Here is a little test. Below is a list of 13 beliefs people use for salvation. Of these 13 beliefs, which ones do you think are necessary to get you to heaven?
- Obeying the Ten Commandments
- Doing your best
- Living a good life
- Good works
- Trying to obey the Golden Rule
- Tithing, or giving money to the church
- Church membership or attendance
- Prayers
- Water baptism
- Holy communion
- Born of Christian parents
- Confirmation
- Penance
How do you think you did? Keep reading and see how you scored.
EXPLANATION:
If you checked one or more of the above items, you failed the test. Don't feel badly though, most people do fail. Most are to some degree "religious", but religions are nothing more than man-made attempts to reach God.
The real answer to how to get to Heaven is not found in some religious system or by man's self-righteousness. God has declared that "there is none righteous, no not one" (Romans 3:10). "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
Further, God's Word teaches that sin is a very serious matter. 2 Thessalonians 1:9 tells of "everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord." Anyone who is not found written in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire (Revelations 20:15).
What can you do about your sin problem? Can you clean up your life, do good works and hope that in the end your good works will outweigh your bad works? No! Salvation does not come to those who work for it, but to those who cease from their own works, placing their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 4:5 makes that point abundantly clear: "To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." In Ephesians 2:8 & 9, it is declared, "For by grace are ye saved through faith: and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast."
The issue is not what you can do for God, but what He has done for you. "But God commendeth His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). "He hath made Him (Jesus) to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). You have no righteousness of your own. To have eternal life you must have the righteousness of Christ (see Romans 3:26).
What then is your responsibility? God has given you a free will to either accept or reject what He has done for you. To have God's righteousness, you must believe that "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried; and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3,4).
Your response to the gospel should be as we read of the Ephesians: "In Whom (the Lord Jesus Christ) ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in Whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise" (Ephesians 1:13). This seal is a guarantee that your salvation is eternal - you can never lose it (see Ephesians 1:14, 4:30, 2 Corinthians 1:22).
At this very moment you have the responsibility of making a decision. If you are convinced by God's Word, you can be saved right now: Simply make the decision in your heart to trust completely and exclusively in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ as the total payment to God for our sins. The moment you do, God will forgive you all your sins and save you from spending eternity in the Lake of Fire.
The choice is now up to you.... What did you decide? If you trusted Christ today, or if you have any questions, please contact us. We are eager to share more with you from God's Word. Our goal, as an assembly, is the same as God's and His will for all of us and that is for all men to be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). We hope this was a help to you. If you know someone who needs to see this truth, please send this on to them. Again, feel free to make a comment or contact us with any question you may have. Until next time, Grace and Peace to all.
