Do You
Know for Sure?
How to be certain you are
going to heaven
Have you come to the place in your spiritual life
where you know for sure that if you were to die today
you would go to heaven, or is that something you would
say you are still working on? Did you know that the
Bible tells you how you can know for sure that you have
eternal life and will go to be with God in heaven? The Bible says, "These things I have
written to you…that you may know that you have eternal
life."
Here is a tough question: Suppose you were
to die today and stand before God and He were to say to
you, "Why should I let you into My heaven?"
What would you say? The Bible says that there are five
things you need to know about eternal life. Heaven is
a free gift
The Bible says, "…the gift of God is eternal
life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23).
And because heaven is a free gift, like any other
genuine gift…
It is not earned or deserved.
No amount of personal effort, good works, or
religious deeds can earn you a place in heaven.
For by grace you are saved through faith; and that
not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a
result of works, that no one should boast. (Ephesians
2:8-9)
Why is it that no one can earn his way to heaven?
Because…
Man is a sinner
"For all have sinned and come short of the glory
of God" (Romans 3:23). Sin is transgressing God's
law and includes such things as lying, lust, cheating,
deceit, anger, evil thoughts, immoral behavior and more.
And because of this…
Man cannot save himself.
If you wanted to save yourself by good deeds, do you
know how good you would have to be?
Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is
perfect. (Matthew 5:48)
With such a high standard, no one can save himself.
However, in spite of our sin…
God is merciful, and therefore doesn't want to
punish us.
This is because "…God is love" (1 John
4:8). And He says, "…I have loved you with an
everlasting love…" (Jeremiah 31:3)
But the same Bible that tells us that God loves us,
also tells us that…
God is just and therefore must punish sin.
He says, "…(I) will by no means clear the
guilty…" (Exodus 34:7) and "…the soul who
sins shall die." (Ezekiel 18:4)
We have a problem: God loves us and doesn't want to
punish us, but He is just and mush punish sin. God
solved this problem in the Person of…
Jesus Christ. Who is He?
The Bible tells us clearly that He is the infinite
God-Man.
In the beginning was the Word (Jesus)…and the
Word (Jesus) was God. And the Word (Jesus) became
flesh and dwelt among us… (John 1:1, 14)
Jesus came to earth and lived a sinless life, but
while on earth…
What did He do?
He died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins
and rose from the grave to purchase a place for us in
Heaven.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
(Isaiah 53:6)
Jesus Christ bore our sin in His body on the cross
and now offers you eternal life (heaven) as a free gift.
This gift is received by…
Faith
Faith is the key that opens the door to heaven. Many
people mistake two things for saving faith:
- Saving faith is not mere intellectual assent, like
believing certain historical facts. The Bible says
that the devil believes there is one God, so
believing that there is one God is not saving faith.
- Saving faith is not mere temporal faith, that is,
trusting God for temporary crises such as financial,
family, or physical needs. Now these are good, and
you should trust Christ for these, but they are not
saving faith.
Saving Faith
Saving faith is trusting in Jesus Christ alone for
eternal life. It means resting upon Christ alone and
what He has done rather than in what you or I have done
to get us into heaven.
…Believe (trust) in the Lord Jesus, and you will
be saved…" (Acts 16:31)
You have just read the greatest story ever told about
the greatest offer ever made by the greatest person who
ever lived, Jesus Christ. The question God is asking you
now is…
Would you like to receive the gift of eternal life?
Because this is such an important matter, let's
clarify what it involves. It means you need to:
- Transfer your trust
from what you have been doing to what Christ has
done for you on His cross.
- Accept Christ as Savior.
Open the "door" to your heart and invite
Him in.
He says, "Behold, I stand at the door and
knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I
will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he
with Me." (Revelation 3:20)
- Receive Jesus Christ as
Lord. Give Him the "driver's
seat" and "controls" of your life,
not the "back seat."
- Repent.
Be willing to turn from anything that is not
pleasing to Him. He will reveal His will to you as
you grow in your relationship with Him.
Now, if that is what you really want…
You can go to God in prayer right where you are.
You can receive His gift of eternal life through
Jesus Christ right now.
For with the heart man believes, resulting in
righteousness; and with the mouth he confesses,
resulting in salvation. For whoever will call upon the
name of the Lord will be saved. (Romans 10:13,
13)
If you want to receive the gift of eternal life
through Jesus Christ, then call on Him, asking Him for
this gift right now.
Here's a suggested prayer:
"Lord Jesus Christ, I know I am a sinner and
do not deserve eternal life. But, I believe you died
and rose from the grave to purchase a place in heaven
for me. Lord Jesus, come into my life; take control of
my life; forgive my sins and save me. I repent of my
sins and now place my trust in You for salvation. I
accept the free gift of eternal life.
If this prayer is the sincere desire of your heart,
look at what Jesus promises to those who believe in Him:
Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me
has eternal life. (John 6:47)
Welcome to God's family
- If you have truly repented (forsaken, turned away)
from your sins,
- Placed your trust in Jesus Christ's sacrificial
death
- And received the gift of eternal life
- You are a child of God! Forever!
Welcome to the family of God!
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the
power to become the sons of God, even to those who
believe in His name. (John 1:12)
Today is your spiritual birthday!
Today is a day you will always want to remember! The
Bible speaks of those who have received eternal life in
these words:
Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of
the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John
1:13)
When you were physically born, the day of your birth
was attested by a birth certificate. And so today, to
help you recall what God has done in your life on this
important day, we invite you to sign and keep the
following…
|
Spiritual Birth Certificate
"For whoever will call upon
the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans
10:13).
Knowing that I have sinned, and that
I need the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior, I now
turn from my sins and trust Him for my eternal life.
I ask Jesus Christ to forgive me, and to deliver me
from sin's power and give me eternal life.
I now give Jesus Christ control of
my life. From this time forward, as He gives me
strength, I will seek to trust Him and obey Him in
all areas of my life
Date ___________________
Signature
________________________________________ |
What's Next?
Just as a newborn baby grows physically,
in a similar way you can grow spiritually, by taking the
following steps:
-
Read the
Bible. Starting with the Gospel of John,
read a chapter a day. "As newborn babes, desire
the sincere milk of the Word (of God), that you may
grow thereby" (1 Peter 2:2).
-
Prayer.
Spend time each day talking to God. "Be anxious
for nothing, but in everything by prayer and
supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be
made know to God" (Philippians 4:6).
-
Worship.
Regularly attend a church that honors Jesus Christ and
teaches you the Bible. "I was glad when they said
to me, let us go into the house of the Lord"
(Psalm 122:1). "God is spirit, and those who
worship Him must worship in spirit and truth"
(John 4:24).
-
Fellowship.
Spend time with Christians who will help you grow in
faith. "That which we have seen and heard we
declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with
us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and
with His Son Jesus Christ (1 John 1:3).
-
Witness.
Tell others what Jesus Christ means to you! "But
you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come
upon you; and you shall be my witnesses…" (Acts
1:8).
How exciting! Click here
to tell us if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your
Savior and Lord.
|
