As another year is quickly drawing to a close, we often use this time to take stock of our lives. We look back at where we have been and evaluate where we are now. We also tend to look forward to the new year and what might lie ahead, thinking about what we ought to do in order to get to where we want to be.
It is certainly a good exercise for us to consider where we are in contrast to where we have been and where we are going. While we are doing this, let us not forget our spiritual lives. It would be good for us to be taking stock of where we have been, where we are, and where we are headed.
Where Have We Been?
When we were born, we came into this world innocent and free from sin (Ecclesiastes 7:29). Contrary to what some will teach, we did not inherit the guilt of anyone else’s sin (Ezekiel 18:20). This is why Jesus said, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14). He was not commending childish characteristics of immaturity or naivety, but rather innocence. Every child who is born into the world is innocent and pure.
Sadly, we have departed from that child-like innocence. Paul wrote, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Those who say otherwise are deceiving themselves (1 John 1:8). Because of our sin, we were separated from God (Isaiah 59:2), without hope (Ephesians 2:12), without direction (Jeremiah 10:23), and, on our own, helpless to remedy this situation (Romans 5:6).
Paul described this sad condition in his letter to the Ephesians: “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest” (Ephesians 2:1-3). In this condition as “children of wrath,” we were destined for destruction (cf. 2 Thessalonians 1:5-9).
Where Are We Now?
Unfortunately, those who have not had their sins forgiven are still in the condition described above. But those of us who are Christians have been saved by the grace of God (Ephesians 2:5, 8). We have been added by God to Christ’s church just as those on the day of Pentecost when the church was established: “The Lord was adding to their number (the church, KJV) day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). Being part of the church carries with it certain responsibilities, such as teaching others (1 Peter 3:15), assembling with the saints (Hebrews 10:25), encouraging our brethren (1 Thessalonians 5:11), and striving for unity (Ephesians 4:3).
Along with being part of Christ’s church, we are also part of His kingdom. This is a point of contention with many in the denominational world who say that we are waiting for Jesus to return to establish His kingdom. But Paul told the Colossians, “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13). Paul used a past tense verb to describe both being rescued from darkness and being transferred to the kingdom. Jesus said His kingdom would “come with power” during the lifetime of some of His disciples that were with Him that day (Mark 9:1). We are not waiting for a future kingdom. As part of the Lord’s church, we are also part of His kingdom.
Another important point we should remember as we think about where we are now, is that we are still on the earth. While we are here, we cannot say we have obtained our reward (Philippians 3:12-13). Therefore, as long as we are here, we must continue to “press on toward the goal” (Philippians 3:14) and work to overcome sin and temptation (James 4:7). As long as we live, we cannot give up this pursuit.
Where Are We Going?
Unless the Lord returns first, we will each die one day. Therefore, we must make preparations to meet the Lord in judgment. The Hebrew writer said, “It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Paul wrote, “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10). Notice that this is for everyone – living and dead (1 Peter 4:5), small and great (Revelation 20:12).
From judgment, we will go to one of two places – heaven or hell. After describing the judgment scene, Jesus said, “These [the wicked] will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matthew 25:46). Hell is a place of eternal torment, a “furnace of fire” where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:42), “where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:48). It has been “prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). In contrast, heaven is a place of eternal life and is the home of God, Jesus, the angels, and all the saints (1 Thessalonians 4:17; John 14:2-3; Revelation 14:13). If we honestly consider these two places, each one of us should want to be sure that we end up in heaven.
So how do we get to heaven? There is good news for each of us – no matter where we have been or where we are now, we can get to heaven. “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men” (Titus 2:11). In order to be saved, we must believe that Jesus is the Son of God (John 3:16), put away sin from our lives (Acts 11:18), confess our faith in Christ (Romans 10:9-10), and be baptized into Him to have our sins washed away (Galatians 3:27; Acts 22:16).
Once we have done these things, we must remain “faithful until death” (Revelation 2:10). What will this involve? We must “press on toward the goal” (Philippians 3:14), endure until the end (Matthew 10:22), resist the devil (James 4:7), keep from falling from our steadfastness (2 Peter 3:17), and keep our eyes fixed upon “Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:2). Each one of us can follow God’s instructions in His word and make it to heaven if we choose to do so.
We can see what one has to do to get to heaven, but what about the other option? How do we get to hell? The answer is very simple – anyway we want. The wise man said, “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12). There is only one way to get to heaven (John 14:6; Acts 4:12), but there are many ways to get to hell. Let us each determine to follow the path that God has given us so that we can reach that home of heaven when our lives here are over.
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