Do you know what will happen to you when you die? Not to your body, but to your soul. That part of you that thinks, feels, dreams, desires, loves, and will live forever?
Many hold the belief that if they’re “good,” they’ll go to heaven. But how much good do we have to do? How do we know if we’ve done enough good?
The answer is none of us have done enough good works to earn our way into heaven.
Why? Because to enter into heaven, the place where a perfect God dwells, we, too, must be perfect.
The Bible tells us in Romans 3:23
“for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God…”
Don’t get tripped up on the word “sin.” Sin is simply an ancient archery term that means “to miss the mark.” To be imperfect. So, are you imperfect? Well…
Have you ever lied?
Have you ever stolen?
Have you ever cheated?
Have you ever used God’s Name in a defamatory way?
If you answer honestly, your answer will be yes. And so will mine. We’ve all done this and much more. We’ve all sinned. We’ve all broken God’s law. And we deserve to be punished.
Romans 6:23 tells us
“For the wages of sin is death…”
So, what are we to do? How can we, an imperfect people, enter into the house of God, Who is perfect and requires all heaven’s inhabitants to be perfect, too?
Good News!
John 3:16 says
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
God didn’t leave us lost in our sin with no way to enter into heaven. He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross, taking on all our sins, past, present and future. If we believe in Him as our Lord and Savior, accepting His payment for our sins, our sin slate will be wiped clean.
Aren’t there many ways to heaven, you say?
In John 14:6, Jesus tells us
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Jesus did not say He is one of the ways, one of many truths, one of the sources of life among many. He said He is the only way to the Father and to heaven.
But how could Jesus die for our sins, you ask?
What gives Him the authority to be the only payment for the sins of the world? Because He is more than the Son of God.
He is God.
Jesus continues the conversation with His disciples in John 14:7-10:
“’If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.’
Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.’
Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.”
Jesus wasn’t just a good person, or just a prophet. He claimed to be, and IS, God!
We cannot earn heaven by a million good deeds. We don’t get extra credit for going to church or for being American and we aren’t automatically Christians because our parents were. It is only by believing in Jesus Christ and accepting His payment for our sins that we’ll be saved.
And if we put our faith in Jesus Christ, when we face God He will see us as spotless, sinless, perfect, because Jesus has already paid our due wages of death on the cross.
Romans 6:23 goes on to say
“…but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Instead of judgment for sins, we’ll hear God say to us,
“Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.’ Matthew 25:23
You know that emptiness you feel that you keep trying to fill with money, things, relationships, maybe drugs or alcohol? You can’t fill it because God created you to be filled with Him. Only He can bring you the joy and peace and hope that you long for.
God loves you. And He’s waiting for you to call on Him.
You can pray right now to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, be forgiven of all your sins and have the assurance of heaven.
Just talk to your Heavenly Father in your own words. Tell Him what’s on your heart.
It can go something like this:
Dear Heavenly Father, I acknowledge that I’m a sinner. I believe that Your Son, Jesus, died on the cross for my sins and because of His sacrifice I ask for forgiveness. I put my faith in Him. Thank you, Jesus, for dying on the cross for my sins. Please help me to be the person you designed me to be. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.
If you have any questions I’d be happy to help you find the answers.
If you prayed that prayer, let me know! The very next thing you need to do is get a Bible–God’s Word to you–and start reading daily. God wants to speak to your heart, to lead you and to heal you. A good place to start reading is in the book of John. Ask the Lord to lead you to a good, Bible-teaching, praying church where you can learn His Word, meet other believers, be encouraged in your faith and be an encouragement to others.
May God bless you on your journey!
Dorci