What does it take for a person to go to Heaven?
This is probably the most important question that anybody can ask or answer.
Perhaps you’re struggling with how you would answer this question, or maybe
you’ve never even thought about it before. If you have just a moment, I would
like to share with you how the Bible answers this question.
I have discovered that the easiest way to answer this question is with one
word, F.A.I.T.H. Faith is an acronym that helps explain from the Bible how one
can know for certain he/she is going to heaven.
F – The F stands for FORGIVENESS
The Bible teaches that we cannot have eternal life without God's forgiveness.
It says, “In Him (meaning Jesus) we have redemption through His blood, the
forgiveness of sins.” (Ephesians 1:7a) We all have one thing in common when
it comes to eternal life, and that is that we have all sinned against God. In
order for us to have eternal life, that sin must be forgiven.
A – The A stands for AVAILABLE
The great news is that the forgiveness needed is available for all. The Bible
says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
(John 3:16) There isn’t a person alive that God hasn’t offered His forgiveness
to. It is truly available for all.
However, it is NOT AUTOMATIC.
Some believe that because their parents were religious, or because they were
born in a certain country that they are automatically forgiven from sin and
deserving of heaven. One of the most common schools of thought says, “because
I’m good or do good things, God will let me in.” Unfortunately, this is not
true. The Bible says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter
the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Matt. 7:21) It takes more than calling Him “Lord” or
doing good things to go to heaven, and this leads us to the letter I.
I – The I stands for IMPOSSIBLE
It is impossible for God to allow sin into heaven because of who He is. God is
LOVE. We stated a verse above that God so loved the world. But it is also true
that God is JUST and that He will punish sin. The Bible says, “He will by no
means leave the guilty unpunished.” (Ex. 34:7) He will not allow one
unforgiven sinner into His heaven.
But let’s examine who man is. The Bible says that man is a sinner. “For all
have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Two thoughts
are being communicated in this verse. One is that all have sinned. Without
exception, every person has done wrong in the sight of God. Second is that
everyone falls short. With this comes the idea that we continuously fall
short. There’s never a day that we will be able to say, “Hey, I achieved the
glory of God today. I didn’t fall short.” No, we all continuously fall
short.
All of this presents us with a simple question, “How can a sinful person enter
heaven, where God allows no sin?”
Great question.
Because we have sinned, we have earned a wage. The Bible says, “For the wages
of sin is death...” (Romans 6:23) Most are familiar with wages. We go to work,
spend a certain amount of time there expecting to be paid for the time we’ve
worked. We expect a wage. The Bible is clear in saying, “the wages of sin is
death.”
This death is not just physical; it is spiritual as well. The wage earned from
sinning is eternal separation from God. A separation without end and most
tragically, without hope. The second part of the verse mentioned above says,
“But the gift of God is eternal life.” (Romans 3:23b) God gave His Son to die
in our place.
The love of Christ, his sacrifice in our place, and us accepting this by
faith, brings about an action of turning. This brings us to the T.
T – The T stands for Turning
If you were driving down the road and someone asked you to turn around, what
would he or she be asking you to do? That’s right, change direction or make
a U-turn. The word used for this in the Bible is “Repent.” Jesus asks all of
those who accept Him by faith to repent, or to turn, from their sinful ways
and follow Him.
Turn means to turn from something, which is sin and self, to someone who is
Christ. Christ desires that you walk with Him and no longer in the ways of
sin.
H – The H stands for Heaven
Heaven is eternal life. The Bible says that when we trust in Christ, we can
have the assurance that we will spend an eternity with Him in heaven. But we
do have a little heaven here on earth.
Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it
more abundantly.” (John 10:10b) Heaven is a place that those who believe in
Christ will one day reside, but it begins now as Christ dwells within us. His
presence in our lives brings hope, reason, and purpose to the events that
surround us.
Heaven is also hereafter. Jesus said, “And if I go and prepare a place for
you, I will come again and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you
may be also.” (John 14:3) Those who have received forgiveness from their sin
can rest assured that they will spend an eternity with Jesus in heaven.
How
The next step is How. How can one receive this forgiveness and be assured that
they will spend eternity in heaven? The first thing that comes to our mind is,
“what do I have to do?” The answer is simple, believe. Believe that Jesus died
on the cross for your sin, that He took your place, and that by placing your
faith in Him, you can spend eternity with Him. In other words, accept Him by
faith that what He said is true and what He did was for you.
I must, however, make you aware that accepting Him as your Savior will come
with some costs. Although salvation is a gift to you, it did cost Him His very
life. The love that He poured out on the cross for us is so great that we
should respond to Him in obedience. Our lives should change. No longer are we
to walk in rebellion. No longer are we to sin against Him. We are to live for
Him, not against Him.
The word FAITH can also stand for a prayer that we would like to lead you
through. It’s simple. “Forsaking All I Trust Him.” The words are not magical
nor are they a secret formula. The importance lies in your heart. Do you
believe what you have read and are you ready to turn your life over to Christ
as your Savior?
This is the most important decision that you can ever make. If you would like
to talk with someone about this decision, I want you to call me personally -
Pastor Dave Cash - at 903-623-2215 and I would be more than happy to speak
with you on the phone or meet with you face to face. I'm excited about talking
with you soon.
