the problem; no one can agree on what "good" is, especially religious leaders. For instance as an extreme example, Islam rewards the killing of infidels (non-Islams) as good. Good, bad, right, wrong are all "subject to's" whose opinion or what the popular religious flavor is.

Even if we could all agree on what good is, how good is good enough to get to heaven? Is it an average, percentage or graded on a curve? If 51% of your deeds are good, do you make the cut? Or worse yet, what if you found you "missed it by that much" as agent 86 would say. Heck, even the Bible makes no mention on what works you can do to earn your way through being good. All those rules and regs were culturally and physically shown to be impossible to keep.

Here's the classic head-scratcher; Jesus told the local religious leaders of the day who worked their whole life to be the best they could be, that they weren't good enough to go to heaven, yet He promised prostitutes and criminals they were gladly welcomed. Huh?

There has to be a common denominator all can agree to don't you agree? It's simple...

Forgiven people.

Consequences

The kids were acting a little different after we picked them up from youth group last night...Ring. Ring. It's the mother of the other kid that went to group; "My son is acting different, something's going on."

I have to be honest, I absolutely dreaded Sunday school and youth group . It felt like prison to me. A volunteer teacher, who also happened to have my dad as a professor at the local Christian University, tried to get a group of boys to follow a page-by-page Bible study, asking each of us to take turns reading the passages. We spent most of our time throwing spit wads at each other and watching the clock, just waiting for our weekly torment to end.

I know which genes that idea came from...One time, four of us decided to ditch. (I know my sister did a couple times too.) We thought that as long as we made it back before we were being picked up, no one would know. We skipped out and went to Jack in the Box, a local fast food eatery. What a great time we had! It was the best "group" ever.

We lost track of the time and got back late. Sure enough, we were all in trouble. Worst of all, we were forced to continue to sit through the same old sessions of boredom week after week. Today I can't remember any of those painful lessons, but I do remember every detail of that one great group. I gained three good friends that day.

The point I'm pointing out is that free will is a huge part of our make up. Some of our decisions have consequences that can last a few days, or an eternity.

Extra chores, no TV or Dragon Ball Z...it's a choice made.

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will comein." Rev 3:20