December 2015

No Strings Attached
By Gabrielle Elisco
I remember consoling a friend in
high school who had recently lost
a grandparent. A small group of
girls sat around an array of desks
in attempts to comfort her while
offering the typical “ought-to-say”
phrases when someone has lost
a loved one. “She doesn’t feel
pain anymore.” “He is in a better
place now.” In response to such
offers of relief, the hurting girl
answered, “She went to church
every single Sunday, I know
she is in heaven.” Not another
word was muttered among the
group. I glanced at the other
faces to see if any other expressions
matched my own. Though
I could not see my own face, I
image I looked rather perplexed,
perhaps even slightly disturbed.
The faces looking back at me
were quite indifferent, most nodding
their heads in agreement
with my friend’s response. Was
this her way of bringing comfort
to her own heart insisting that her
loved one really was in a better
place? Or did she truly believe in
a God who would send His son
to die a gruesome death just so
we could attend church as our
only effort to be accepted into
His Kingdom?
This teary-eyed teenager is one
heart of many that believe good
works are the entry requirement
for Heaven. Of course,
Christians believe that Jesus
came, died, rose, ascended,
and will return again one day.
They believe His sacrifice on the
cross was the payment for our
transgressions. Though when
it comes to entering heaven, a
simple “good” moral standard of
living will suffice for our Creator
to extend His arms and welcome
us into our eternal home. If this is
true, why did Jesus come? Why
was He born unto a virgin, tested
by Satan, performed countless
miracles, arrested, tried, found
guilty, persecuted, pierced, and
crucified? Why did this blame-