American Theology: Justification by Death Alone

This past week in our Sunday School class, I talked briefly about what has become the American ideal in terms of the theology of justification- not sola fide (justification by faith alone), and not even a mix of justification by faith and works.  The ideal in this culture is justification by death.  In other words, the only thing required of us to receive entry into heaven is that we die.

R. C. Sproul has written on this in numerous places, and has put an outstanding blog article on the Ligonier page this week.  Read it and tell me if this is not what you hear at funerals, and now, even in conversations with people about what happens when they die.

When you die, are you willing to risk standing before a perfectly holy God, and answering his query about why you should get into heaven with, "Because I'm dead?"