How to Get Started Right
You have just given me a very great honor by checking out my blog. Thank you! Now, please let me ask you a very important question: “If you were to die tonight, do you know for certain that you would go to Heaven?” The Bible says that you can know for certain. “I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” 1 John 5:13. One of the main reasons that John wrote his First Epistle is so that believers would not have to wonder or fret about their eternal destiny. They could know without a doubt that they were bound for Heaven. You can know that too!
Heaven is a free gift. You cannot earn it or deserve it. For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not from works so that no one can boast. – Ephesians 2:8,9
He saved us not by works of righteousness that we have done but on the basis of His mercy, through the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the Holy Spirit. – Titus 3:5.
You and I are sinners. That is our nature. That is who we are. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, – Romans 3:23. You and I are part of that category “all” that Paul wrote about. Jesus said, So then, be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. – Matthew 5:48. You and I both fall short of that mark of perfection! King David understood very well the concept that he was a sinner by nature: look, I was guilty of sin from birth, a sinner the moment my mother conceived me. – Psalms 51:5.
The very fact that you and I are sinners from birth puts us in a bad way: we were by nature objects of wrath. – Ephesians 2:3 NIV. That is a scary thought! Scripture speaks of “…a certain fearful expectation of judgment and a fury of fire that will consume God’s enemies.” – Hebrews 10:27. The Bible also declares, For our God is indeed a devouring fire. – Hebrews 12:29 and It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. – Hebrews 10:31. We don’t like to think about it, or talk about it, but God is a Holy God and a God of judgment! Like ancient Israel, our sins and iniquities separate us from Him. (see Isaiah 59:2).
However, God is also a God of love and mercy! The Lord’s loyal kindness never ceases; His compassions never end. – Lamentations 3:22; (see also, John 3:16; Ephesians 2:4; and 1 John 4:8). The Lord is not slow concerning His promise, as some regard slowness, but is being patient toward you, because He does not wish for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. – 2 Peter 3:9. This seems to create quite a dilemma! On one hand, God is holy and just and therefore must punish sin. On the other hand, God is loving and merciful and does not want anyone to perish (go to hell).
How did God solve that dilemma? He did it by entering into the world in the person of Jesus Christ. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God. . . Now the Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We saw His glory – the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth, who came from the Father. – John 1:1,14. God, the Son, who is referred to in this passage as “the Word”, became a human being. Yes, that is right! The Almighty God, while remaining 100% God, became 100% man. He is known as Jesus Christ. He is the infinite God-man. Born of a virgin, He alone lived a sinless life. For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin. – Hebrews 4:15. Since He was sinless, He was able to pay the penalty for our sins: God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God. – 2 Corinthians 5:21. Jesus, who was completely innocent, suffered and died on the cross in our place even though we are completely guilty. (We are sinners and deserve God’s judgment!) After Jesus suffered and died for us, God raised Him from the dead to offer us the free gift of eternal life.
Now there is no dilemma! Sin had to be punished – Jesus Christ was punished. God does not want us to perish (go to hell) – He offers us the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. For the payoff of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 6:23.
If you have not done so, you can receive this gift of God’s forgiveness and His assurance of a place in heaven for you by faith. Now saving faith is not mere intellectual assent because the Bible says, “You believe that God is one; well and good. Even the demons believe that – and tremble with fear. – James 1:19. Saving faith is placing your complete trust in Jesus Christ to save you and take you to heaven when you die. As I am writing this, I am sitting on an antique chair. I could say all day long that I believed that chair could hold me up. I put my trust in it when I sat down on it, completely dependent on the chair and nothing else to hold me up. You demonstrate your faith in Jesus by placing complete trust in Him, and nothing else, to take you to Heaven. You rest in Him. You do not rely on anything else – not a church; not a creed; and not any good work that you could do. I believe Paul described saving faith in Romans: For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his pay is not credited due to grace but due to obligation. But to the one who does not work, but believes in the one who declares the ungodly righteous, his faith is credited as righteousness. – Romans 4:3-5.
This does not mean that you should not do good works. Quite the contrary, the Scripture says, For we are His workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them. – Ephesians 2:10. The good works come after you are saved. The good works come because you are saved. The good works do not in any way help save you.
One way that you can receive the gift of eternal life is to pray – talk to God just like you talk to a friend. (Remember, the prayer will not save you. Christ saves you. The prayer is simply an act of faith; it is your verbal invitation for Christ to come into your life and give you His gift.) You might pray something like this:
“Father, I know that I am a sinner. I know that I cannot save myself. Will you forgive me and give me the gift of eternal life. I believe that Jesus suffered in my place on the cross. I believe that He died to pay for my sins. I believe He was raised from the dead and offers eternal life as a gift to those who receive it. I thank you for that gift that I now receive by faith in the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.”
What happens when you receive the gift of eternal life? God promises to forgive your wickedness and to remember your sins no more. (See Jeremiah 31:34). The Bible says, As far as the eastern horizon is from the west, so He removes the guilt of our rebellious actions from us. – Psalms 103:12. Jesus said, “I tell you the solemn truth, the one who believes has eternal life.” – John 6:47. Jesus also said, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish;” – John 10:28. That is the Word of God and it really needs no commentary from me.
You might be asking the question: “How can I know that I can be saved?”
Let me answer that question by asking you a question: “Would you like for Jesus to save you (give you the gift of eternal life)?” If the answer to my question is “Yes,” then the answer to your question is also “Yes.” Jesus will save you. In fact He promised, “… whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” – John 6:37 NIV. Several times the Bible promises, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” – Acts 2:21; Joel 2:32; Romans 10:13. There is absolutely no doubt! God cannot lie. (See Hebrews 6:18). If He said that He will receive and save you, He will! If you want to come to Jesus for salvation, you certainly can. You can know for certain that you are saved and that you will go to heaven when you die! You can know that, NOT because of something you feel, but because of what the Bible says. The most important theology I have ever learned I learned as a toddler in a song: “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”
If you have received the gift of eternal life, then I am glad that we are together in God’s Forever Family! I look forward to seeing you in Heaven. Please look me up, and let’s spend some time together enjoying the blessings of Heaven
