Can You Be Sure About Heaven?

Heaven is where God is. It is a perfect place where there is no sorrow, pain, want, sickness, or death. Heaven is a place where life never ends and is filled with joy, plenty, and communion with God.
​There is little wonder why most everyone wants end up there one day. But how? 

So how do you get to heaven?

There are many opinions about how to get to heaven.​

​Some of the more common ones are:

• You must be a good person.
• Your "good deeds" must outweigh your "bad deeds."
• You must live a certain lifestyle.
• You must follow a certain path.
• You must find your own way, the way that is right for you.

​All have these in common:

• They are all very noble.
• They all require effort.
• They all require patience.
• They all suggest that you can find your way to  heaven.
• They all take a lifetime.​
• They all focus on you.​ ​

​And most notably, they are all wrong. Because...

It's not what you do...

​Despite all the opinions, the Bible tells us that no matter what you do, you will never make yourself "good enough" for heaven:

​​For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. - Romans 3:23*

​Our sins separate us from God. There is nothing we can do to erase them. In fact, the Bible tells us that sin has a penalty:

​For the wages of sin is death. - Romans 6:23a*

Because of our sin, everyone has received the death penalty from God. Without Jesus, there's no hope for anyone.​

...It's ​who you know. ​​

But there is hope. Let's read the whole verse this time:

​For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 6:23*

Good news: God has made a way to heaven! The Bible tells us God loves you so much he sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, to save you:

​For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16*​

Jesus Christ has provided the way for us. In fact, He is the way. Believing in Jesus is the only way to escape death and the only way to heaven, 

​Jesus didn't show us the way to heaven. He is the way.
It's definitely who you know. So...

How can you know Jesus?

​
​First, you must  understand what He has done for you.

​Jesus Christ left heaven, came to Earth, and lived the sinless life we could not. He not only forgave our sins, but He went a step further, because sin has a penalty: death. Jesus paid that penalty when He went to the cross in our place.
On that cross, 2000 years ago, ​Jesus Christ died an excruciating death, punished for all the sins we will ever commit:

​Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit. - 1 Peter 3:18*

By raising Jesus back to life, God confirmed that Jesus is His Son, and exactly who He says he is:

But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. - 1 Corinthians 15:20,22*

​
Next, you must respond to what He has done for you.

​​Can you image someone dying for you and never acknowledging or responding to what they did in your place? Of course not.
Right now, if you are feeling sorrow, shame, and/or guilt over what Jesus did for you, keep reading, because the Bible says:

​For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There's no regret for that kind of sorrow. 2 Corinthians 7:10a*

​​Jesus knows you. He knows everything you have done, and still, He is ready to forgive you. He wants you to know Him:

​Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. - Revelation 3:20

That door is your heart. Jesus is inviting you to begin a personal relationship with Him. Do you want to know Jesus right now?

Before you say yes to a relationship with Jesus,
​there is something else you should know...

Full Disclosure.

If you enjoy your life just the way it is, a relationship with Jesus Christ may not be for you. While it is the only way to heaven, it is also completely life-changing.

Why? Is there a catch? Are there new rules to follow?  No, it's not the rules that change. You change.

My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. - Galatians 2:20*

When you trust Jesus Christ with your life, He takes control. The Bible tells us God sends a helper, the Holy Spirit, to live inside of every new believer, and in effect, you are reborn:

​Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own. - 1 Corinthians 6:19* ​

Over time, your life will change, not because the rules have changed, but because you change. ​

Will you trust Jesus to make changes in you...

When you are ready, know Jesus.

Choosing to trust Jesus Christ is the most life-changing commitment you will ever make, so it should never be made lightly. The Pastor at CRBC is available to answer questions, provide guidance, and address any fears you may have. 

 When you are ready, go ahead and begin your relationship with Jesus. Know Him. Here's how:​

• Admit to God that you have a sin problem that you cannot fix.
• Ask God to forgive you and save you. 
• Believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross and that God raised Jesus to everlasting life for you.
• Confess that you will follow Jesus, your Lord, wherever He leads you.

​If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. - Romans 10:9-10*

Prayer is the way believers talk to God. If you are not sure how to pray, use the prayer below, but do so from your own heart:​

God, 
It broke my heart to realize that Jesus Christ died because of me. Please forgive me. Please save me. I believe that Jesus' life, death, and resurrection was to rescue me from sin and death. I trust in Jesus alone, and willingly invite Him to make changes in me. Thank you Lord, for forgiving me, saving me, and leading me! Amen.
​

What's Next...

​Next Steps

​If you now place your place your trust in Jesus, congratulations and welcome to the Kingdom of God! Your new home is heaven, and that's not an opinion. It's exactly what the Bible makes known:

​Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God. - Revelation 2:7*

Your news is too good not to share. Let others know that you are a Christian. Encourage them to join you. Find a church where the Bible is taught so you can learn and grow. And as a first act of obedience to God, the Bible teaches you are to be baptized with water:

​For you are to be his witness, telling everyone what you have seen and heard. What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord. - Acts 22:15-16*

CRBC wants to celebrate with you. Let the Pastor know about your citizenship in the Kingdom of God. He can answer any questions you may have, provide you with a Bible, and perhaps help you with your baptism:

​*All scripture from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation