The Myth that Should be Busted

It’s like finding a needle in a haystack.

It’s like shooting fish in a barrel.

Have you ever heard these expressions?  I know that when I first came across them, I wanted the facts behind the statements.  Is it really difficult to find a needle in a haystack?  Is it really easy to shoot fish in a barrel?

And alas, I had no answers to these critical questions until a show came out that changed it all.  I’m sure you are familiar with Mythbusters, the amazing and entertaining show now in its 13^th season.  Now I know way, WAY more than I ever thought possible about urban legends, Internet rumors and old wives’ tales.

But the one frustration I have with Mythbusters is that they refuse to investigate what they call “oogie boogie” claims that involve the paranormal or supernatural.  I understand why in terms of those areas being inaccessible to the scientific method, but obviously there are others types of “knowledge” that are discoverable outside of science—right?

For example, we make moral judgments about what is right and wrong, we make aesthetic judgments about what is beautiful, and we also make decisions about how science should be applied.  All these rely on knowledge that is unattainable through the scientific method, and conclusions about the supernatural are also outside the realm of science, but that doesn’t mean that these realms are unimportant.

In fact, you might even argue that these areas—especially what we believe about the supernatural—comprise what are THE most important issues in life!

Why?  Because compared to eternity, this life on earth is nothing more than a flicker of light or a vanishing mist.  In 10,000 years, will all the creation/evolution and “age of the universe” debates truly matter?

Perhaps, but of infinitely more value will be the destiny of your soul, and the big myth that needs to be busted is that if you are a sincere person who tries his/her best to be good, you will go to heaven.

So let’s investigate that myth, shall we?

First of all, let’s go to the most credible source of Truth on the planet—the Bible.  Many religious books claim to have truth, but only one book has the credibility claims of God’s Word.  In short, it was written over a 1500-year period by 40 authors in three very different languages.  Yet will all this divergence, the Bible has one theme and no valid contradictions.  It is also the best seller of all time, and if you do your research, you will learn that there are over 300 specific prophecies about Jesus in the Old Testament that were all completely fulfilled! The odds of that happening by chance are beyond astronomical.

No other book claiming to be the Truth comes close to being truthful, so listen carefully to the words of God concerning your soul:

You see, all have sinned, and all their futile attempts to reach God in His glory fail (Romans 3:23, The Voice).

And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15, NLT).

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23, NLT).

As you can plainly see (and my guess is that you already know this in your heart), we are all sinners in need of a Savior.  All of our good deeds added up will never pay for all the wrongs we’ve committed, which means that wicked, evil people go to hell, but so do good, sincere people who haven’t trusted Christ!

That’s why Jesus made this claim: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6, NIV).

Jesus backed up this declaration by living a perfect life, dying a horrible death and raising Himself from the grave to prove He is God!

Not long after, Jesus’ disciples repeated the same assertion to the highest court of law in their day: “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12, NLT).

So I believe we have busted the myth that all good people go to heaven.  There are no “good” people in God’s sight, and there was only one perfect Person who paid the price for sin so we could receive forgiveness and spend eternity with Him in heaven.

Now it’s our turn to get this good news out for the sake of THE Cause of Christ…let’s go bust this myth!

Flashpoint: Ignite Into Action

The myth that people can get to heaven apart from Jesus Christ is not only a lie, it is a dangerous claim that deceives many into thinking that it doesn’t matter what they believe, and that they don’t need Jesus.

Accelerant: Fuel for THE Cause

Pray: Dear Lord, thank you for paying the price for our sins so we can spend eternity with You. Help us have the wisdom to speak the truth about Your Word to others.

Read: John 3:16-18.  “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son” (NLT).

Get:  oneminuteapologist.com. Do you ever run into questions about your Christian faith that you don’t know the answers to? Check out this helpful website. It might even help you bust some myths!