Email advertising comes in all sorts of forms, and once they have your email address, it can be as worthless and annoying as all the junk mail that finds its way into your mailbox. And so it was the other day when I opened an email with this subject line: University Advancement. It was a most peculiar offer that was being made to me.

"Graduate without attending classes or taking a leave of absence from your current job. Prepare for the professional advancement you deserve."

Their sales pitch goes like this: "This University Degree Program removes the obstacles that cause adults to abandon all hope. You may know employers continually hire, promote and reward raises to new employees. They may have ZERO skills or experience, but they are continually promoted just because they have this piece of paper. The degree earned by our students enables them to qualify for career advancement and personal growth. This acclamation also breaks down the walls that prevents you from receiving the more fulfillment and proper Compensation. With our service, you are provided with an official graded transcript. Duplicate transcripts will be filed in the graduate's permanent record with our colleges. Degree verification and official transcripts will be provided in writing when requested by employers and others authorized by the graduate. Our College and University transcripts meet the highest academic standards. Our University issues a degree printed on a premium diploma paper, bearing the official gold raised college seal."

The advertisement appeals to all the baser emotions of men. It appeals to the "hopeless," those who want to prosper materially who have either in the past ignored opportunities to prepare for the kind of jobs that make prosperity possible, or that don’t have the energy to put the kind of work in that it takes. It appeals to that constant of jealousy that we often have of those who have done better than us. It preys on the notion that we are as good, therefore, we ought to be given as much. But the kicker is that they offer a piece of paper that is an outright lie.

The degree, "printed on a premium diploma paper, bearing the official gold raised college seal," is awarded to people who have never taken a class with their university, and comes complete with a falsified transcript. All you have to do is call the telephone number (24 hours), give them your credit card number, and wait. "Your degree is closer than you think. No one is turned down. Confidentiality is assured, and we are awaiting your call today!"

Now there are a couple of problems that ought to be apparent. "But for the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part shall be in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death" (Rev. 21:8). It doesn’t matter how you set out to deceive, deception is lying, and lying has dire eternal consequences.

A second problem has to do with the fact that you have a worthless piece of paper that will only fool the gullible. It will not achieve the desired effect. Folks, it’s a fake, a fraud! Those who put their trust in such have seriously miscalculated. There is no easy road to a degree that will be accepted. And you can’t fake one, either.

Too many are trying to get into heaven on phony credentials. When one achieves a legitimate degree from an accredited college or university, he has to fulfill the conditions that accompany such accomplishments. Those conditions include attending classes, studying the material that the class involves, doing homework, taking tests, etc. When one receives a "well-done" from the Lord, he has to fulfill the conditions that the Lord has set forth in the Bible. Those conditions include involvement in the work of the Lord, both individually, and in conjunction with a local congregation as a member, living the kind of life outlined in the Scriptures, teaching the lost, fulfilling our responsibilities to God and others, and obedience to the Son of God. Whereas Paul correctly denounces the notion that there are works that cause us to deserve salvation, he agrees with James who tells us that there are work, nevertheless, that must be done in order to be saved. "Ye see that by works a man is justified, and not only by faith" (Jas. 2:24).

Jesus said, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 7:21). Too many are led to believe that obedience is not necessary to go to heaven, that all you have to do is believe. They will be surprised and disappointed on the day that their credentials are called for. They will cite for Jesus the wonderful things they have done and the fact that they gave him the credit, but they won’t make it in, because they didn’t do what the Bible said.

Jesus said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned" (Mark 16:16). Without being baptized, there is no diploma or degree.

Paul said, "The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked; but now he commandeth men that they should all everywhere repent" (Acts 17:30). We can’t fool God with lives that are not characterized by repentance. "Howbeit the firm foundation of God standeth, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his: and, Let every one that nameth the name of the Lord depart from unrighteousness" (2 Tim. 2:19).

Peter tells us, "Wherefore let them also that suffer according to the will of God commit their souls in well-doing unto a faithful Creator" (1 Pet. 4:19). Without the kind of commitment described in the Scriptures and exemplified by Paul, Peter, and Jesus himself, there is no approval by the Lord.

There are some who hand out phony salvation papers, just like there are some who sell phony degrees. They will accomplish little but the condemnation of those who place their trust in them. Men are always putting forth their notion of what God wants, and it usually appeals because it is usually the easy way. We are told by Paul, however, "… not to go beyond the things which are written; that no one of you be puffed up for the one against the other"(1 Cor. 4:6). The King James tells us that we are "not to think of men above that which is written." The teachings of men always stand in opposition to the truth of God. "Take heed lest there shall be any one that maketh spoil of you through his philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ" (Col. 2:8).

In summary, if you want to go to heaven, you are going to have to do what it takes to get there, and the only place you can go to find out what that is, is the Bible, the word of God. Men may offer an easy way, they may lead to something that is different and more appealing, but in spite of the promise given, only God’s way will get you in.