How to be Sure of Heaven

Can we really be sure we are going to go to heaven?

Without a doubt, we can be absolutely sure.

• The trouble most of us have is attempting to get there the wrong way. One of the most common ways is through a religion. The truth is, you can belong to every religion in the world and still miss out going to heaven.
• Another way that many believe will get them to heaven is by doing all kinds things that look like holy works. This also will not get you to your objective (heaven). Works only come into play after salvation.
• One more common belief is we can get to heaven if we keep the ten commandment. Well, even if we keep them all (which no one can), will not get you to heaven.
• That's a pretty heavy concentration of seemingly goodly righteous things. Well, what if I did all these things together over the rest of my life -- would that possibly get me into heaven? Again, the answer is NO! So? What will get me there?

 There is only One Way. First off, we are all sinners as Romans 3:23 says, "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." And guess what? Sin cannot enter into heaven. However, when we look at Romans 6:23, it says, "The wages of sin is death, but the Gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ." So how do we go about getting this gift of eternal life from God that is available through Jesus Christ?

First, we must remember the main reason Jesus came to this earth was for the redemption of sin. Since sin cannot enter into heaven, it has to be paid for at some time, in some place, by somebody. Jesus paid the price for every sin ever committed by mankind. Yet, it is not automatic. We have a free-will to accept what Jesus did for us or reject it. If we choose to reject God's free Gift of eternal life -- the wages of sin is still death. We can choose to use the death that Jesus paid for our sin, or we can pay for our sins our self. In case we choose to pay for them ourselves, we get all the benefits that come with it such as eternal death, hell and the grave, and Satan as our master for all the eternal death.

Now let's look at the alternative -- accepting the free-gift from Jesus Christ. Here is how the Bible tells us to go about it. Looking at Romans again, this time from chapter 10:9&10, which tells us, "If you shall confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." "For with the heart man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." These two things will get you to heaven -- confessing Jesus as your Lord, and believing that God raised Jesus from the dead (His death, burial, and resurrection.)

So how do I know for sure if I was sincere when I do these two things? For one -- the not so good things you used to do before, you will despise. Another -- you will be able to understand the Bible when you read it, because the Holy Spirit is living within you and only He can interpret the Word of God. Also, sin will be utterly discussing to you from now on.

What to do next after your New Birth? Confess Jesus as Lord to others and be not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation. Find a good church home that is preaching and teaching the Bible message without compromise.

For those who take these steps, may God bless you in the coming days, study the Word and be strong in the faith. We would love to hear from you if you will and leave a comment. God loves you.

Are You Going To Heaven?

Heaven? Is there any way to know for sure that Heaven will be your new home when you die? Jesus gave us the answer to that question in John's Gospel in chapter #3. Simply stated, you must first be Born-again to enter into the Kingdom of God. But what does that term mean and how is becoming "Born-again" accomplished?

First of all you must be aware that the Bible tells us that sin cannot enter into heaven. Therefore, most people believe you can get into heaven by keeping the ten commandments or other laws. As you are probably aware -- no one can keep the commandments and laws. Simply stated, since no one can keep the commandments or laws, no one will ever get into heaven. Romans 3:20 states that by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for the law is the knowledge of sin. Can you then go to a priest and confess your sins to him? By no means. You are still attempting to be justified by the law.

Can a man under the law forgive another individual who is also under the law his or her sins? The Bible says that only God can forgive sin. In any case we cannot be saved by the works of the law even if we confess our sins to a thousand priests. If we could, then Jesus died in vain. We are saved by grace and not by the works of the law or by any deeds of the flesh. We are save by grace through faith in what Jesus did for us on the cross and in that fact alone takes away our sins by His shed blood and opens the door to heaven for us. It is not by works of righteousness that we have done, but by His mercy He has saved us.

Let's carry this a little further and consider a passage from the Book of Ecclesiastes 9:3:

• "There is an evil among all things that are done under the sun...the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead."

The hearts of men are evil of evil because we were all born into sin. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." - (Romans 3:23) Sin cannot enter into heaven. If it did, it would be just as bad there as it is here on earth. So we must get rid of our sin first if we want to enter into heaven. That is where "we must become born-again" comes into play.

Ecclesiastes goes on to say that: "The living know that they shall die, but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more reward; for the memory of them is perished. Also their love, their hatred and their envy is now perished; neither have they any portion of any thing that is done under the sun."

All of our hurrying and backbiting is over in the grave. So, did God just haphazardly put us on this earth without any reason or purpose? The Bible says "God made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation." Why did He do that? The next two verses tells us -- "So they should seek the Lord, if haply they seek after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us. For in Him we live, and move, and have our being...for we are also His offspring." - (Acts 17:26-28) We are His offspring, but sin has kept us apart. What is the answer? "Born-again"!

So back to the question, "Are You Going To Heaven?" The primary answer to that question is "Have you been Born-again?" Jesus said: "Unless a man is Born-again, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God." The next question is: "How do I know I have been Born-again?" Two things are necessary to be Born-again. First - repentance. The Bible states in Isaiah 55:7, "Let the wicked forsake their ways." Second - Romans 3:23 states: "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." and Romans 6:23, "...but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus." Therefore, by repentance, (which is the forsaking of our sinful ways) and calling upon the name of Jesus Christ and invite Him to become Lord and Savior and believing in our heart that God has raised Him from the dead. This is how we become born-again. After that happens the following verse kicks into play.

• "But scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe." - (Galatians 3:22)

When we make these two decisions on our part, God takes over on His part. Our part is to initiate the decisions and desire for salvation. God will not violate our free-will, but He awaits for an invitation from us. When we have repented and invited Jesus to become our Lord, we are Born-again according to the Scriptures. Do this now and the next time someone asks you if you are going to Heaven, you will know for sure and answer with a definite - ("YES I am, but -- how about you my friend?.")