Heaven - Are You Sure?
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3)
“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 which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matthew 7:21-23)
“When His disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:25-26)
God says you can know for sure that you will go to Heaven when you leave this world. “These things (the Bible) have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” (1 John 5:13)
Being a “good person” will not get you to Heaven. Living a good life, keeping the golden rule, the Ten Commandments, etc. are nice things to do, but they can never get you to Heaven. “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.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Religion can NOT get you to Heaven. Contrary to popular opinion, all religions do not lead to Heaven. No matter how sincere or devout one may be, no religion, church, saint, or angel could ever save anyone. “Jesus saith unto him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” (John 14:6) “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
How can a God of love send anyone to Hell? The fact is – God sends no one to Hell. Man chose sin, and therefore must suffer the consequences of that choice. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” (Romans 5:12) God loves you so much, that He provided a way for you to escape the judgment of Hell that we all justly deserve. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17)
The ONLY way to Heaven given to us in the Word of God (the Bible) is to follow these simple steps:
1. Admit that you are a sinner.
We are all in the same boat, we all are sinners in God’s eyes. “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:10, 23)
The Law of God, summarized in the “Ten Commandments” (Exod.20; Deut.5) were given to us to show to us that we are sinners. Jesus plainly stated that none of us can possibly keep the “Ten Command-ments”. For example, concerning the sixth commandment, Jesus said if we are angry with our brother, we are guilty of murder. He also said concerning the seventh commandment, that if any man looks upon a woman to lust after her, he has committed adultery already. (Mat.5:21-28)
God makes it very clear that none of us are guiltless before Him. “For whoso-ever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10)
2. Recognize the penalty for sin.
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) Because of our sin nature we are born separated (spiritually dead) from God who is holy. God says we are “dead in trespasses and sins.” (Ephesians 2:1).
We will all die physically, but what then? “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” God lovingly warns us that we are already condemned to spend eternity in Hell separated from God. “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:14-15) (Hebrews 9:27)
3. Realize Jesus paid the price of sin and offers you a free gift.
Jesus left his throne in Heaven and took our sin upon Himself that we could escape the wages of our sin. “For He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corin-thians 5:21)
God’s love for us is greater than we could ever understand. The proof of His love for us was when He willingly went to the cross to die for us. “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
Jesus rose from the grave after three days to prove that He is God. He gave us the promise that He will come back to this earth again, and that He has the ability to raise us from death also. “I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” (Revelation 1:18)
4. Repent of your sin, and receive Jesus’ gift of Salvation.
In order to have eternal life, I must realize that my sin has brought about my Savior’s death, and I must turn away from my sin (repent). Of all the sins any man can commit, there is only one sin that will keep me out of Heaven – that is the sin of unbelief, or rejection of Jesus. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3:36)
The gift of Salvation is not something we work for or earn, it is freely given by Jesus who purchased it. However, that gift never becomes ours until we receive or accept it. “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” (John 1:12)
Notice the two things God says are necessary for me to accept the gift of Salvation: “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. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10)
To confess simply means to agree with God and call upon (ask) Him for salvation– “Yes, I am a sinner, condemned to die and spend eternity in Hell.”
To believe means to trust in or rely upon Him completely. “I know Jesus died for me, rose from the grave, and is coming back one day. I believe He can save me if I call upon Him.”
God gives us the great promise: “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13).
Accept God’s gift of Salvation now by calling upon Him in prayer.
“Dear Jesus, I know I am a sinner and deserve to spend eternity in Hell. I know You love me and died to take away my sin. You proved that you could save me when You rose from the grave. I now turn to You and trust You alone to pay my sin debt and take me to Heaven."
If you have received Jesus Christ as your savior, we would love to hear from you and help you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Please contact us or come and visit us. May God bless you as you walk with Him.