Suppose God asked you, "Why should I let you into My heaven?" What would you say?

If you are uncertain or hesitate for a moment to answer that question, read on.

Did you know that the Bible tells how you can know for sure that you have eternal life and will go to be with God in heaven?

These things have I written to you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life….(1st John 5:13)

HEAVEN (ETERNAL LIFE) IS A FREE GIFT.

The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23b)

By grace you have been 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)

Why is it that no one can earn his or her way to heaven? Because ...

MAN IS A SINNER.

All have sinned and come short of the glory, of God. (Romans 3:23)

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? The Bible says you would have to be perfect.

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)

For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. (James 2:10)

In spite of our sin, however ...

GOD IS MERCIFUL, and therefore DOESN'T WANT TO PUNISH US. The Bible tells us:

God is love. . . (1st John 4:3b)

I have loved you with an everlasting love." (Jeremiah 31:3b)

But the same Bible that tells us that God loves us also tells us that GOD IS JUST, and therefore MUST PUNISH SIN.

He will by no means clear the guilty; (Exodus 34:7b)

The soul that sins, it shall die. (Ezekiel 18:4)

So, we have a problem. A serious problem. We have all sinned. The penalty for sin is death. And a just God can not waive this penalty and still be just. So only death can fulfill God's justice.

Fortunately, God solved this problem for us. He came to Earth Himself, as a man, in the person of...

JESUS CHRIST. The Bible tells us clearly that He is the infinite GOD-MAN. He is 100% God and 100% man, at the same time. Although this is hard for humans to comprehend, it is nonetheless a very clear doctrine in Scripture.

In the beginning was the Word (Jesus) ... and the Word (Jesus) was with God ..and the Word (Jesus) was God. …and the Word (Jesus) became flesh and dwelt among us. . .(John 1:1,14)

Remember how God demands a death as a penalty for our sins? Well, Jesus died on the cross, in our place, to pay the penalty for our sins. God, in His mercy, was willing to accept the death of His own sinless Son instead of insisting on the just death of each of us for our sins. And then Jesus rose from the grave to purchase a place for us in heaven.

All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned, every, one, to his own way, and the Lord has laid on Him (Jesus) the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)

God hates our sins but because of His love for us, He has placed them all on His Son. Christ bore our sin in His body on the cross.

Now Jesus Christ 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:

1. Mere INTELLECTUAL ASSENT, that is, believing certain historical facts. The Bible says the devil believes in God, so just believing in God is not saving faith.

2. Mere TEMPORAL FAITH, that is, trusting God for temporary crises such as financial, family, or physical needs.

Now these are good, and we should trust Christ for these, but they do not constitute saving faith! SAVING FAITH is trusting in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. It means resting upon Christ alone and what He has done rather than upon what you or I have done to get us into heaven.

Believe (trust) on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. . . (Acts 16:31a)

Faith is like the hand of a beggar receiving the gift of a King. We don't deserve the gift of eternal life. But we can have it, if we will receive it by faith. This is the greatest offer ever made by the greatest Person who ever lived - Jesus Christ.

HOW DOES ONE RECEIVE THE GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE?

You transfer your trust from what you have been doing to what Christ has already done for you on the cross.

You receive the resurrected, living Christ into your life as Savior. He says,

I stand at the door, and knock [at the door of your life]; if any man hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20)

You receive Jesus Christ into your life as Lord. He comes as Master and King. There is a throne room in your heart, and that throne is rightly His. He made you. He bought you with His own blood and He wants to take His rightful place on the throne of your life.

You repent of your sins. That means that you are willing to turn from anything you have been doing that is not pleasing to Him and to follow Him as He reveals His will to you.

Now, if this 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.

With the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation ... for whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10: 10, 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.

[Beliefs] [Doctrine]