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Heaven is a free gift.
There is nothing we can do to earn or work our way into heaven. The
Bible says "for by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that
not of yourselves: It is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any
man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9). Nothing we could ever do would
be good enough to get ourselves into heaven.
Because we are all sinners. The Bible says in Romans 3:23 "for all
have sinned, and come short of the glory of God". We have all gone
a little too fast on the highway or had a bad thought about another
person, and that is sin. Sin is also not doing something we're
supposed to do, like filing our income tax returns. So, where does
God fit into all of this?
God is righteous and holy, and He must judge our sin. When speaking
of God, the Bible says in Exodus 34:7, "but who will by no means
clear the guilty ...". Imagine we go to the bank, and rob it. Now,
we have all this money, so we go to our local discount store to buy
some supplies. As we are leaving, the police surround us. When we
are brought before the judge, we tell him "We're really sorry we
robbed that bank, Your Honor, and we'll give it all back! We didn't
spend any of it." Will the judge let us off? Of course not, and
neither will God.
While God is righteous and holy, He is also loving. The Bible says
in 1 John 4:8 "God is love". God loves us! Isn't it amazing that
the Creator of the Universe loves YOU and me? This leaves God with
a problem. God is righteous, holy, and hates sin. But He also loves
us poor sinners. God solved His problem in the person of Jesus
Christ.
Who is Jesus? He is the eternal God-man. He wasn't part God, part
man; He was completely God in a human body. The Bible says "In the
beginning was the Word (Jesus Christ), and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among
us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of
the Father,) full of grace and truth" (John 1:1,14). God came to
earth as a human, and lived a perfect life: Not one bad thought
about someone, not even one teeny little lie!
Jesus' reward for His perfect life was death. Jesus died on the
cross for our sins. He went through terrible agony that we can't
even begin to imagine, but the story doesn't end there. Three days
later, He came back to life and is still alive today. After His
resurrection He appeared to many people, including His followers
(called disciples). Among the disciples was a man named Thomas. The
first time Jesus appeared to the disciples, Thomas wasn't with
them. When they told him what had happened he said, "Unless I shall
see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into
the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not
believe." Eight days later Jesus again appeared to the disciples,
and this time Thomas was with them. Jesus said to Thomas, "Reach
here your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand, and
put it into My side; and be not unbelieving, but believing." And
Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and God!" (John
20:24-28). Before Jesus died, He called out "Tetelestai", that's a
Greek word that means paid in full. Jesus died on the cross and
rose from the grave to buy our place in heaven. He did all the
work, and there's only one way we can have our home in heaven. We
have to have faith.
There are different kinds of faith. Intellectual faith is believing
there is a God. It's like believing Abraham Lincoln was a great
president. He was a good man but he's dead; he can't do anything
for us now. Just believing that there is a God isn't enough. In
James 2:19, the Bible says "You believe that God is one; you do
well. Even the demons believe -- and shudder". Temporal or
temporary faith is having just enough faith until we get out of
trouble. It could also be called airplane faith. You know, you're
up in the air and hit that pocket of turbulence. Your first thought
is, "Dear God, please get me out of this airplane, and I'll do
anything You ask, honest!" But, as soon as the plane lands, we tend
to forget about those hastily whispered, frightened prayers. What
kind of faith is the right kind?
Saving faith is when we stop looking to ourselves for answers. It
is trusting in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life. The Bible says
in Acts 16:31, ". . . Believe (trust) on the Lord Jesus Christ, and
thou shalt be saved . . .". Imagine you are sitting in a room with
your chair and a couch across the room. That couch looks a whole
lot softer than the chair you're sitting on, but will it hold up
when you sit on it? You could weigh the pros and cons of moving to
that couch all day, but the only way to really know if it will hold
you is to get up and go sit on the couch. You're moving your trust
from the chair that will hold you to that comfy couch which may or
may not hold you. Yes, the couch will hold you. In the same way,
now you need to trust that the price Jesus paid on the cross is
enough. Just like the couch, though, you won't know for sure until
you try.
Would you like to receive the gift of eternal life? It's really
very simple. First, you have to transfer your trust from what you
have been doing to what Christ has done for you on the cross.
Second, you need to accept Christ as your Savior. Jesus says,
"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: If any man hear My voice,
and open the door, I will come in to him . . . " (Revelation 3:20).
Third, you need to receive Jesus Christ as Lord -- give Him the
driver's seat and controls of your life, not the back seat. Fourth,
you need to be willing to turn from anything that is not pleasing
to Him. If this is what you want, all you need to do is pray.
Praying is just talking to God. You don't have to use any fancy
words; you can use the prayer below or just use your own words.
Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and don't deserve eternal life.
But, I believe You died and rose from the grave to purchase a place
in heaven for me. Please, come into my life; take control of my
life; forgive my sins and save me. I repent of my sins and now
place my trust in You for my salvation. I accept the free gift of
eternal life. I love you, Lord. Amen.
Welcome to the family of God! Once you have eternal life, there
isn't anything that can take your place in heaven away. The Bible
says in Romans 11:29 that the gifts and calling of God are
irrevocable.
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