Too Bad for Heaven?

What About Them?
Did you ever wonder who you will see in heaven? Have you ever wondered if you will see that friend you have not talked to in years? What about your that person who died unexpectedly or the people you read about in history? Chances are you have wondered about this, but have you ever wondered if cereal killers, rapist, jihadist, murderers, thieves, drug addicts, child abusers, and abortion doctors will? Did you ever wonder if some of the past famous criminals will be in heaven?

Immoral and Impure
Ephesians 5:5 is an interesting verse :"For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God."Does this verse mean that there will be no cereal killers, rapist, jihadist, murders, thieves, drug addicts, child abusers, or abortion doctors in heaven then? These would certainly be immoral and impure people would they not? Is there no hope then for these people? Are they too bad to go to heaven? I would like to make two points concerning this verse.

1. The only people who will be in heaven are immoral, impure, and covetous people. 
2. Every person who has ever lived is immoral, impure, and covetous (Rom 3:23).

In Context
What then? Do I stand opposed to the word of God? By no means! We must not pull scripture out of context. By reading the surrounding verses and chapters, we can understand what Paul meant. The next three verse say. "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord."

1. One thing we see in this passage is that these people are sons of disobedience. These are people who habitually disobey. In 1 John 3:10 we read, "By this the children of God and the children of the Devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God." Christians do disobey, but they are not sons of disobedience. This passage in Ephesians is not saying that people must be perfect to go to heaven. It is saying only those who have been born again and are no longer sons of disobedience will be in heaven. We are all sinners and if we had to be perfect no one could go to heaven. 
2. The next thing we see is that Christians all formerly live in darkness, but after salvation are light in the Lord. All Christians used to walk in darkness. No one is born a Christian. The only people who will be in heaven are immoral and impure people; however, they do not continue to live in darkness after salvation. They become light in the Lord.

The "Too Bad Myth"
The truth is we are all too bad to go to heaven, but no one is too bad to be forgiven. Most people have the idea that there are degrees of sinfulness; however, there are degrees of sinning but not of sinfulness. What do I mean by this statement? I mean that one may not sin as much as another, but they are no less sinful. Adam and Eve were separated from God after their first sin. All they did was eat a piece of fruit. James 2:10 says, "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all." If you break one law, you are a law breaker. You can break more laws, but you were already a law breaker the first time you broke the law.

By Grace Through Faith
In Ephesians 2:8-9 we read, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works so that no one may boast."We are not saved by works but by grace through faith. It is all a gift. Even the faith we have is a gift from God. We cannot even trust in Christ unless we are born again by the spirit. (Eph 2:1-7) We are all just as lost as the worst man who ever lived, and we are all saved by grace exactly like everyone else who is saved.

The Only People
I do not know the list of names in the book of life; however, I do know who the only people who will be in  heaven are. Only sinners who have been saved by grace through faith.