安德是一家電器公司的老闆，為了獎勵那些銷售業績突出的員工，特別安排了海濱度假村一日遊。他帶著七歲的兒子吉米同行。出發前，吉米興奮地牽著爸爸的手，準備和大家一起搭車。這時，一位員工開玩笑地問吉米：「你也要加入我們啊？你有多少業績？」吉米說：「我沒有業績！」隨即指著他爸爸說：「是他讓我加入的！」

吉米無需努力達成業績就有資格參加員工旅遊，因他父親已為他支付一切費用。身為基督徒，我們無需靠自己的善行來獲取進天堂的資格，因耶穌已為我們死而復活。羅馬書6章23節說：「罪的工價乃是死。」但耶穌用祂的寶血為我們付清了罪的工價，免除我們的罪債，使「我們藉這愛子的血得蒙救贖，過犯得以赦免」（以弗所書1章7節）。祂為所有相信祂的人開了一條路，使他們「不致滅亡，反得永生」（約翰福音3章16節）。基督所作的一切，以及我們相信祂所成就的一切，讓我們能永遠與祂同在。

當我們接受耶穌為救主，我們就成為上帝的兒女，而這是祂「榮耀的恩典……是祂在愛子裡白白賜給我們的」（以弗所書1章6節，和合本修訂版）。就像吉米一樣，我們可以仰望天父，滿懷信心地說：「是祂讓我加入的！」

Andres, the owner of an electronics company, was giving employees with outstanding sales records a day trip to a beach resort. Andres was also taking his seven-year-old son Jimmy. Before departure, he excitedly held his dad’s hand as everyone boarded the van. “You’re joining us? How many sales have you made?” one employee jokingly asked Jimmy. “None!” he replied, motioning to his dad. “He’s letting me join!”

Jimmy didn’t have to work to earn his inclusion on the trip because his dad was paying his way. As believers in Jesus, we also don’t rely on our good works as the basis of our inclusion in heaven. We’re granted access because of Jesus’ death and resurrection on our behalf. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), and Jesus’ own blood was the “payment,” releasing us from our debt to Him. “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Ephesians 1:7). He opened the way for whoever believes in Him to “not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Christ’s work and our trust in that work allows us to be with Him for eternity.

When we believe in Jesus as Savior, we become God’s children. Such is His “glorious grace, which he has freely given us” (Ephesians 1:6). Like Jimmy, we can look to our heavenly Father and say with confidence, “He’s letting me join!”