A Certain Hope
Is anything certain anymore? If there is one saying I have heard a lot recently, it is this; “we just have to wait and see”. When will the coronavirus be gone? When will lockdown be lifted? When will cinemas and restaurants reopen? When will I get back to my place of work? When will schools reopen? Every day we listen to the news and we’re told that nothing is certain; we just have to wait and see. Sadly, many people think like this when it comes to the question of life after death. But the Christian has a certain hope and with assurance he will say; “I am going to heaven”. Most people will respond, silently if not verbally, “who does he think he is?” They think the statement stinks of pride, smacks of presumption and is seriously premature. But is it?
1: Pride
Is it pride to say I know I'm going to heaven? It would be if getting there depended on how good I am, but that's one of the unique things about the Christian Gospel – it states that none of us are good enough for heaven; “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), but God has provided a Saviour for us; “the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1 John 4:14).
Imagine that you know someone who needs life-saving surgery and the operation is very risky. You ask how he feels about the surgery, and he tells you he has no worries at all. Would you accuse your friend of pride? You recognise that his confidence isn't self-confidence; it's confidence in the medical team. He has committed himself to safe hands and so he has no worries. This illustrates why I can say “I have a certain hope and I know I am going to heaven at the end of my life”. It's not a claim about how great I am; it's a claim about how great my Saviour is.
Many people today fear for their life in case they catch the coronavirus. This fear has restricted our movements and drastically changed the way we live. There is no doubt about it; the coronavirus is life threatening and we all want to avoid it. But the Bible says there is something we should be more concerned about and that is our sin. We all have the problem of sin which is not merely life-threatening but soul-destroying. Sin doesn't just take people to the grave; it will take us to hell under the judgment of God. The Bible says; “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23) and “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Our biggest problem today is the problem of sin and we are helpless to do anything about it.
However, there is one who has offered to take on my case. He is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He has the qualifications to deal with my sin because of who He is, fully God and truly man (John 1:1, 14) and because of what He's done; He died for our sins and rose again (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). He is therefore uniquely qualified to save us from our sins (Acts 4:12). I am trusting the Lord Jesus Christ to save me from my sin. What about you? So when I say I know I'm saved and I’m certain about going to heaven, it is not pride; I'm depending on the work of Christ.
2: Presumption
But is it not presumption to say I know for certain? It would be if I didn't have the Bible. We are living in uncertain times but the Bible has proven its claim to be the inspired Word of God. That means we can safely and sensibly trust its message, especially today. It is full of promises that if we give up on our own efforts, abandon man-made methods of salvation, and put our trust in Christ to save us, our sins will be entirely forgiven, and we will be brought into a right relationship with God now, and will be with Him in heaven forever (1 John 5v12–13). You see, it's not presumption; I'm relying on the Word of God.
3: Premature
Some might still object and say that it's premature, that “you could be misinterpreting the Bible”. That objection might carry some force but for the fact that God doesn't just promise heaven to the believer, He promises new life and salvation here and now. God's Spirit indwells those who are saved; giving them new aims, new appetites and new abilities so that they know this is real (Romans 8:16). So it is not premature; I have the witness of the Holy Spirit.
You don't need to guess or doubt where you're going to be in the eternal world. This is not a matter of "just wait and see". For those who accept God's offer of forgiveness through Christ, the Bible guarantees they will never perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). Those who do not accept that offer, the Bible guarantees will perish forever; that is also a certainty.