THE GOAL OF THE BELIEVER

This week David Crosby tweeted that heaven is "overrated and cloudy." He did this a day before he died (81). He was a legendary musical talent with "The Byrds" and "Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young." Crosby's comment about heaven came in response to a Google search that asked, "Can we go to heaven with tattoos?" The result of the Google search read, "People with tattoos will not go to heaven. People who drink alcohol will not go to heaven. People who eat too much pork will also not go to heaven. Short people will not go to heaven."

Of course, this must be satire at best because it's just not true. The only reason anyone goes to heaven is for the reason Paul the apostle said in Philippians 3:12, "Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own." Did you catch that last part? "...because Christ Jesus has made me his own." This is the only reason anyone goes to heaven. Christ has made you His own! This should be good news for the short-statured tattooed drinker eating pulled pork on the regular!

Paul assures us that even though Christ has apprehended him, he still deeply feels his responsibility to work at his sanctification. Paul affirms two distinctions of Christian salvation here in the third chapter of Philippians. First, that election is the real ground for our salvation. Second, that we have a real responsibility to "work out" our salvation. Leaning too hard in one or the other can cause great turmoil for the Christian.

Has Christ made you His own? I don't know if David Crosby is in heaven. But I can say without a doubt if Christ made Crosby His own, he's in heaven, probably making music!