tell it like it is
reading from the playbook› John 14:1-6
Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay) is arguably the most famous boxer ever to be crowned the heavyweight champion of the world. We marveled at his combination of finesse and power. And few of us will forget his antics outside the ring.
Ali, a deeply religious man, explained in a Reader’s Digest interview what faith is to him.
“It means a ticket to heaven. One day we’re all going to die, and God’s going to judge us, our good and bad
deeds. If the bad outweighs the good, you go to hell. If the good outweighs the bad, you go to heaven.”
While many of Ali’s jabs hit their mark, his explanation of how to get to heaven is way off.
The God of the Bible is going to judge all of us one day; that part is true. But the good that we’ve done will not wipe out our bad thoughts and deeds. We can’t possibly do enough good works to compensate for our sins. The truth is that God would declare every last one guilty and worthy of eternal punishment if it weren’t for the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is the only ticket to heaven. We can’t do a thing to resolve our sin problem, except put ourselves at the mercy of God and believe that Jesus’ death KO’s the penalty of our sin. It is only because of Jesus’ sacrifice for us on the cross that we can be “made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:22).
Whether we’re “The Greatest” or just a regular Joe, that’s the way it is. —Jeff Olson
executing the game plan›
• Write out on a sheet of paper how you would explain the way a person can go to heaven.
• Are you going to heaven after you die? Why or why not?
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M.Ali could not be more wrong.
We never see any country with a law that says it is alright to murder if you have done enough good deeds such as donating to charity.
Killing is against the law ..period. It is regardless of how much good we have done.
This too applies to stealing, corruption…SINS….(So I’m Not Saved ??)
The answer lies in paying price, the penalty (death)…and only those who accept the blood payment by Jesus will be released from the prosecution.