A Room with a View

Q: `In my fathers house there are many rooms.` What does this mean? Do the many rooms mean God has room for more than one kind of believer or what?

A: This small verse in John 14 is one of the most encouraging and loving verses in the entire Bible. Some translations use the word "mansions" in place of rooms. When you think of many rooms or mansions, what is it that comes to mind? Maybe a fancy hotel, a luxury cruise ship or all the luxurious homes in places like Beverly Hills. Regardless of which one you choose the idea of something special comes to mind. God has reserved a special place in Heaven for anybody and everybody who accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. In this part of scripture, Jesus was comforting His disciples. Dismayed by Jesus' prediction that He was going to die, the Lord told His disciples, "I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am (John 14: 2b-3)." Is there a greater example of love than to die for those you love and, not only that, to return in order to take them with you? "My father's house," Heaven, must be a large place. Because if you think about it, how many Christians have there been who have lived on this earth up to this point in time? Millions. And all of them, and us, have a room inside the House of God! And there is still room for many more.

There have been those naysayers who have criticized the Bible, and Jesus, as not having a loving message because of what Jesus says a few verses later in the same chapter. "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6)." The declaration by Christ that He is the only means available in order to reach Heaven has been rejected by non-believers because it sounds arrogant and closed-minded. With all the various religions, religious beliefs and their accompanying leaders, it is understandable why someone might be put off by the uniqueness of Jesus Christ's message. But that mindset is mistaken because while nobody comes to the Father except through Him, everybody is offered the chance to do so by God. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16)." Most unbelievers are familiar with John 3:16. It is perhaps the most famous sentence in literary history. God, in His love, has made access to His Kingdom available to the entire world. The only stipulation is belief in Jesus Christ. We see this theme reiterated throughout scripture. In 2 Peter 3:9, we read, about God, that "He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." Again, God is patient with the entire world in hopes that they will accept His offer of salvation, in Christ.

The reason God has made many rooms available in His house is because there are, and have been, billions of people that have spent time on this earth. And all of us have one thing in common and that is that we are all born into this world spiritually dead to God in our sins. Regardless of how you were raised or what religious belief you subscribe to, everyone is dead to God, without His life indwelling them, prior to accepting Jesus Christ as Savior. When Adam was created in the Garden of Eden, God breathed into him the breath of life (Genesis 2:7). This was the very life of God that made Adam a living being. But, God warned Adam that on the day he ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil he would "surely" die (Genesis 2:17). Well, we know that Adam did eat from the tree and died spiritually. The life of God was removed from Adam and he became spiritually dead in sin. Since Adam didn't have any children at this point, all of mankind is born into this world in the image of Adam (Genesis 5:3), not in the image of God as is taught, dead to God, but alive to the world. God, in His love desired to once again indwell His creation. But, before He could do that He had to deal with the sin that caused that life to leave us in the first place. That is why Jesus, the only man born spiritually alive, is the only man who had a life to give for our sins that would satisfy God for all eternity (1 John 2:2). Now, God is able to offer His life as a free gift, made possible through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, to all who accept Christ by faith (Romans 5:8-10). There is now no sin that could ever cause that life to leave again because of the eternal consequences of the cross (Hebrews 9:12). That is why the life we now have is an eternal life. A life that will carry us through the rest of our natural lives and on into eternity even after we physically die. That is the Gospel; sin, death, forgiveness, Life!

If that isn't a message of love then one doesn't exist. Regardless of a person's culture, race, gender or background, salvation in Christ is available to them all. There is a room for them in the Father's house and the key to enter it is found only in Jesus Christ. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid (John 14: 27)." The words of Jesus to His disciples were designed to comfort them by giving them peace and to calm their hearts from the fear that came along with the knowledge of His departure. This same message should also comfort all believers who are assured a room in the Father's house as well as be an encouragement to unbelievers who still have time claim their room.