The Salvation Equation

We all want to get to Heaven, don't we?  Those who would say "no" to that question are probably those who don't believe in such a place.  For those who do, getting to Heaven - attaining one's salvation - is of great importance, and yet, there are many who do not know or understand how to get there.  There are many who believe that good people go to Heaven, just because they're good people.  Is that the case?  Well, here we get to consider how to get to Heaven by being good, by using math.

When we're born, we start off with Y = 0 points by default.  We then realize this truth: by the time you die, you need to have accumulated X points to get into Heaven.  At the beginning, we don't know what X is, but we assume it is a large number, so we need to start earning points.

1 point for making our mom and dad smile.
2 points for giving the kid next to us in class a pencil when he forgot his.
3 points for picking up the girl's book when she dropped it in the hallway.
5 points for helping the old lady across the street.
10 points for raking an elderly person's lawn - without being paid.

we reach 18 years of age, and we've done these and other such things for all those years, earning some great amount of points.  Perhaps 65000 of them.  Is that enough?  If we die today, is that enough to earn our way into Heaven?  Is Y >= X?

No, no it's not.

So, as we enter adulthood, we find bigger and better ways to earn points.  They're rolling in by the hundreds.  We're giving money to charities and lending our tools out to friends.  We're being nice to everyone we meet, making them laugh.  We're helping to feed the poor and clothe the naked.  We're earning so many points, it must surely be enough.  By the time we hit 40, we've accumulated a million points.  Surely that is enough, right?  Is our salvation secure?  Is Y >= X now?

No, not yet.

Then we read this:

"Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin."
- Romans 3: 20 [NIV]

And this:

"Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it."
- Ephesians 2:9 (NLT)

We can't earn our way to Heaven.

In math terms, X = ∞.  Yeah, X = infinity.

We keep adding up our points, and yet, Y will never reach X by gaining such numbers.  Even after a life time of good works.

What?  I have a million points, and yet I get nothing?  How do I earn my way to Heaven?  How do I earn salvation?

The truth hits us hard: we can't.  It isn't possible.

Then we read this:

"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
- Romans 10: 9 [NLT]

"God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God."
- Ephesians 2: 8 [NLT]

It isn't us.  We don't earn our way to Heaven.  There's more to it than that.

We also read this:

"Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!  No one can measure his greatness."
- Psalm 145: 3 [NLT]

"'I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,' says the Lord God. 'I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.'"
- Revelation 1: 8 [NLT]

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever."
- 1 Chronicles 16: 34

Unmeasurable.  Eternal.  Infinite.

God.

We then learn the one truth that matters more than anything: Jesus is God.  Thus, Jesus is infinite.  J = Jesus.  J = infinity.

Thus: Y + J = X.

It's the only way you get Y to equal X: by adding J to it.  It doesn't matter what else we've done.  We can do all sorts of wonderful things to add to Y, but it won't get us to X.  It won't get us to Heaven.  Also, it means that if we accept Jesus as our savior, Y becomes X - infinity - and you can't reduce infinity by the sins you commit.  No sin will keep us from Heaven.  No sin has a value of infinity.  Thus, if we have truly accepted Christ, and our Y has truly become infinity, it will never become less than that.

I know this is somewhat of a silly way to think about this, but I wanted to put an interesting twist on the topic of salvation.  Salvation is through grace and grace alone; we can't earn our way in.  Jesus is the only answer.