If your heart stopped beating today and God asked you, “Why should I let you into heaven?” how would you respond?
“That’s a frightening thought, Lucas. I don’t much like to imagine that.”
Okay, fair point. But I think it’s a question worth thinking about. In fact, given how high the stakes are, it’s one of the most important questions you or I could consider. So, I invite you to reflect for a moment. How would you respond?
Maybe you imagined something like this:
“Ever since I was a child,” you begin, “I went to church most Sundays. I’ve heard countless sermons and been part of loads of Bible studies. I know the Word front and back. I affirm all the important doctrines like the Trinity and penal substitutionary atonement. To put it briefly, I know all the stuff I need to know…but I don’t need to tell you that, You’re omniscient after all,” you finish with a proud wink.
Perhaps you imagined a response more like this:
“I was hoping You’d ask!” you announce. “Three days a week, I volunteered at the local soup kitchen. I helped out in the nursery for years, and I’d always stick around for the second service. I was faithful to my spouse. I raised my kids right. You’ve surely seen how much I’ve done for You, and how I did my best to stay away from the really bad stuff You warn about in the Bible. How can You not let me in?”
Did your response sound anything like these two? Probably not exactly. They may have tended toward caricature, but they were meant to show that our fallen default is to look to ourselves for right-standing before God, whether it’s what we know or what we do.
The Bible tells a different story. Consider the thief on the cross. When Jesus was crucified, two thieves were executed on either side of Him. As they hung there, one of the thieves mocked Jesus, but the other thief rebuked him and said, “‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.’ And he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.’ And He said to him, ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise’” (Luke 23:40b–42).
Much could be said about this remarkable interaction. Sometimes too many implications are drawn, but this much is certain. When that man stood before God, he couldn’t point to all the good things he had done. He was executed as a criminal. Nor could he point to all the great theology he knew. He never read a verse of the New Testament. There was only one thing he could do: point to Jesus and say, “because of Him.”
That’s still the best answer.
Part of conversion is that you stop saying, “I” and start saying “He.” You recognize that there is nothing you can do or know to impress God and earn His favor. Instead, with empty hands you cling to the One who hung on a cross for you.
Written by: Lucas Cone, Assistant Pastor
Based on: Luke 23:39–43
Passion Week Devotional 2026: Day Five