Stripped of his earthly wealth and power, the fancy clothes, the palace, the Mercedes and the position itself, Pope John Paul II was just a man. Some say he was a great man and put him on a pedestal; others disagree with his politics and policies rather vehemently. Either way, immediately following his death and amid the nine days of official mourning following his burial, I’ve thought about this question.
Your answer depends on your faith or lack thereof, what you’ve been taught about getting to heaven or what you haven’t yet learned. Common answers are bound to center on “living a good life” and “doing good deeds.” But let’s look at what the Holy Bible says on the subject.
Let me first establish what I believe the Bible is: the words of God written through divine inspiration of men. It is alive rather than a mere history book, in that its messages apply to us. Sure, the world is changing. God, however, stays the same. God can speak to us through the Bible, giving us answers that apply to modern life.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is presented many times in the New Testament. There is one chapter in particular, written by the apostle Paul to the people of the church of Rome, which is often used as an evangelical tool to share the gospel in a nutshell. It is believed that Paul wrote it in AD 57. The “Romans Road” uses scripture from that chapter of Romans.
The Romans Road
Romans 3:23
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
Humans are all born with sin in their hearts (Does anyone ever teach their kids to misbehave?). Sin is sin, whether in the forms of lies, thefts or murders. The first step toward salvation is admitting that we are all sinners.
Romans 6:23
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
We all face physical death from this world, but this scripture is talking about spiritual death that will forever separate us from God. Our spirits will live forever in one of two places, and contrary to the popular comeback line, hell is not a party. We do not deserve the gift of God’s grace, but we can ask and receive it. The second step is knowing that we cannot overcome our sinful nature on our own; we must asking God to forgive us for our sins.
Romans 5:8
“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Sin is not allowed in Heaven, and a blood sacrifice must be made to atone for us to go there. Jesus Christ was born of a virgin (hence was not a descendant of our sinful nature), lived a 100 percent sinless life, and was crucified on the cross to pay for all of mankind’s sins. On the third day after his crucifixion, Jesus rose from the dead and continues to live at the right hand of Father God. The third step is believing in Jesus Christ and what he did for us.
Romans 10:13
"For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done in the past, where or if you go to church ... God’s salvation plan is available to all. But it must be a heart transformation, not one of ritual or going through the motions or merely saying the words.
Romans 10:9,10
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart the God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”
It’s that easy. But anyone who does not believe in Jesus in his or her heart, and does not confess, ask for forgiveness and ask that God save them won’t be saved. Salvation is not granted based on social status or church membership or anything other than genuinely accepting Jesus.
There are many other passages in the New Testament that tell us about Jesus.
Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
How do I know that the pomp and circumstance of manmade religion isn’t necessary to go to heaven? We have an example as Jesus himself was on the cross as he was punished along with two criminals.
One of the criminals rebuked the other, who was hurling insults at Jesus: “Don’t you fear God, since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then to Jesus the man said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:39-43)
Doing good deeds is a part of living a Christian life. However, works alone will not merit the rewards of heaven – especially if we are boastful about it.
Jesus said, “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 6:1-4)
Again, the transformation must be one of the heart, and not one of actions.
Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:21-23)
Accepting Jesus is the only way to reach heaven.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
Back to the original question, I don’t know the answer. It is between God and the Pope JP2. It is impossible to pray someone into heaven. He or she must do the equivalent of walking the Romans Road by accepting Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and making him Lord and Savior of their lives. If the pope is in heaven, he didn’t get there because he was the pope. He is there if he prayed the prayer and took it to heart. I hope he is. I hope to see you there, too.
Being a Christian doesn’t mean living a sinless life; we are not strong enough to do that. With God’s help, we can turn from our evil ways and walk a narrower path. Believe me, it’s a struggle to make the right choices even knowing Jesus Christ. With prayer and study of the Bible, it gets easier. I’ve got assurance of heaven – I don't deserve it by any stretch – and you can have it, too.
Please don't take this post as anti-Catholic. It's not. The pope's death, to me, offered a golden opportunity to set the record straight. If this has excited or angered you, please link to it. The more who read it, the better. It's not about traffic (I don't even check my stats) and it's not about comments. You can e-mail me with a comment if you prefer. This is life and death. It's too important to be shy or bashful about it. Jesus saves.
*note: scriptures are from the NIV (New International Version) of the Holy Bible, which I find easy to read. Mine is also a "study version" which means it clarifies language and origins of words and meanings further with footnotes.
I have to comment that this was an excellent commentary and teaching. Though I am not overly religious, everything you say rings true and I have taken it to heart. Thanks.
/chuck
I thought this was a great commentary, and I hope it inspires many of your readers as it did me.
Dude, you are just speaking my language here. It's amazing how simple it is. I've wondered the same thing, and it seems to make sense that John Paul II prolly did understand. I hope so because he seems like he was a really good guy and I'd like to have a beer with him one day.
We go to a nondenominational Bible church, and its foundation is those passages from Romans. It's so good to know that salvation depends on one simple yet wildly potent thing. My husband gets all upset about things that we can never know (like how does evolution parse with creation, and what really happened to Terri Schiavo) and I have to remind him, all we gotta know is one thing. I've honed it to where I can hold up my index finger when he's railing and ranting at the things he can't reconcile, and say to him "One thing."
Kudos to you today for reducing it down to its essence. I liken it to that corporate team-building exercise where you trust your co-worker and fall backwards into their arms. You just have to believe and have a little faith, and it's done.
You don't have to be baptized, you don't have to take communion, you don't have to sign a card or join a committee or be voted into a church. You don't have to memorize a certain number of Bible verses, or quit drinking, dancing and smoking. You don't have to go to church a certain number of days per year, say amen, or walk to the front of the church for a tearful confession. Just that one thing.
Amen!
A good friend of mine calls her New International Version Bible "The Hip Version." LOL.
Living a Christian life onboard a Navy ship is difficult but not impossible. I've been struggling with all of the swearing that goes on out here. The phrase "cuss like a sailor" is taken to heart on this ship.
I'm a lapsed Catholic - mainly because Canon Law is so dated and the Vatican refuses to acknowledge the world has changed in 2000 years.
That said, I believe the Pope always had the best intentions and in his lifetime accomplished phenomenal feats - by bringing people together and opening channels of communication.
This is a great post.
For the record, I think he's in heaven.
I think my pope post pretty much says what I think about the pope/religion.