No One Can Be Preached Into Heaven

Today, as I was watching the coffin of the late 41st president, George H.W. Bush, lying in state in the Capitol, and I was reminded how many people live an ungodly life only to be preached into heaven at their death. It doesn’t matter if they died in adultery, were living in fornication, or just an all around immoral person, at death, they become a saint. No one can be preached into heaven but such attempts to do so can lead many into hell. It might make the family feel good about the loss of their loved one, but they are causing many to believe that no matter how evil you are, you are still going to heaven. This could not be further from the truth!

Faithful Christians, as few as there might be, know for a biblical fact that unless one obeys the gospel of Christ they have no hope of salvation (Mk 16:16 f; 2 Thess 1:7-9). They also know that the gospel of Christ is defined as the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Cor 15:1-4). To obey the gospel one must believe in their heart and confess with their mouth that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God (Rom 10:9,10).  They also must repent of their sins and have their sins washed away by the means of baptism (immersion) (Acts 17:30 f; Acts 22:16). Then they are added to the body, the church of Christ by Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 2:47). It is from this moment forward that one must continue in the doctrine of God (Jn 7:16,17), which is also called the doctrine of Christ (2 Jn 9) and the apostle’s doctrine (Acts 2:42). If one has obeyed the gospel and continues to be faithful to the doctrine of Christ till death, then and only then will they receive a crown of life (Jam 1:12 f; Rev 2:10).

It is impossible to know if someone who has obeyed the gospel of Christ has remained faithful unto death. Therefore, as the scripture reminds us, we should not judge such matters of fellow brethren (Rom 14:12). Even so, when a brother or sister has erred from the faith, they must be reprimanded and the wrong confronted (2 Thess 3:14). Peter confronted Simon the sorcerer concerning purchasing the powers of “laying on of hands”. (Acts 8:18-22). Paul confronted Peter face to face concerning showing favoritism between the Jews and Gentiles (Gal 2:11). It is by this means one can convert a sinner from the error of his way and save a soul from death (Jam 5:19,20).

However, it is necessary for every gospel preacher to know a sinner from a saint. A preacher who didn’t know right from wrong shouldn’t be a preacher but is still a novice and needs to be taught the first principles of God (Heb 5:12-14). Anyone who has not obeyed the gospel in their lifetime will go to hell after they die. George H.W. Bush, like everyone who has served as President of the United States until this day, failed to obey the gospel of Christ. The day the former president passed away, he asked a close friend James Baker, “Where am I going”. Baker replied, “You are going to heaven”. O’ that I could have been there to have spoken to him the truth of God before his passing. He lived and died as a member of the Episcopal Church. You need to know only that they believe in immersion and/or pouring (sprinkling) of people of any age (including infants). They primarily believe in the doctrine of the Catholic church. In other words, they teach neither the gospel or the doctrine of Christ.

If only the rich man Jesus spoke of could have spoken to his brethren again, he might have said, “Don’t come where I am”. He would have said this because he woke up in the torments of hell and damnation (Lk 16:19-31). Undoubtedly, the rich man’s relatives ended up in hell where he was because they followed after his life and not after God.

It is impossible to preach the dead out of hell. Once a person is judged to hell, there is no escaping its flames (Heb 2:3). Instead of preaching the dead into heaven we should be trying to keep the living out of hell. When a preacher preaches the funeral of a lost soul, they shouldn’t attempt to eulogize the deceased into heaven but rather reach out to save the loved ones left behind. They still have a chance to repent and obey the gospel of Christ. One line from the eulogy of Ted Kennedy for his slain brother Robert in 1968 should remind us what needs to be conveyed at a funeral. He said, “My brother need not be idealized, or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life”. In other words, describe the deceased as they actually were that others may learn from their life, either to the good or to the bad.

In death, the family should not seek someone to preach their loved one into heaven. What they need is for someone to preach the truth to the family. The qualities of the deceased, both good and bad need to be preached in order that the good traits be followed and the bad one avoided. It needs to be emphasized if the deceased had obeyed the gospel of Christ or not and to instruct the loved ones the gospel of our salvation.

The deceased cannot speak to you anymore but the one who speaks at their funeral can. They need to remind the loved ones that they still have the opportunity to obey the gospel and if they have obeyed the gospel to remain faithful unto death. They need to be reminded that we must love Christ more than our parents, our children, our spouses, and even ourselves in order to please God (Lk 16:46).

It is a good thing to mourn your loved ones, but it is a mistake to follow them into hell. If your loved one was a Christian they would not want you to follow everything about them. No! They would want you to follow after Christ and his apostles (1 Cor 11:1). If your loved one made it into heaven it is because they obeyed the gospel of the New Testament which was preached nearly 2,000 years ago. Remember, man is fallible but God’s Word is perfect converting the soul (Psa 19:7).