Proving No One Can Get to Heaven A point-by-point answer to the video on God is Imaginary.com By Cory Tucholski Copyright © 2008 Josiah Concept Ministries All rights reserved

Proving No One Can Get to Heaven The Bible itself is clear: humanity is totally depraved and unable to get to heaven (see Rom 3:23, Ps 14:1-3, and Eph 2:1-3)‏ Jesus even makes the statement that no one can come to him under his or her own power (Jn 6:44)‏ This is total depravity: Mankind wants nothing to do with God Mankind desires only what the flesh desires and wants nothing to do with the spirit

Proving No One Can Get to Heaven This video makes the same point: no one can get to heaven under his own power The only difference is the video makes a list of 8 steps needed to get to heaven The 8 steps are supposed to show confusion and contradiction, and therefore prove that heaven is imaginary God is not the author of confusion, so let's see if we can set the record straight

Proving No One Can Get to Heaven The 8 steps are: Love Everyone Sell Everything Hate Everyone/Sell Everything Eat Flesh! Drink Blood! Be a Little Child Be a Born Again Infant Follow 613 Old Testament Laws Believe in Jesus

Proving No One Can Get to Heaven Before considering each step, how does the Bible say that we get to heaven? For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (Jn 3:16)‏ So where do all of the other “steps” fit in? Let's take a look

Love Everyone No arguments here The Bible teaches us: Love our enemies and pray for those that persecute us Live in harmony with one another As much as it depends you, live peaceably with one another Overcome evil with good This isn't a way to get to heaven, this is a fruit of salvation

Sell Everything The story cited, Luke 18:18-30, was one command given to one person The point was to teach that material possessions cannot be relied upon Look at Matthew 6:19-20: Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Sell Everything Look at Ecclesiastes 5:10-12: He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep. Jesus' teaching is consistent with those verses Jesus is trying to highlight how worthless it is to collect material possessions

Hate Everyone/Sell Everything We've already covered “Sell Everything” and will say no more except that enjoying material possessions isn't wrong: Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.

Hate Everyone/Sell Everything It isn't wrong to enjoy possessions; it is wrong to rely on them As for hating everyone, this is a misunderstanding of Luke 14:26: If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

Hate Everyone/Sell Everything Jesus is using hyperbole to make two simple points: God must be first in everything You can't put anything—not even family—above God in your life

Eat Flesh! Drink Blood! This is a reference to John 6 This is a spiritual teaching, not a literal one (see Jn 6:63)‏ In Jewish thought, you really were what you ate Therefore, eating the flesh was symbolic of internalizing the teachings of Jesus to such an extent that they become part of who you are

Be a Little Child

Be a Born Again Infant This is a metaphorical teaching We are born of the flesh, and produce fruits of the flesh (Gal 5:19-21)‏ Jesus wants us to be born of the Spirit and produce fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23)‏

Follow 613 Old Testament Laws Those who follow the Old Testament Law are under a curse: For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. (Gal 3:10-14)‏

Follow 613 Old Testament Laws Paul says that “through the law comes knowledge of sin” (Rom 3:20). We are held captive by the Law: . . . before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise. (Gal 3:23-29)‏

Follow 613 Old Testament Laws According to Jesus' own words, he fulfilled the Law (Mt 5:17)‏ Now Paul writes: “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Rom 10:4, emphasis added) and “we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law” (Rom 3:28). Therefore, one is justified before God by faith in the sufficiency of Christ's Atonement on the Cross, not by following the Old Testament Law

Believe in Jesus Well, of course!

Conclusion Most of these aren't steps to get to heaven at all All of them have been twisted by the video to support its conclusion