Time to ruffle some feathers and make people uncomfortable. Are you ready?
In the past few days, the world lost two cultural icons, Hulk Hogan and Ozzy Osbourne. Whether you admired them or not, their deaths sparked a wave of social media reactions. But it wasn’t the tributes or memories that got under my skin, it was some of the judgment.
Some platforms had comments from self-proclaimed devout Christians declaring, “They’re not in heaven. They didn’t live godly lives.”
Statements made as if salvation is earned like a trophy, not given as a gift.
As if they hold the gate key to eternity.
Let me be blunt: That’s not how grace works.
You Don’t Know a Man’s Final Prayer
As someone trained in theology, I used to remind my Bible study groups of this truth:
“There are a lot of prisoners on death row who will see heaven before many churchgoers in the front pew.”
It made people uncomfortable. And that’s okay, Jesus made people uncomfortable too.
“Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.”
— Matthew 21:31
He wasn’t speaking to rebels and sinners. He was speaking to the religious elite, the rule-followers, the churchgoers, the front-row sitters. The ones who looked right but whose hearts were far from repentance.
Conditioned by Tradition, Not Transformed by Truth
Too many people sitting in churches today are more loyal to the words “Pastor said…” than to what the Bible actually teaches.
They’ve been conditioned by tradition, never taught how to study the Word for themselves. They follow a man more than they follow Christ.
But Scripture doesn’t say, “Your pastor is the way, the truth, and the life.”
It says:
“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”
— Philippians 2:12
And:
“The Bereans… examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”
— Acts 17:11
Grace Is Scandalous Like That
People hate the idea that someone like Ozzy Osbourne, or a convicted murderer on death row, could cry out to God in their final moments and be saved.
But that’s the heart of the Gospel.
Salvation was never about polishing your image. It was always about broken people turning to a merciful God.
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
— Romans 10:13
The thief on the cross never tithed. Never led a Bible study. Never lived a “godly life.”
But he humbled himself and cried out for mercy, and Jesus answered:
“Today, you will be with Me in paradise.”
— Luke 23:43
Stop Waiting for the Broken to Come to You
Here’s another harsh truth: too many churches sit around waiting for the sinner to come to them.
They talk about outreach. They host potlucks and programs. But they rarely go where the hurting are.
Jesus didn’t say, “Wait until the sinner enters your sanctuary.”
He said, “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel.” — Mark 16:15
Sinners don’t walk through church doors because they already feel unworthy.
They’ve been told, directly or indirectly, that they don’t belong. That they’re too dirty. Too far gone.
So they stay away…
And never get to hear that they are, in fact, the very reason Jesus came.
The Church teaches people to “be like Jesus,” yet forgets that Jesus ate with prostitutes, touched lepers, defended adulterers, and called out religious pride. He wasn’t worried about appearances, He was worried about hearts.
If your church never smells like the streets, you’re not doing it right.
The Most Dangerous Place to Hide from God
Isn’t the bar.
Isn’t the prison yard.
It’s the pew where pride disguises itself as holiness.
Church attendance doesn’t equal salvation.
Wearing a cross doesn’t mean you’ve carried one.
Some of the most judgmental voices I’ve seen online today don’t understand grace because they’ve never truly needed it, or so they think.
Final Thought: Heaven’s Going to Shock Some People
Heaven will be filled with the broken, the battered, the addicted, the once-violent, the publicly shamed… who humbled themselves and asked for forgiveness.
Hell will be filled with the polished, the proud, the religious, the “clean-living,” who never did.
So before you comment on someone’s eternity, check your theology.
Because you don’t know a man’s final prayer.
But God does, and that’s all that matters.
By Troy P. Zehnder
Author. Theologian. Truth Teller.
Troy P Zehnder 