Betty White

          Well, I’m sure some of you are not going to take kindly to this post.  I’m sure many of you will be upset with me.  I’m praying not.  But it’s what the Lord put on my heart so here goes…

 I thought Betty White was an incredible gifted actress…attractive, funny and talented.  I think it’s inspiring that she had a passion for animals and was known for rescuing and saving so many.  I read she supported more than 20 charities in her life and was a champion of civil rights, long before it was the culturally acceptable thing to do. In addition, she didn’t quit after her successes (as many in Hollywood have done) once she acquired fortune and fame.  She worked way into her 80’s…and was successful at it!  She has numerous Emmys, Golden Globes and awards to prove it.

          I grew up watching her on the popular game show, Password, where she apparently met her third husband, Allen Ludden. Allen is the man she called “the love of her life”.  I enjoyed watching her as Sue Ann Niven on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and never missed an episode.  And how could anyone not think she was a talented and incredible actress after watching her develop the character of Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls?  I don’t know of any other actress who could’ve developed the character of Rose like Betty White.  At least, most people I know think of Rose as Betty White…so naïve, innocent…and hilarious!  The chemistry between those 4 women on the show drew you in. 

          Norman and I used to be avid watchers of the show, tuning in regularly and getting many laughs from those women.  But if you’re a consistent reader of my blog, you know that God convicted Norman and me many years ago (around the same together) of watching The Golden Girls.  Even so, both of us are very much fans of these actresses.

          That’s correct, I’m a fan of their acting ability.  Were they funny?  Yes!  Were they gifted actresses, making their character believable?  You bet!  Did they each have a chemistry that drew you in and made you want to watch?  Of course!

          By the world’s standards, Betty White lived a terrific life!

          So, what’s the point of this article? 

          Some of you aren’t going to like what I say next.  Some may even take issue with what I write.  My goal is not to offend.  My goal is not to rub you the wrong way.  But my goal is to present truth.  Something lacking today in our society.

          I’ve just been stunned that so many Christians I know have made personal statements or posted remarks on Facebook such as: “I’m sure she’s celebrating in heaven,” or, “A life well-lived.”  I could understand these sentiments from the average Joe, but I can’t understand why a strong believer in Jesus would make them.

          As followers of Christ, we either believe what the Bible states or we don’t.

          In John 14:6, John declares that Jesus is “the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Him.” That statement alone is black and white.  It doesn’t leave room for any grey areas. 

          I’m not in the habit of disparaging the dead.  I’m certainly not standing in judgement.  But there is nothing in Betty White’s life that indicates she ever accepted Jesus as her Savior and followed him.

          According to my research, she belonged to a Unity Church.  If you look that up, the Unity Church believes in God as a positive being, but it’s a feel-good philosophy.  Nothing in their belief statements even mentions Jesus, salvation or the Bible.  In other words, it’s a New Age message.  It’s a group of people coming together to create their own truth.

          So that begs my next question.  Do some Christians believe, as the world does, that God looks to see if a person has lived a good life or not?  Or that God, the Ruler of the Universe, just weighs our good against our bad?  If the scale tips toward the correct side, then we’re granted passage into heaven? 

I believe there must be many who ascribe to this type of theology.  But it’s flawed.  Good people don’t go to heaven, and bad people don’t go to hell.  Nowhere does the Bible even mention or hint of this!  Just the opposite.  We don’t “work” our way to heaven.  More on this topic a little later.

          Throughout the Bible, the message is clear.  None of us is good because each of us is sinful. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Romans 6:23. The only thing that can restore us and allow us to have a relationship with the One True God is accepting the free gift He offers through His Son, Jesus, that He so willingly gave up.  Believing that Jesus died on the cross for our own sins and accepting Him as our Savior is what reconciles us back to God. And not just believing that He died in our place.  But believing that God raised Jesus from the dead 3 days later.  The resurrection proves that Jesus defeated death, and that God is sovereign over death.  If I believe all of this and RECEIVE this free gift, then when I die, I will go to heaven, just as Jesus did.

          In fact, just recently, I was teaching a lesson about Abraham to children in Good News Club.  As I prepped and studied the scriptures for this, one thread was common.  God did not choose Abraham because he was good.  God chose Abraham because everyone around him was worshipping false gods.  Abraham was worshipping the One True God.  Was he perfect?  Of course not!  In fact, Abraham didn’t obey God when he first called him to go to a new land.  He stopped and only went part of the way.  The same thing was true of Jacob.  Remember he was the twin that was the “deceiver”.  He received a blessing from his father, Isaac, that wasn’t supposed to be his.  Even with his dishonesty and scheming, God still used him!! 

          These men are just two examples from a host of others in the Bible that prove my point.  God knows we are far from perfect.  That’s why we NEED a Savior.  Not just any Savior, but a perfect one.  Jesus is the ONLY ONE who satisfies.

          Once we accept this free gift of salvation through Jesus, we are compelled by the love of God the Father and WANT to work and do good deeds to point others to Jesus and spread His love.  But we don’t “work” and “do good deeds” to gain passage into heaven.  It’s just a byproduct of being a child of God who wants to serve and be obedient to His Master and Father.

          I’m just perplexed.  Why in the world would so many Christians on social media post the picture below or similar images of The Golden Girls in heaven? From the research I’ve done on each of these actresses, not a single one has anything in her past to point to the fact that they had accepted Jesus Christ as Savior.

          Only God knows for certain where these women reside eternally.  But either we believe what we claim to — and what’s in the Bible or we don’t.  I don’t believe these women are in heaven because they were gifted actresses or hilarious comedians.  I think most of us don’t want to think of the reality so we make up our own truth.

          Furthermore, I’m flabbergasted that people make comments about Betty’s long life.  I agree that she may have taken care of herself, eaten right or not smoked.  But in my estimation, GOD was gracious to her and gave her almost 100 years to find HIM.  Shouldn’t HE get the credit for being so merciful and patient?  I mean, none of us has much to do with how long we’re on this earth. 

          What bothers me about this entire subject is this.  If we, as Christians, don’t really believe the truth about salvation and heaven, then we will not have an urgency to talk to our loved ones and tell them about Jesus.  We will think that their home for eternity is just dependent on their good works here on earth. 

          How about you?  What do you believe?

          Years ago, when I was in my twenties, I took an Evangelism Training class at my church.  It taught you how to write and share your testimony of accepting Jesus; it taught you many Bible verses to memorize; but mainly, it taught you how to conversationally share your faith with anyone.  My mentors in this program were amazing! 

          But one of the most vivid things that stands out to me from this program was when we would make home visits to people who had visited our church and/or who had been out of church for a while.  The question posed by me or someone else might be something like this: “If you died tonight and went to heaven.  What would you say to God when He asked you, “Why should I let you into my heaven?”  Some people didn’t know how to respond.  But one man genuinely looked at me and said sincerely, “I’ve tried to be a good person.  I think my good outweighs my bad.  I think that should be enough.”  It was so sad as you could tell that’s what he truly believed!!

  But there’s one glitch in his statement.  How do you qualify what’s good?  In just one day, if I consider my “bad thoughts” and not just “bad deeds”, I could rack up a major number!!  Can I really perform and do enough good deeds to balance that out?  Who came up with this system?  Is it man’s attempts at justice?

          All of it is a ploy from the enemy!!  He wants to distract everyone from the truth.  That evening with that older man, one of my team members shared the plan of salvation with him. He accepted Jesus into his heart and life!  There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s in heaven!

          Another visit on a different evening, I spoke with an elderly man.  When I asked him that same question, he told me the following: “I would tell God that I’ve lived a good life and obeyed the Ten Commandments.”  He wasn’t aware of James 2:10 where Jesus said about if you break even one commandment, then you’re guilty of ALL of them. I don’t know about you, but just trying to live up to that standard is nearly impossible.  What a burden! 

          God, through His Son, Jesus, freed us from that burden!  None of us can accomplish being that “good” or “perfect”.

          Suffice it to say, I’m not trying to malign Betty White’s image, reputation or memory.  But neither will I sit back and “go along” with the false narrative being portrayed by some followers of Jesus that everyone goes to heaven just because they’re a nice person or have done some good in this world.

          It’s a sobering fact.  Good people do die and go to hell if they don’t have Jesus – and have refused to accept God’s free gift.  God gave Betty almost 100 years to accept, and apparently, she refused.  There is no evidence to support that she did.

          If you know me personally, you know I’m not confrontational.  I usually run from conflict.  I’m not trying to be confrontational here.  But I won’t sit back and allow a false narrative to be portrayed about an issue so central and so crucial to the Christian life.

          If you die without Jesus as your Savior, then you die and go to hell.  If you die confessing Jesus as your Savior and asking Him to forgive you of your sins, then He removes your sins as far as the east is from the west.  We only have to look at the thief on the cross to know this is accurate.  Jesus commended the man and said, “Today, you will be with me in paradise.”