Heaven

1. Will good deeds alone get me to heaven? – 21st October 2015
"All have sinnedandfall short of the glory ofGod." (Romans3:23).
Many people believe thatif theytryhard inthislife toclaimthat “I am a Christian,Ido gooddeeds,seen
at Sundayservice etc…that God will acceptthemintoheavenwhentheydie. Whilethose actionsbeing
good“Christianlike“traits, bythese itselfyoucannotgetthere. The Bible makesclearthatgettinginto
heavenisnotsomethingwe canaccomplishinourown power. Ephesians2:8-9 teaches,"Forbygrace
you have been savedthrough faith.And thisis not yourown doing;it is the gift ofGod,not a result of
works, so that noone may boast." We are savedthroughGods grace whichisa giftof God…notthrough
our ownefforts. GettingintoheavenrequiresfaithinJesusChrist because itisonlythroughHimthat
we can get there.
Why isgettingintoheavenbasedonfaith inChrist?We mustknow that Faithisdefinedasbeliefwith
strongconviction;firmbelief in Godwith complete trust,confidence,reliance ordevotion. Whenone
has Faiththere shouldbe zerodoubt!Itis an unquestioningbeliefthatdoesnotrequire proof or
evidence;anunquestioningbelief inGod.Inthe gospelswe canlearna definitionof faith foundin
Hebrews15: “Nowfaithis confidencein what we hope for andassuranceabout what we do not see”(
Hebrews 11:1). We have faithin Jesusbecause asChristianswe believe andhave deepconfidence that
Jesusdiedforoursalvation,sothat all of mankindmaybe savedfrom the peril of eternal damnation.
We are all sinners. Romans3:23 teaches, "All havesinnedand fall short ofthe gloryof God."
Ecclesiastes7:20 adds, "Surelythere is not a righteousmanon earth whodoes goodand never sins."
No matterhowhard youmay try, our sinisenoughto keepyou away.fromheavenunlessyouhave
placedyourfaithinJesusChrist and receivedHisforgiveness andsalvation.
We mustknowthat everypersonexceptJesushassinned.He knew thatwe are sinners. The goodnews
of the Bible tellsus that:"ButGoddemonstrates hisown love for usin this: Whilewe were still sinners,
Christdied for us" (Romans5:8). He diedfor usas sinnersbecause of Hislove forus. He knew we would
each fail,sin,andlackthe abilitytoenterheavenapartfromHim. He wantsall of us to getthere.
Therefore He sacrificedHimself inourplace,offeringHimself asthe way,the truth,and the life:“Jesus
answered, “Iam the way and the truth and the life. Noone comes to the Father except throughme
(John14:6). He saysthat it isonlythroughHimthat we couldgo to God that allowsusaccess to heaven
by faithin JesusChrist.
Can anyone come to faith in Jesus Christ and receive eternal life? Yes! In the great and important
teachingfoundin John3:16 that teachesus:"For God so lovedthe world,thathe gave his only Son, that
whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." This statement states “whoever
believesinhim”…andthat includesyou!One maywantto know how can a person place his or her faith
in Jesus Christ and receive eternal life in heaven. Romans 10:9 answers this question: "If you declare
with your mouth,“Jesusis Lord,” andbelieve in your heart that Godraised himfrom the dead, youwill
be saved". Salvation occurs when we accept Jesus as Lord and believe He rose again from the dead so
that we may be saved. When we do so, we can be confident that He will accept us. Romans 8:1
teaches:"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus". In 1 John 5:13
adds thatwe can knowforcertainthat we are savedand will spendeternitywiththe Lord when we die:

2. "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you
have eternal life."
As a Christianhave you been trusting in your own efforts and goodness to receive eternal life? On the
contrary youmust knowthat you can place your faithinJesusandknow for certainyouwill have eternal
life.There isnospecial prayeryoumustpray todo so. Remember,salvationisnot based on your works,
but on God's grace. However, the following prayer is one you can use to accept Jesus Christ as your
Savior:"Dear God,I realize Iam a sinnerandcouldneverreachheavenbymy owngooddeeds.Onlyyou
have the powerto save me.RightnowI place my faithin Jesus Christ as God's Son who died for my sins
and rose fromthe deadto give me eternal life.Please forgive me of mysinsand help me to live for you.
Thank you for accepting me and giving me eternal life."
"If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe
in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved". (Romans 10:9).