My daughter believes Jesus is the son of God, and reads and knows the bible and says she is living her life by the bible. She has 4 children with the same man. She says she is married in God’s eyes and doesn’t need a legal paper marriage. Is she living in sin? Will she go to Heaven?
First, let’s consider your daughter’s resistance to having “a legal paper marriage.” Romans 13:1-2 tells us, “LET EVERY SOUL BE SUBJECT UNTO THE HIGHER POWERS. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.” Let’s also consider 1 Peter 2:13-14, “SUBMIT YOURSELVES TO EVERY ORDINANCE OF MAN for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.”
The Word of God is clear when it tells us to obey our laws and governments. As we just read, “the powers that be are ordained of God.” Even a corrupt government is better than no government at all. So, whether we appreciate our government, our leaders, or our laws…the Lord instructs us to obey them. To disobey the law is to disobey the Lord. Each country has its individual laws concerning the marriage ceremony and we must obey the law in order to be considered married. To live together without being properly married is to be living in fornication, which is sin. So, to answer that part of your question…Yes, your daughter is living in sin. She is NOT living her life by the Bible!
Will she go to Heaven? Let’s consider a few verses from the Bible that tell us how we get to Heaven.
* Romans 10:9, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
* Acts 16:31, “And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…”
* Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
* 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.”
There is one clear message that runs throughout the scriptures. If one puts their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, that person is saved and will go to Heaven when they leave here. It has nothing to do with our behavior, it has to do with the work of the Lord Jesus on the cross of Calvary when He gave His life as a sacrifice to God to pay our sin debt. As John 3:16 tells us, “…whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Faith in Christ saves us and gives us ETERNAL LIFE…a life that will never end.
Your daughter’s behavior and attitude is sinful and it dishonors our Lord, but if your daughter has truly accepted Christ as her savior, she will go to Heaven. However, her life is not honoring to the Lord. She needs to realize that she is disappointing the very One who loved her and died for her. She needs to consider her testimony in the world and how she may be influencing others to live in sin. She needs to repent and confess her sins to her savior. We read in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I encourage you to show this to your daughter and ask her to allow the Lord to lead her out of sin and into a life that is honoring to the Lord. (292.10)