If a man has more than one wife and is a Christian, upon his death, can he enter the kingdom of heaven?
To be a Christian is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior. The Lord tells us in John 5:24, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, HATH EVERLASTING LIFE, and SHALL NOT COME INTO CONDEMNATION; but is passed from death unto life.” Concerning those who are saved, the Lord Jesus says in John 10:28-29, “And I give unto them ETERNAL LIFE; and they shall NEVER PERISH, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.”
Oh, the wonder of God’s salvation! He takes a totally guilty person, vile in his thoughts and deeds, rebellious against God and His standards, and makes that person His very own child. How does He do that? Does He overlook the sinfulness of a guilty man? Absolutely not! The Lord does not overlook even the tiniest sin. Let’s consider these precious words in Isaiah 53:5-6, “But he (the Lord Jesus Christ) was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD HATH LAID ON HIM THE INIQUITY OF US ALL.” We read in 1 Peter 2:24 that the Lord Jesus “bare our sins in his own body on the tree…” The Lord doesn’t overlook sin, rather when we put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, he accounts our sins to be paid in full through the sacrificial work of the Lord Jesus on the cross. No sin overlooked, but all sins paid for through faith in Christ as our Lord and Savior. THIS is salvation!
A believer on the Lord Jesus is one who has had all his sins paid for, who has been given eternal life, and who has been told that he will never perish. If that person has more than one wife, that person will still enter Heaven upon his death. Monogamy is the Lord’s standard as we read in Genesis 2:24, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and THEY SHALL BE ONE FLESH.” We also read in Ephesians 5:31, “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and THEY TWO SHALL BE ONE FLESH.” This shows that marriage consists of ONE MAN and ONE WOMAN.
However, a man living in a country where marrying multiple women is common practice may be married to several women. If he gets saved, he is still married to several women. We do not read in the scriptures that this man must divorce all but one of his wives. If a saved man is married and marries another woman, he is definitely living outside of God’s will, yet if he truly is saved, he does not lose his salvation. Remember the Lord’s words considering those who are saved, “THEY SHALL NEVER PERISH.”
Salvation is a marvelous work of God. It is permanent. It does not end, even if we sin. Should that truth encourage us to sin? Absolutely not? We read in Romans 6:1-2, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” We are also told in 2 Timothy 2:19, “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, THE LORD KNOWETH THEM THAT ARE HIS. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” The Lord knows the heart of each one of us. He knows if we are truly saved, and He tells all believers to stop sinning. If we do sin, does the Lord stop loving us and take away our salvation? Let’s let the Word of God speak for itself on that matter. Romans 8:38-39 tells us, “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” So, if the man who is married to several women is truly saved, he will go to be with the Lord at his death. (305.2)