The people of ancient Babel tried it. The Pharisees of Jesus’ time tried it. Religionists from the beginning of time have tried it, too.
One way or another, men through the ages have been trying to build a stairway to Heaven. As recounted in Genesis 11:4: “Come, let’s build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let’s make a name for ourselves …”
While not always in the form of a literal tower, any attempt by man to reach Heaven by circumventing God’s prescribed method is doomed to fail. Oh, sure, these attempts may look pretty good — good works, good behavior, religious devotion, “living a good life,” etc. — but in the end they all suffer from the same fatal flaw: They are based on man’s efforts to save himself.
There is no such thing as a stairway to Heaven, even though one of the greatest rock songs of all time talks about it, suggesting we can buy our way in:
“Stairway to Heaven”
“There’s a lady who’s sure
All that glitters is gold
And she’s buying a stairway to heaven
When she gets there she knows
If the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for
Oh oh oh oh and she’s buying a stairway to heaven”
Heaven is not for sale, as explained in 1 Peter 1:17-19: “You were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold … but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”
God’s prescribed way to reach Heaven all starts with believing in Jesus, His death and resurrection. After that, it’s easy to surrender and make Him Lord of your life.
As long as we insist on holding on to the forlorn belief that we have “bargaining power” with God, we’ll continue to proudly say, “Hey God look at me, I’m such a good guy,” while dangling something of value from our supposed “bag of personal merits.”
But then the scriptures pour cold water on our self-congratulation party and declares in Romans 3:10-12: “There is no righteous person, not even one; There is no one who understands; There is no one who seeks out God; They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good; There is not even one.” Gulp.
So, give up trying to save yourself. To paraphrase a line from President Ronald Reagan, “Mr. Sinner, tear down that stairway!”
Instead, take God’s express elevator.
As written in Ephesians 2:5-7, “… even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the boundless riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
Did you get that? When Jesus was raised from the dead that Easter morning, every single believer (past, present, future) was spiritually raised “with Him.” His resurrection was our resurrection!
Furthermore, when Jesus ascended to Heaven 40 days later, we believers went along for the ride spiritually “with Him.” And get this — when Jesus “sat down” in Heaven, we sat down in Heaven “with Him.”
Now please understand, I wouldn’t dare say such things if they weren’t there in the Bible in black and white.
God’s “express elevator” is literally the Person and Work of Jesus Christ.
In John 14:2-6, Jesus precluded all other possible means of access to Heaven (especially those manmade stairways) with these words, “In My Father’s house are many rooms … I am going there to prepare a place for you … where I am, there you also will be … I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.”
As with everything in scripture, “getting on” God’s elevator is through personal faith and trust — faith in the Person of Jesus Christ and His work on the cross to save you — via His vicarious death, burial and resurrection 2,000 years ago.
How About You?
God’s generous offer of salvation includes you, IF you’re willing.
So, like any elevator, here is how to get on:
» Go to the correct express elevator (Jesus Christ and Him alone)
» Press the “Up” button (Cry out for Christ to save you and to fill you with His Holy Spirit)
» Prepare to board (Unburden yourself by admitting you are a sinner/Confess your sins)
» Get on when the door opens (Commit your life to Him/Rest in Him)
» Rely on the “machinery” to do its job (Unreservedly trust Christ to save you and keep you forever)
As writtten in John 5:24, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, HAS eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”
— D.C. Collier is a Bible teacher, discipleship mentor and writer focused on Christian apologetics. A mechanical engineer and internet entrepreneur, he is the author of My Origin, My Destiny, a book focused on Christianity’s basic “value proposition.” Click here for more information, or contact him at [email protected]. Click here for previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.
