Day 7/29 – The Path to Heaven

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Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man by Walter A Henrichsen (“Walt”)
The Path to Heaven
Day Two Hundred Ten

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.”‘ John 14:6

You see the offense of the gospel in Jesus claim to be the only way people can get to heaven. People find three ways to eliminate this offense. First, by arguing that there is more than one God. If there are two or more gods, then my way is as good as your way. Second, by arguing that although there is only one God, there is more than one way to find Him. If you say, “There are many ways to God, my way is Jesus,” you have eliminated the offense. Third, by arguing that there is no God; troubled people create Him to solve their problems.

You can easily see why people wish to eliminate this offense of the gospel. For all three of these have in common that they abolish personal accountability. If you have more than one God or more than one standard from Him, each person can chose for himself the direction he wishes to go. Thus the offense of the gospel is not just that Jesus claims to be the only way to the Father, but also that He ensures judgment. “The hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.” 278

Some may be indifferent to your commitment to Christ, but only because they have not made the link between the exclusivity of Christ and the certainty of Judgment. Do not avoid or back away from God’s promised Judgment because it is not polite or accepted. You do people no favor by affirming them in their error.

278 John 5:28-29

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Psalm 49-50 Romans 1 (New King James Version)

Psalm 49-50
The Confidence of the Foolish
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
49
Hear this, all peoples;
Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
2
Both low and high,
Rich and poor together.
3
My mouth shall speak wisdom,
And the meditation of my heart shall give understanding.
4
I will incline my ear to a proverb;
I will disclose my [a]dark saying on the harp.
5
Why should I fear in the days of evil,
When the iniquity at my heels surrounds me?
6
Those who trust in their wealth
And boast in the multitude of their riches,
7
None of them can by any means redeem his brother,
Nor give to God a ransom for him—
8
For the redemption of their souls is costly,
And it shall cease forever—
9
That he should continue to live eternally,
And not [b]see the Pit.
10
For he sees wise men die;
Likewise the fool and the senseless person perish,
And leave their wealth to others.
11
[c]Their inner thought is that their houses will last forever,
Their dwelling places to all generations;
They call their lands after their own names.
12
Nevertheless man, though in honor, does not [d]remain;
He is like the beasts that perish.
13
This is the way of those who are foolish,
And of their posterity who approve their sayings. Selah
14
Like sheep they are laid in the grave;
Death shall feed on them;
The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning;
And their beauty shall be consumed in [e]the grave, far from their dwelling.
15
But God will redeem my soul from the power of [f]the grave,
For He shall receive me. Selah
16
Do not be afraid when one becomes rich,
When the glory of his house is increased;
17
For when he dies he shall carry nothing away;
His glory shall not descend after him.
18
Though while he lives he blesses himself
(For men will praise you when you do well for yourself),
19
He shall go to the generation of his fathers;
They shall never see light.[g]
20
A man who is in honor, yet does not understand,
Is like the beasts that perish.
God the Righteous Judge
A Psalm of Asaph.
50
The Mighty One, God the Lord,
Has spoken and called the earth
From the rising of the sun to its going down.
2
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God will shine forth.
3
Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent;
A fire shall devour before Him,
And it shall be very tempestuous all around Him.
4
He shall call to the heavens from above,
And to the earth, that He may judge His people:
5
“Gather My saints together to Me,
Those who have [h]made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”
6
Let the heavens declare His righteousness,
For God Himself is Judge. Selah
7
“Hear, O My people, and I will speak,
O Israel, and I will testify against you;
I am God, your God!
8
I will not [i]rebuke you for your sacrifices
Or your burnt offerings,
Which are continually before Me.
9
I will not take a bull from your house,
Nor goats out of your folds.
10
For every beast of the forest is Mine,
And the cattle on a thousand hills.
11
I know all the birds of the mountains,
And the wild beasts of the field are Mine.
12
“If I were hungry, I would not tell you;
For the world is Mine, and all its fullness.
13
Will I eat the flesh of bulls,
Or drink the blood of goats?
14
Offer to God thanksgiving,
And pay your vows to the Most High.
15
Call upon Me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”
16
But to the wicked God says:
“What right have you to declare My statutes,
Or take My covenant in your mouth,
17
Seeing you hate instruction
And cast My words behind you?
18
When you saw a thief, you consented[j] with him,
And have been a partaker with adulterers.
19
You give your mouth to evil,
And your tongue frames deceit.
20
You sit and speak against your brother;
You slander your own mother’s son.
21
These things you have done, and I kept silent;
You thought that I was altogether like you;
But I will rebuke you,
And set them in order before your eyes.
22
“Now consider this, you who forget God,
Lest I tear you in pieces,
And there be none to deliver:
23
Whoever offers praise glorifies Me;
And to him who orders his conduct aright
I will show the salvation of God.”
Footnotes:
• Psalm 49:4 riddle
• Psalm 49:9 experience corruption
• Psalm 49:11 LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. Their graves shall be their houses forever
• Psalm 49:12 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Syr., Vg. understand (cf. v. 20)
• Psalm 49:14 Or Sheol
• Psalm 49:15 Or Sheol
• Psalm 49:19 The light of life
• Psalm 50:5 Lit. cut
• Psalm 50:8 reprove
• Psalm 50:18 LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. ran

Romans 1
Greeting
1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God 2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who [a]was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. 5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;
7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Desire to Visit Rome
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve [b]with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, 10 making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established— 12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.
13 Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles. 14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. 15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.
The Just Live by Faith
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel [c]of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who [d]suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is [e]manifest [f]in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and [g]Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like [h]corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their [i]women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the [j]men, leaving the natural use of the [k]woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, [l]sexual immorality, wickedness, [m]covetousness, [n]maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 [o]undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, [p]unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
Footnotes:
• Romans 1:3 came
• Romans 1:9 Or in
• Romans 1:16 NU omits of Christ
• Romans 1:18 hold down
• Romans 1:19 evident
• Romans 1:19 among
• Romans 1:20 divine nature, deity
• Romans 1:23 perishable
• Romans 1:26 Lit. females
• Romans 1:27 Lit. males
• Romans 1:27 Lit. female
• Romans 1:29 NU omits sexual immorality
• Romans 1:29 greed
• Romans 1:29 malice
• Romans 1:31 without understanding
• Romans 1:31 NU omits unforgiving