ad·mit·tance

ad·mit·tance (ăd-mĭt'ns)
n.

1. the act of admitting or entering.
2. a. permission to enter.
b. right of entry.
3. (symbol Y) electricity. the reciprocal of impedance.


      a friend of mine once said "i bet you there is going to be a hell of a lot more people in heaven than we think." i think he is right. if G-d's love is half of what He says it is, and if He is a gracious as He claims to be i think a whole lot of people have a good shot at heaven.
i was reading in 1 john today and i found an interesting connection between verses concerning love (i know i talk about love a lot, but rumor has it that it is really important or something, so i figure i should try to understand it as best as i can):

     This is love: not that we loved G-d, but that He loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (1 John 4.10)
     G-d is love. whoever lives in love lives in G-d, and G-d in him. In this Way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgement, because in this world we are like Him. (1 John 4.16-17)

     in the first section, John seems to give a definition for love- the problem is that in the definition he uses the word love multiple times to describe love. i take this definition to be describing a situation in which love is presented in its most pure form: loving- by way of sacrificing selflessly- before being loved. this meaning for me to love, or give with out being instigated, asked, or provoked and with out expecting something in return.
     we can also infer that john is also alluding to not only the action of loving and sacrificing before being loved himself, but to the heart of the lover. an empathetic, humble, and concerning heart clear of selfish desire...difficult, i know. i don't think i have to spend much more time talking about this (although of the utmost importance) because i think i have talked about this previously enough.

     the second section gives us a synonym for love: G-d. and then continues to say that if one is a lover (see first section) then that person is of G-d, and G-d resides in them. now, this puts us on some dangerous and relativistic grounds that my minute intellect can't keep stable. can G-d be apart of lovers outside of the "christian community"? does/should the christian community go beyond what we currently see it? are there going to be a hell of a lot more people in heaven than we christains think? maybe these verses are saying yes?
     by accepting a life devoted to love, could that be also accepting a life with G-d ("G-d is love")? can a life exist with G-d while sleeping in on sunday mornings and not going to bible studies? the more i think about it, and the more i experience the suburb christain culture the more i question the "rules for admittance into heaven" and the constricted view of the Creator's grace. who are we to create limitation of His infinite love and grace? and if G-d is a part of His creation and resides within the lovers, then why can't he reside within those who don't participate in worship services and subscribe to a textbook religion? or maybe religions outside of modern day christianity?
     a lot of questions. i am not totally sure how to answer a lot of these questions with fear of falling into the category of relativism. but i believe that they are questions worth asking.

     what do you think?