“But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.” – Luke 20:37-38
The question isn’t whether you will rise from death. Every person has an eternal soul and Jesus makes clear the dead are raised. The real question is, what happens when you rise and face the judgement of God in His perfect holiness? Will you be welcomed into God’s presence forever (Heaven) or will you be separated from Him forever and experience the consequences of that (Hell)?
The answer isn’t based on whether you’ve done more good things than bad. God doesn’t judge on a curve! God is perfect, heaven is perfect, and admission to a place of perfection and the presence of perfection requires perfection. The answer to the question is determined by whether you’re perfect or not. Have you only done good and never done evil? Have you always thought, said, and done the right thing? Have you never failed to say or do the right thing? Has there never been a moment of selfishness, cruelty, or injustice toward others in your life? Has there never been a moment of rebellion against God’s will and plan for your life?
Of course not! You aren’t perfect. Nobody walking the earth is perfect. Judged on your own merits, you face the eternal separation from God’s holiness, light, and love that your sin deserves. But you don’t need to despair! Jesus the Son of God WAS perfect and He died on a cross to pay for your sins and rose from the dead to lead you into God’s presence. If you trust in Him as Lord, then His perfection will be credited to you.
God IS the God of the living and He doesn’t want to cast anyone out of His presence. He made you to be in relationship with Him, but that relationship is only possible if you have embraced Jesus and been declared perfect as a gift of grace made possible by His perfect life and sacrificial death. When you rise from death, how will God judge you? Are you perfect because you have a perfect Savior? #FollowJesus