No Nirvana For the Christian
Dear anonyms
You ask very important questions, and I believe Zach's response is very appropriate.
In the Christian life, there is no "Nirvana" or "Satori". That is, there is no state where we have suddenly arrived into a state of sinless perfection or "entire sanctification" or totally squared away spiritual bliss. Even though Buddhists and Hindus and some YWAM teachers and Nazarenes teach similar concepts to these, I am convinced they are unbiblical.
The idea that those who do more good things get into heaven and those who do more bad things go to hell is NOT taught in the Bible. WE ALL are going to hell because all have sinned UNLESS we believe on the Lord Jesus. Then we are saved by Jesus' righteousness, not our own.
There is no promise in the Bible that those who achieve some high spiritual state get taken up. We are called to trust and obey Jesus if He is our Lord and Saviour. To live is Christ, to die is gain.
If someone is into continuous, unrepentant sin, they ought to examine themselves to see if they are really in the Faith. But walking with Jesus is by grace through faith from start to finish. And yet we are saved in order to do good works. Jesus tells us to be perfect. If we love Him we will obey Him. Jesus helps us!
Salvation happens in a moment when we "Believe on the Lord Jesus".
Glorification happens in a moment, when we see Jesus we will be like Him (see 1 John 3:2).
But, in between these two points is a process called "sanctification".
When we trust in Jesus and become a child of God, a disciple of our Lord, God's Holy Spirit begins the process of sanctification: He breaks us and remakes us until the day we die or are taken up to be with Him.
The Christian life has ups and downs. Some of the downs may be murder. They may be adultery. I pray not! Lord, please keep us from evil! But when we do sin:
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 1 John 1:9-10
God is still working in our lives!
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ... Phillipians 1:6
We abide in the Vine, we trust and obey, and Jesus bears fruit in our lives. (see John 15:5)
Jim B.