Confusion Anyone?

Do you remember when restaurants used to have signs on the door, 

No Shirt, 

No Shoes, 

No Service

It's not a difficult concept. The rules are clear. Everyone understood what was expected.

Well, when Jesus taught, "I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one will come to heaven except through Me," He was showing that Heaven is kinda like that restaurant rule. 

Again, a simple concept. The rules are clear. 

In the case of Heaven however, not everyone can get past human nature and allow Jesus to be to source of our salvation. That is why Jesus is called the "great stumbling stone." What do I mean by getting past our human nature?

Every man-made religion, including atheism caters to our pride. 

Our pride makes us concentrate on how good we are. 

Our pride demands that we play a role in our salvation.
Our pride simply will not accept that we have nothing to offer in order to attain salvation. 

That is why the idea of God's Grace is incomprehensible to those who follow atheism. No human would, or even could invent Christianity, and the concept of salvation by Grace. What's more, the people who find the concept of God's Grace offensive, are the same people who will not follow any philosophy that doesn't give them the illusion of being the Master of their fate, the Captain of their soul.

Sadly, these people's pride makes them spiritually dull of mind and slow of thought. Here's an example of this slowed thinking.

Atheist: “You think you're better than me and that's why you think you're going to heaven and I'm not. I can't respect anyone who thinks they're better than me.”

Christian: “How good you and I are has nothing to do with it.”

A: “You mean, um - what’s that again?”

C: “As long as you are still wearing your sin nature, the one you were born with, you will not be allowed to enter heaven. Jesus says that we have to be reborn, or born again with a new nature or else entry into heaven is not allowed.”

A: “Then God must not be all loving or He would just let me in.”

C: “It doesn’t have anything to do with love. It’s a spiritual law / reality. It’s the way the universe is set up.
Sin nature removed, you’re in.
Sin nature still present, you’re not in.”

A: “Then God must not be all powerful or He could let me in.”

C: “It doesn’t have anything to do with power or the lack thereof. It’s a spiritual law / reality. It’s the way the universe is set up.
Sin nature removed, you’re in.
Sin nature still present, you’re not in.”

A: “So what do I have to do?”

C: “You don’t do anything. You accept what Jesus has already done for you.”

A: “So - wait - what? I don’t get it.”

C: “I know. That’s the problem.”

A: “Why can’t I just be a reasonably moral person and have that be good enough?”

C: “Because no one can be good enough to be good enough for heaven. By that standard you’d have to be perfect.”

A: “But nobody’s perfect.”

C: “Exactly!”

A: “So, I have to what? I don’t get it. Why couldn’t a loving God just let me in?”

C: “It’s a spiritual law / reality. It’s the way the universe is set up.
Sin nature removed, you’re in.
Sin nature still present, you’re not in.”