Why do we need to grow? Do we need to prepare ourselves that we may be worthy of Heaven? If we follow the Christian teaching that we are worthy because of Christ's worthiness, the logical conclusion is, there is nothing of significance that we really have to do in order to go to Heaven. We are saved by a sovereign grace.

The concept that we go to Heaven on the basis of Christ's worthiness is destructive of God's program of salvation, although is sounds very scriptural and devout.

Let's think about the Kingdom of God for a moment. We shall see at once the enormous difference between the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and the gospel of going to Heaven when we die.

We are not saying by this that there is not a place called Heaven, or that God, Christ, the saints, and the holy angels are not there. There certainly is such a place. This is where we are to place our treasures. This is where our citizenship is. This is where we hope to go when we die. This is where the Kingdom of God is at the present time.

But the place called Heaven is not our destiny. It is a staging ground while the Lord is preparing to invade the earth and establish His Kingdom here. God's will yet shall be done on earth as it is in Heaven!

The gospel of going to Heaven teaches, as we have said, that we are given our "ticket" by grace so when we die we will be admitted to Heaven on the basis of Christ's worthiness.

Inheriting the Kingdom of God is an altogether different matter.

Entering the Kingdom of God begins the moment we are born again. It is not a ticket to anywhere. It is the bringing forth of a new creation within our personality. We do not wait to die for it to begin. It is being pressed on us now, especially as we are approaching the end of the Church Age.

As soon as we begin to realize the difference between Heaven as a place, and the Kingdom of God as a change of what we are, many verses that before seemed to have limited application to us suddenly make sense.

For example:

And, "If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?" So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. (I Peter 4:18,19—NIV)

Why would it be hard for the righteous to be saved if the goal is to go to Heaven when we die, and we go there by sovereign grace apart from any change on our part? This simply makes no sense at all and ought to tell us something is seriously amiss with contemporary teaching.

And what does suffering according to God's will have to do with entering Heaven, if entering Heaven is what it means to be saved?

As far as I can see, these questions are impossible to answer, given current teaching.

But if we view salvation as inheriting the Kingdom of God, and if we enter the Kingdom of God through suffering and hardships, and if the Kingdom of God requires a radical and sometimes objectionable transformation of what we are, then these questions are answered easily.

To be continued.