That’s the reason a lot of people give when
asked why they believe they’ll go to heaven when they die.
Being “good” apparently means a lot to a great many Americans
but whose standard of “good” are they using to determine their
“heaven-worthiness”? They can’t be using God’s because His
requirement to enter heaven through works is perfection.
I don’t know about you but I haven’t met any perfect people in
my lifetime. So what standard are they using? Is it
just a matter of personal conviction that makes people believe
they are “good enough”?
If this is the case, does it change depending
on who you are? I’m pretty sure my definition of “good”
wouldn’t be the same as say….oh I don’t know….a terrorist's
perhaps? I don’t find it “good” to fly a plane of civilians
into a building full of civilians because I hate them; yet
terrorists believe they'll go straight to paradise for those
acts. To them, that is a very good deed.
If we base our heaven-worthiness on “good
works” we must have some idea of what is “good enough”.
I mean, where is the mark? How do I know that I’ve
reached it? Suppose I have a particularly sinful day, do I fall
down a few notches on the good gauge? And if I do and I die
before getting my “good quota” back up do I go straight to hell
no matter what other good deeds I did the day before?
Doesn’t this all sound way too complicated,
fickle and unstable? Could this kind of reasoning actually be
comforting to those who accept it as truth? I don’t see how.
So why do many people who actually believe in
heaven think they’ve somehow earned their way there by “trying
to be a good person”? It seems to me that if you believe
there’s a heaven,
it might be worth some time and effort to find out how to
get there. Otherwise, do you really know that’s where
you’ll end up?
I can tell you what I believe, but
ultimately, you have to decide for yourself what you
believe. According to The Holy Bible, no one hits the
mark.
...for
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans
3:23)
To sin
is to do wrong in the sight of God, not man and certainly not per our own
personal convictions. So, if in God's eyes, we've all sinned...what does
this have to do with going to heaven? In The Bible we read that "the wages of sin is
death." (Romans
6:23) You see, God requires payment for wrongdoing and because of our sin, we are not worthy to go to Heaven.
Oh it would be hopeless if
God hadn't intervened and made a way to pay our debt.
For
God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have
eternal life. (John 3:16)
The hope lies in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Jesus is that hope. He was born of a virgin named, Mary and died
on a cross for the sins of the entire world. Yes, that includes you!
Of course, the good news doesn't end there though. Yes, He died and was buried,
but three days later He conquered
death when He rose from the grave. At that very moment, salvation became available.
Maybe you don't believe in all of this Heaven
and Hell stuff. That's fine, belief is a choice that you must make on your
own. God will not force you. He has given us the free-will to chose
what we believe. Some believe the Bible is nothing more than a good
storybook. Well, what if the Bible is wrong, and I have believed in
fairytales, how much worse off am I? I'd be a gal who tried to live in the
footsteps some of the greatest who ever walked the earth. I might even get
the "she was a good person" epitaph that started this whole discussion in the
first place. So death is the end...so what. What have I lost?
Nothing.
But what if all those who
don't believe the Bible are wrong? What would they lose?
Everything. It just seems like a fairly high price to pay
if you aren't sure...doesn't it?
I do believe the Bible...I
believe that God inspired the Bible and that it is His
infallible Word. You must decide for yourself what you
will believe of course, no one else can make that decision for
you. Before you make up your mind though, I'd challenge
you to do some research into it. Choosing to believe or
not could just be the biggest decision of your life considering
the risk we take by not knowing.
If you too believe God's Word, then it will
interest you to know that the hope He's given us in Christ is our gift.
The only requirement as stated in Romans 10:9:
"That
if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in
your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be
saved."
I do not think it could get
any simpler than that. I hesitate to tell you exactly what
to say to God when you accept His gift of salvation. If
you do need an example, here's a common one but please don't get
so caught up in "saying the right thing" that you miss the
importance of sheer belief:
"God, I believe that I am a sinner. I
believe that you sent your son to die in my place on the cross as payment for my
sin and I believe that You raised Him from the dead. I want Jesus to be
Lord of my life. Please cleanse me and forgive me of all that I have and
will do wrong. In Your Son's precious name, Amen!"
If you've just become a believer....welcome
to the family!
God knows your heart better
than anyone, but if you asked His forgiveness with sincerity and
believe as stated above...yes, you are forgiven.
Does this mean you will never sin again?
No, you will still mess up, but you will have forgiveness. The Bible tells
believers that "if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive
us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John
1:9) Right where you are at you can talk with God and ask
His forgiveness...anytime...anywhere.
"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as
snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."
Isaiah 1:18b
There is more to this
believer stuff than simply believing God for your salvation and
trusting Him to forgive your sin. You need to go public.
As a believer, you are now a
child of God. Many faiths practice Baptism in some form or
fashion. Baptism does not save you. No where in the
Bible will you find evidence that to go to heaven you must be
baptized. What it is though, is a symbol of the death,
burial and resurrection of Christ. When you step out
amongst others and ask to be baptized, it is a public profession
of your faith in Christ. I've heard it described as
"putting on God's team jersey". We know that
Jesus himself was baptized.
You can learn more about baptism at your local bible
believing church. The main objective is to go public, tell
someone.
Another point I need to make
is that God doesn't just want you to be saved, He wants a
relationship with you.
Yes, is that so hard to
believe? He already knows everything about you, now it's
time for you to learn about Him. You do this by reading
His Word (The
Bible) and through prayer. If you are in a
place where you can seek discipleship from other believers, I'd
suggest you find a Bible believing church and get plugged in.
Fellowship Church, Grapevine, Texas
has a marvelous site that lists other churches...perhaps in your
area.
You may not feel very comfortable in your knowledge at this
point, but as you seek the Lord you will begin to grow. If
you don't know anything else right now, you should know where you will spend
eternity.
Exactly. Heaven is our inheritance as
believers. We are given the hope of eternal
life with our Lord. When we die or when Christ returns - which ever comes
first, we will go to heaven. Heaven is a wonderful place that we cannot
even fathom.
And
the material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold
like clear glass. The foundation stones of the city wall
were adorned with every kind of precious stone... And the twelve
gates were pearls; each one of the gates was a single
pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like
transparent glass. (Revelation 21:18-19,21 NAS)
And I
heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of
God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be
his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no
more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of
things has passed away." (Revelation 21:3-4 NIV)
And
he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal,
coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb in the middle of
it's street. And on either side of the river was the tree
of life bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every
month... And there shall no longer be any night; and they
shall not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the
sun because the Lord God shall illumine them; and they
shall reign forever and ever.
(Revelation 22:1-2, 5 NAS)
