How To Know You Are
Going To Heaven
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"Most assuredly, I say to
you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me
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Security! The common denominator of all the aspirations of the human heart. Mankind has longed for it since time began. We have built walled cities, made treaties, sought after power and wealth. Indeed we have tried by every means possible to be secure in freedom, provisions and in relationships - especially in our relationship to God.But according to the Bible, God's word, there is only one way to true security: Jesus Christ. In the Gospel of John we read, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but by Me (John 14:6)." He can satisfy every need for security because He provides membership in God's family for now and eternity: "As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who trusted in His name (John 1:12)."
Why is Jesus the only way to true security? The Bible provides the answer. We cannot find security on our own because we stand condemned before God for sin. The Apostle Paul's statement in Romans 3:23, "All have sinned and do fall short of the glory of God." lets us know that every person in the world is a sinner. What's more this refers not only to so-called "bad sins" such as murder but to anything which falls short of God's perfection and excellence.
This sinfulness of mankind means that we lack the righteousness God requires and, indeed, can never achieve it. Concerning this requirement, Jesus said, "Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:20)." Paul puts it bluntly: "There is none righteous, no not one (Romans 3:10)." Again, that includes everyone. Absolutely nothing a person can do on his own can ever earn or merit anything from God, as the prophet Isaiah notes: "All our righteous works are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6)." To Christians Paul said, "He did not save us on the basis of works which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy (Titus 3:5)." The consequence for mankind of this sinfulness and lack of righteousness is spiritual death - separation from God: "The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23a)."
How then is it possible to have that righteousness necessary for acceptance by God? The answer is surprising and wonderful: Christ has provided it for us! The Bible points this out in 2 Corinthians 5:21: "He [God] made Him [Christ] who knew no sin to be sin in our place in order that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." Jesus, who was perfectly righteous and therefore, did not deserve to die, took the penalty which we deserved (death, the wages of sin) upon Himself. Romans 5:8 says, "God proves His love for us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Peter proclaims, "[Christ] Himself offered up our sins in His body on the cross" (1 Peter 2:24), and, "Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous in place of the unrighteous, in order that he might bring us to God (1 Peter 3:18a)." Then Christ was resurrected from the dead to guarantee resurrection for the righteous (1 Corinthians 15:20-23). In this way God was able both to punish sin - thereby remaining consistently holy - and to forgive the sinner - thereby remaining consistently gracious. As Paul puts it in Romans 3:26: "[He did this] in order that He might be righteous and pronounce righteous the one who has faith in Jesus." God gives salvation as a gift: "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23)."
There is, however, a condition. That is, salvation is not automatic, for when the Philippian jailor asked Paul and Silas, "What must I do to be saved?," the reply was, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved (Acts 16:30-31)." Paul says it this way in Romans 4:5, "To the one who does not work, but believes in Him who declares the ungodly righteous, his faith is reckoned as righteousness." The Greek work translated "believe" indicates that the facts about Jesus must be accepted (that He was God in the flesh, etc.) and means that He must be depended on for salvation. In other words, there are two aspects to the meaning of the word—belief in facts and trust in a person.
Therefore, if you think that your sins are not bad enough to condemn you or that you can save yourself by church membership, baptism, etc., you must change your mind about those incorrect beliefs, believe what the Bible says about your sinful and separated condition and trust Christ to save you personally. Then, and only then, will you be saved and secure - when you take God's route to security.
For those who reject God's remedy for sin, the condemnation for sinfulness stands and results in permanent separation from God and punishment in the lake of fire: "The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides upon him (John 3:36);" "and if anyone was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15)." This is the scriptural destiny for all those who reject Christ.
Well, what about you my friend? Will you try to find security your own way and regret it for eternity or will you accept God's free gift of eternal life and have real security - now and forever? It is my prayer that you will place your trust in Christ as your Savior right now, wherever you are - and live forever secure in God's family.