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You Have to Be Bad to Go to Heaven

Dear N,

You have been on my mind off and on for the last several years. My grandson told me that you had been asked him why he had not rebelled.

This same question came to me as to why my four children had not rebelled when they were all very strong-willed kids. I wasn’t sure, so I checked with them. I cannot remember Gordon’s response, but Heather’s was that she knew that if ever one of the kids stepped out of line, I would leave the ministry that same day. She did not want that to happen. Evan’s response was that they knew that real Christianity was in their home, not in the church. Doug’s response was that he could not rebel against someone he agreed with.

I bring this up because I suspect you know that I spend most of my time with hurting Christians, the second most with hypocrites–people who are pretending to be Christians but are not, and the third with unbelievers of all kinds, including those who have trouble with meth, marijuana, alcohol, and sexually immoral people.

Last summer and fall I had four different alcoholics living with me as well as a marijuana addict. The reason for this is that I know that God is real and His solution works.

Christ died for the ungodly: “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6).

Christ died for sinners: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

In other words, a person has to be bad in order to go to Heaven. Christ did not die for good people. He died to forgive people. A person has to qualify first. He/she must be bad.

In the 70 years I have bean a Christian, I have seen people saved hundreds of times. The most remarkable was seven years ago. He was 32 years old and had never read a book in his life. He has now read the whole Bible. He lived for money, sex, revenge, bitterness, hatred, and profanity.

I saw him four times for about a minute each. The fifth time I saw him, all of those things had disappeared. He now loves everyone this side of the horizon. I had to tell him he had been saved. He now reaches out to many homeless, drunks, and ex-cons. His wife does the same with women.

Although you many have read them, I will send you some things that helped me and some that I have written. You do not have to read them. In any case, I would like to hear from you. Feel free to unload on me.

With love and respect,

Jim Wilson

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