The people of ancient Babel tried it. The Pharisees of Jesus’ time tried it. Religionists from the beginning of time have attempted it.

One way or another, men through the ages have been trying to build a stairway to Heaven.

As recounted in Genesis 11:4: “Come, let’s build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let’s make a name for ourselves …”

While not always in the form of a literal tower, any attempt by man to reach Heaven by circumventing God’s prescribed method is doomed to fail.

Oh, sure, these attempts may look pretty good — good works, good behavior, religious devotion, “living a good life,” etc. 

But in the end, they all suffer from the same fatal flaw. They are based on man’s efforts to save himself — a fool’s mission if ever there was one.

Global Blanket of Sin

The trouble is that mankind has been unable to grasp the magnitude of the problem.

From the moment of Adam and Eve’s rebellion in the Garden of Eden until Christ’s resurrection, there was no way sinful man could directly connect with his holy God.

Humanity had become trapped under an invisible “ozone layer of sin,” surrounding the earth.

Scripture describes it this way in Romans 8:20-22:

“For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.”

Cosmic-Size Solution

The Bible describes Easter morning 2,000 years ago as the most stupendous transformation of God’s created order since time began.

And that’s why the Devil has tried fanatically to obscure its true meaning ever since.

When Jesus emerged from the tomb alive, He had effectively punched a hole in the “ozone layer of sin” and formed a spiritual “stairway of life” connecting heaven and earth.

Thereafter, any person willing to believe in Christ and follow Him could spiritually climb aboard Christ’s own resurrection, escape the gravitational pull of Satanic opposition, and ascend to Heavenly glory unhindered.

That was what Jesus meant when He made the astounding declaration in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.”

But oh, the cost!

The cost to God to provide that heavenly stairway was beyond imagining.

The sins of humanity were imputed (transferred) to Jesus and as a result, His Heavenly Father poured out His wrath against sin upon His own Son, who was acting as our Substitute, killing Him (theologically, it’s called propitiation).

All of this was a necessary beginning, a “Good Friday” doorway, to the resurrection that followed. You can’t have resurrection without a death first.

If Christ had stopped at paying our debt of sin, we would still not be fit for Heaven with God.

That brings us to the genius of Christ’s resurrection, as explained in Romans 4:24-25:

“… but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, to us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, He who was delivered over because of our wrongdoings (cross), and was raised because of our justification (resurrection).”

The Great Exchange

Just as our sins were imputed to Christ on the cross — drawing God’s wrath — Christ’s righteousness (His perfection) is imputed to all believers who come to Him in faith, drawing God’s eternal blessings.

As written in Ephesians 2:5-7, “… even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the boundless riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

Did you get that? When Jesus was raised from the dead that Easter morning, every single believer (past, present, future) was spiritually raised “with Him.” His resurrection was our resurrection! 

Furthermore, when Jesus ascended to Heaven 40 days later, we believers went along for the ride spiritually “with Him.”

And get this: When Jesus “sat down” in Heaven, we sat down in Heaven “with Him.”

Heaven Is Not for Sale

As explained in 1 Peter 1:17-19: “You were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold … but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”

So, please never attempt to buy God off with anything less than the precious blood of Christ.

How About You?

Romans 6:5-7 explains: “For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.”

Are you still relying on your own righteousness to reach Heaven, instead of taking the “spiritual stairway” provided at great cost by Christ Himself?

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