With regard to this question, let us see what the Lord Jesus said. The Lord said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, Whoever commits sin is the servant of sin. And the servant stays not in the house for ever: but the son stays ever” (John 8:34–35). “For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries” (Hebrews 10:26–27). To God, all who commit sin are the slaves of sin, they all belong to Satan, and they can never enter into the kingdom of heaven if they fail to repent and change in the end. Although we have been redeemed by the Lord Jesus and we labor, work, and expend for Him, the source of our sins still lies deeply rooted within us, and we are still resisting Him. For example, though we believe in and follow the Lord, we are extremely focused on reputation and status—our working and giving sermons is not to bring brothers and sisters before the Lord but to seek to have them see us highly and look up to us. Although we outwardly do some good deeds and are humble and tolerant toward others, when they infringe upon our interests, we can be intolerant and impatient with them, get fed up and angry, and complain to them, to the point of hating them. Also, though we know very well that God requires us to set ourselves apart from worldly people and live out the semblance of a Christian, we covet physical pleasures and follow evil trends, living in the depraved situation of eating, drinking and cavorting. There are many such examples. All of our words and deeds expose satanic dispositions like arrogance, self-conceit, selfishness, baseness, cunning, crookedness, maliciousness, and evil. Under the domination of these dispositions, we are unable to put the truth into practice and cannot meet God’s will. If we can’t rid ourselves of these corrupt dispositions, we will not gain God’s approval and will still end up being condemned by God no matter how well we read the Bible and how hard we work.
The Lord Jesus told us clearly, “Not every one that said to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name? and in Your name have cast out devils? and in Your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from Me, you that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:21–23). It also says in a book that, “If there are no changes in your personal disposition, then that is because your viewpoint toward pursuit is wrong. If you are granted no reward, then that is your own problem, and because you yourself have not put the truth into practice and are unable to fulfill God’s desire. And so, nothing is of greater importance than your personal experiences, and nothing is more critical than your personal entry! Some people will end up saying, ‘I’ve done so much work for You, and though I may not have made any celebrated achievements, still I have been diligent in my efforts. Can’t You just let me into heaven to eat the fruit of life?’ You must know what kind of people I desire; those who are impure are not permitted to enter into the kingdom, those who are impure are not permitted to besmirch the holy ground. Though you may have done much work, and worked for many years, in the end if you are still deplorably filthy, then it will be intolerable to the law of Heaven that you wish to enter My kingdom!” (“Success or Failure Depends on the Path That Man Walks”). God is holy and righteous, so whether or not we can enter into the kingdom of heaven in the end does not depend on how much work we do or how much we suffer, but most importantly it depends on whether or not our corrupt dispositions are changed and cleansed, whether or not we can practice God’s words, do God’s will, and whether or not we are people who love God, obey God and fear God. If we only rely on our own ardor to give things up, expend ourselves, spread the gospel, build churches and support other believers, but our own corrupt dispositions are not changed in the slightest, we still frequently commit sin, defy God and rebel against God, and we are unable to follow God’s way, then we will be evil-doers, and will be unable to enter into the kingdom of heaven. Just like the Pharisees at that time—although they served Jehovah God in the temple all their lives, walked to all ends of the earth to spread the gospel, and suffered much, yet they often committed sins and opposed God. For example, they pocketed widows’ possessions, murdered the prophets, violated the law, and deceived God. Especially when the Lord Jesus appeared in the world to carry out His work, they clung to their own notions, refused to accept the Lord’s work, and prevented believers in Judaism from following the Lord. They took it to such an extent that, in order to maintain their own positions and livelihoods, they made up rumors about the Lord Jesus and openly blasphemed Him, saying that He cast out demons by relying on the Devil. The Lord Jesus extremely hated and detested all they said and did. He did not forgive their sins because of their hard work but instead condemned and cursed them.
It can therefore be seen that, if we do not resolve our satanic dispositions, then we will still be capable of committing sin, and defying and betraying God. Our deeds can then only be condemned by God, and we will be unable to enter into the kingdom of heaven. Only those who love the truth and can pursue the truth, whose belief in God no longer relies on their satanic dispositions or on their notions and imaginations, who can seek the truth and practice in accordance with God’s words in all things, who have achieved true obedience to and love for God, and who truly know God, can earn God’s praise and be led by God into the kingdom of heaven.
