Does that mean you are going to heaven because God loves you and His love never fails? Nope. His love never fails, but unless you have His love, you are not going to heaven. His love cannot get you into heaven. It can only provide you with the way to Heaven. But you must follow that Way. That Way is the Way of Love. Love is the Ten Commandments (Deuteronomy 7:9; 2 John 1:6). We have just seen how those Ten Commandments are to be fulfilled in every detail of our lives. They never fail.
No doubt about it, it is work. Keeping our eyes on Jesus is very hard work. The devil has invented more ways than ever before imaginable for keeping your eyes off what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, and praiseworthy. The sad fact is, we feel right at home with most of his inventions.
But you say, “When Jesus comes, He will change me and force me to be good in heaven. I won’t want to be a sinner there.” I’m afraid not, my friend. You see, there is no police force in Heaven. God’s government is not run by force. There is not one police officer in Heaven. Not one jail cell. Not one speed limit. Not one building code. Not one government regulation. Nope, just ten simple commandments: the Covenant of Love. That is all a righteous person needs. If God could force you to be good in heaven, He would do it here on earth.
You see, the only people Jesus can take to Heaven are those who are living the Heavenly life right now. If you are not, voluntarily, living the Heavenly life now, you won’t live it in Heaven. Why? Because salvation and righteous living is a choice. You can live it now, if you want to. If you don’t want to, you won’t be. And if you aren’t now, you won’t then. God cannot force you into righteousness. Laws are only necessary to keep the wicked heart under control. Since there will be no wicked hearts in Heaven, there will be no need for laws or law enforcement. All who are in Heaven will be there voluntarily. They will be there because they love God’s law and want to keep it – all of it from the heart.
Some may argue that they are what they are because of their genes or genetic code. That it would be un-Christ-like to condemn them or destroy them for “being born that way”. I believe that medical science will discover that genes are not set, but motivated. Genes can be changed, i.e. switched on or off, become dominant or dormant. How is this possible? The Bible tells us how.
God, who created us, created genes to be motivated by our behavior and our thinking. “For as the thoughts of his heart are, so is he…” Proverbs 23:7 These patterns of thought which then create patterns of behavior would then be transmitted “…to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my Commandments.” Exodus 20:5, 6.
Now we understand the concept of what God has been trying to get across to us since the beginning of time. To Cain He said, “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” Genesis 4:7. In the New Testament He said, “…continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,…” Philippians 2:12. He knew that “love” would never compensate for work. Only by the power of the Love of God through our hard work would we, God’s power with our power, be able to change the DNA genetic code of sin in our lives.
“Bygren and other scientists have now amassed historical evidence suggesting that powerful environmental conditions (near death from starvation, for instance) can somehow leave an imprint on the genetic material in eggs and sperm. These genetic imprints can short-circuit evolution and pass along new traits in a single generation.” Why Your DNA Isn’t Your Destiny, By John Cloud Wednesday, Time Magazine, Jan. 06, 2010.
By the way, God’s love never fails, but He does withdraw it. “‘When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the Lord Almighty.” “The flock detested Me, and I grew weary of them and said, ‘I will not be your shepherd. Let the dying die, and the perishing perish. Let those who are left eat one another’s flesh.’” Zechariah 7:13; 11:8, 9. Your choice! Obey and receive God’s never failing love, or disobey and step outside of God’s never failing love.
However, God knows that we need a law of principles so we understand what “love” is. Without the true love of Jesus in the heart, man must be ruled by laws. Since the 1960’s when the churches down-played the Ten Commandments and became infatuated by the “you’re OK, I’m OK” and the “Saved by Grace” philosophy, the laws of the land have more than tripled. With the Law of God in the heart, you don’t need so many laws of man. Without the Law of love in the heart (Ten Commandments), you need more and more laws and regulations to control the wicked heart of man.
Militant Islamics also claim to love God. They run around claiming that Allah is kind and merciful while they slit your throat and cut off your head. They have made a commitment to force the world to accept Allah as the one and only God. Those who do not accept their god will be cut to pieces, mutilated and tortured.
The next time you hear your pastor, your church, your friend or anybody talk about, “all we need is love”, watch out! What love is he/she talking about? The love of “my rights”, “you must believe as I believe”, or the love of Jesus who humbled Himself and served others and allowed others to walk all over His rights. That is the only love that will go to heaven.