Don’t Climb Abord the Crazy Train

I was deeply concerned when I heard of Ozzy Osbourne’s passing. I had no intentions of writing about it like most bloggers do, but found myself thrown in the mix when people were asking me if I thought he was in heaven. The first time I was asked I laughed out loud thinking this person was joking with me; for not even five years ago the rocker was interviewed by Rolling Stone Magazine where he creditted the devil for warding off the Covid-19.

“Being a devil worshipper does have its good points.”

Ozzy Osbourne, Rolling Stone Magazine, October 11, 2021

Now, time doesn’t heal a lost soul. Could he have repented and put his entire faith in Christ since then? Yes. But I don’t recall him ever doing that before he died, and I don’t recall him ever renouncing the title: Prince of Darkness.

False Ideas on How People Think They Have Eternal Life

But, this should be a reminder for all of us Christians not to get on the “crazy train” when it comes to believing a person is saved when he hasn’t made confession of sin and turning to the Savior. We can believe all we want that a person went to heaven who time after time has neglected or outright rejected Christ; but it’s like jumping off a cliff while believing gravity doesn’t exist. Flapping your own arms won’t save you any more than climbing a rope of sand to the moon. But trusting in Christ’s atoning work on the cross does. I don’t have the power to say if a person is saved or not, because I often question my own. I can’t see what is in a person’s heart, including my own.

Being a Good Person

Many people hold beliefs about how to get to heaven that, while popular or culturally accepted, are unbiblical according to Scripture. One common misconception is the idea that being a “good person” is enough. Many assume that if their good deeds outweigh their bad, God will accept them. However, the Bible clearly teaches that no one is righteous on their own: “None is righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10, ESV), and “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23, ESV). Salvation is not earned by works but is a gift of grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8–9).

Having Christian Friends

You cannot be reunited with the Father on the backs of those who have. The only One that works with is Jesus when He bore our sins upon Himself on the cross.

For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness–by whose stripes you were healed.

1 Peter 2:21-24 NKJV

He is the propitiation for sin. He is the only spotless lamb who takes away the sin of the world. No one else has that right. He is the only mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5); no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6).

Yes, like the world, Ozzy had Christian friends. Some of those who have professed Christ as Lord and Savior are:

• Alice Cooper
• Pat Boone
• Dave Mustaine
• Brian Welch

I’m sure some of these men reached and shared Jesus to him. But unless Ozzy responded in faith to the gospel shared, there is no hope.

Owning a Bible

Reading a Bible and not doing what it says is like being on a plane that is about to crash and be content with having a parachute in your lap. Owning one and not reading it is even worse.

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

James 1:22-25 NKJV

I think it’s great that Dylan Novak, known as “The Celebrity Evangelist,” had the opportunity to give a Bible to Ozzy and share the gospel to him. But reading the Bible and hearing the gospel alone won’t give you eternal life. You must apply what you learn, recieve it and believe it; knowledge alone will not save.

Baptism

Baptismal Regeneration is the belief that baptism is necessary for salvation, and more precisely, that regeneration does not occur until a person is water baptized. It is the tenet of numerous churches and denominations like the Church of Christ, the International Church of Christ, and the Roman Catholic Church.

“I’m a Christian. I was christened as a Christian. I used to go to Sunday school. I never took much interest in it because … I didn’t. My idea of heaven is feeling good. A place where people are alright to each other. This world scares the shit out of me. We’re all living on the tinderbox.”

Ozzy Osbourne, The Guardian, October 8, 2014

Baptism is an outward sign or commitment of the inward work that the Holy Spirit does in a person when he or she repents and puts their faith in Christ. It is symbolically identifying yourself with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. There are litterally dozens of verses in the New Testament that attribute salvation to faith/belief and repentance with no other requirement mentioned in context.

It’s also possible that Ozzy was christened as a baby or child, thus the actual belief would have fallen on the parents and not the child. Like circumcision, the child is unaware of what is happening, and maybe the reason why he didn’t take much interest in Sunday School.

Going to Church

Therefore, going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than sitting in your garage doesn’t make you a car. We know this because Jesus Himself taught two groups of people in the church—one is saved and the other is not:

• Good fruit and bad fruit (Matthew 7:15-20; 12:33-37)
• Wheat and tares (Matthew 13:24-30)
• Good fish and bad fish (Matthew 13:47-52)
• Faithful and evil servant (Matthew 24:45-51; Luke 12:41-48)
• Wise and foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1-13)
• Sheep and goats (Matthew 25:31-46)

One of the reasons why people don’t go to church is because there is too many hypocrites in there. But we must remember, only Jesus’ true church are the one’s saved. Those in the building may be hypocrites and pretending to be Christians, but the Lord knows who are His. We must remember Jesus’ sobering words:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Matthew 7:21-23 NKJV

It’s not the one who says…but the one who does the will of the Father. Following Jesus means putting Him ahead of yourself and abiding in Him.

What is the Sign That a Person is Saved?

Still others think they can delay repentance or make things right with God later in life. But Scripture warns that we are not promised tomorrow: “Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2, ESV). True repentance involves turning from sin and trusting in Christ now, not waiting for a more convenient time.

Scripture tells us the signs of a true convert, born again and adopted as a Child of God into His family. God wants us to know and not doubt. 1 John 5:13 NKJV states, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.” Let’s examine some of these.

Have the Holy Spirit

In Ephesians chapter 1, it paints a picture of salvation in Christ and who plays a part in that. Each person of the Holy Trinity does.

1. God the Father chose us: before the foundation of the world, adopted us as sons and accepted us (3-6)
2. God the Son (Jesus) redeems us: We have redemption and the forgiveness of sins through His blood (7-12)
3. God the Holy Spirit seals us: Those who believe in Christ are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance. Like an IOU, the Holy Spirit is our IOU that we recieved heaven now, even though we have not died (13-14; Ephesians 4:30)

Fruits of the Holy Spirit

How we know we have the Holy Spirit, He has given us gifts and fruits that we benefit from and use for His will in our lives. Like you can see the health of the tree by examining the fruit without digging up the roots, so can you see the Holy Spirit in a person by the fruit of his or her life. Galatians 5:22-23 describes the fruit as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These qualitites are not produced by human effort alone, but are the result of the Holy Spirit working in a believer’s life. While no one displays them perfectly, a true Christian will show evidence of growth in these areas over time, even though justification happens at the moment of salvation / conversion. This is known as sanctification.

Love for the Brethren

1 John 3:14 says, “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.”

If you are a child of God—a son of God— you will love your brothers and sisters in the faith. Scripture doesn’t mince words. I cannot help but wonder where I would be if I didn’t have solid Christian men and women in the faith helping me through life when I need encouragement, love, and support. And though it’s not the same as reading God’s Word, we are the body of Christ. God is spirit, therefore He needs a body. Christ is the head, but we need each other as hands, feet, and sometimes mouths to love, encourage us, and to share His Gospel with the lost.

I am going through some hard stuff right now, and there are mornings when I regret I woke up. I can’t see God, or converse with Him aside from His Word; but I have brothers and sisters who are really sharing the love of Christ to me in my life.

We may not like them or casually spend time with them. Like adopted children, we don’t have the same interests, hobbies, likes or dislikes. We all come from different backgrounds, and some I would never associate with if it weren’t for the same Father. But one thing is certain—I don’t know where I would be without them.

How you doing?

I can’t judge you. I can’t follow you around all day and examine your fruit; but take an account of your own life and examine it to see if you are in the faith. Put yourself through the test (2 Corinthians 13:5). How do you do that? Read His Word in context—the Holy Bible—and do what it says. That’s it. Were you expecting anything else? If you need some help, let me know and we can read it together.

So Where is Ozzy Now?

Honestly, I really don’t know. You watch and read the stories of the end of his life recieving the Bible and the joy he had when he got it, not wanting to be without it, desiring to know what it says. But then again you look at his life and he never repented of being the “Prince of Darkness” or breaking any of the Ten Commandments.

But it’s not my job to know, or to declare that a person is saved. It’s up to the Holy Spirit. Are they “born again,” sealed with the Holy Spirit and living out the faith they professed to have? My job is to share the Gospel while I can with as many as I can. To make disciples and teach His Word.

Ultimately, any path to heaven that does not go through the cross of Christ is a false hope. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “If righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose” (Galatians 2:21, ESV). The only way to be reconciled to God is through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus, who bore the penalty for our sins and offers eternal life to all who believe. Without that justification and declared righteousness by God who forgives us of our sin, hell awaits the unbeliever.