How to Get to Heaven

How to Get to Heaven

Have you ever wondered how to know for sure how to get to heaven?

The bible shares with us the answer to this question:

There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”

Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. John 3:1-18

If you believe what the bible, say this prayer:

Dear God,

I’m a sinner. I’m sorry for my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I believe Jesus Christ is your Son. I believe He died for my sin and that You raised Him to life. I want to trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Jesus, I put my trust in You and I surrender my life to You. Please come into my life and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

What is the Good News?

God did not create hell for humans.  His desire is for you to go to heaven.  But He won’t force you to go there.  He gives you the choice. You are not forced, like a robot, to go somewhere you don’t want to go.  You may ask, so why doesn’t everyone just automatically go to heaven?

In the Beginning

The bible explains in Genesis about how Adam had a close relationship with God.  He walked and talked with Him in the garden.  Because Adam was sin-less, God was able to have a close, personal relationship with Adam.  There was nothing to separate them.

God did not want Adam to be forced to obey Him. He told Adam he can eat the fruit of every tree in the garden except for the fruit from the tree of Good and Evil.  Adam obeyed, for a while.

Tricked

Then one day, it happened.  In Genesis Chapter 3 it says, “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”

Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

Separation From God

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”

So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”

Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”

And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

The Curse of Sin

So the Lord God said to the serpent:

To the woman He said:

Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’:

And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.

Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.

Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.”

Through one man, Adam, the human race’s representative, sin entered in and death through sin. Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.  The first action God took because of this breach was to sacrifice an animal, shedding its blood, to provide a covering.  This is where sacrificing to cover sin first started.   From then on shedding of animal blood was required to atone for, or pay for sin on a regular, periodic basis.

God knew that this vicious cycle was never-ending and so He started to unfold the plan to end it.

We All Fall Short

Because sin had now entered the picture God first provided the law; the Ten Commandments.   Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.  The Ten Commandments reveal our need for help.  We all know that we have not fulfilled the law.  We have all broken it.  Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  God required perfect holiness in order for us to be allowed in His presence.  Without holiness we cannot be with God.  The relationship that was broken cannot be restored.

Repairing the Breach

God knew this predicament and supplied His Son to provide the cure.

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. John 3:17

Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life. He never sinned. Because of this He was able to die for us and pay for all of our sins.  The shedding of His righteous blood provided the final payment for all sin; past, present and future.

Even though Jesus is God’s Son, this act was not easy for Him to do.  In the garden, before He was taken to be crucified, knowing what was coming, Jesus prayed to God for “this cup to pass from Me, nevertheless, not My will, but Thy will be done”.  He sweat great drops of blood during this prayer. If there had been any other way to make the final payment for sin and restore God’s relationship with mankind, Jesus would have done it.

There was no other way.  And so, Jesus obeyed God and intentionally laid down His life for us.

This is the only way to have our sins covered and enjoy eternity with God.  We must receive this gift to gain access to heaven when we die.

He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. John 3:36

Romans 10:9 says that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Romans 5:19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

Rejecting the Gift

God has made it clear how to obtain eternal life with Him in the bible.  If we disagree with the entrance He has provided, it doesn’t change the entrance. It only closes the door to us.  He has once again given us a choice.  We can accept the path to heaven that God has established through His Son’s sacrifice or we can reject it.

If we reject God’s way then He will not force us to be with Him when we don’t want to.  We will be put somewhere He is not.  God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.  God is love, all caring, all knowing.  To go where He is not is go where there are none of those elements; no love, no light, no truth, no peace, no rest.  If we reject God’s invitation, we are sent where He is not; to a place called hell.  Hell was not created for humans.  It was created for the angels that rebelled against God and fell to the earth, becoming demons.  It was created for satan.

God would not wish that any should go there but that all would come to Him and receive the life that He has for them. But He will not force you.  If you insist you don’t want to be with God then you’ll be sent to where He is not.

Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Acts 17:30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,

Romans 5:21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,

Acts 13:38 Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins;

1 Corinthians 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

1 Corinthians 1:27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;

Acts 16:30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

Mark 1:15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

John 6:28 Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”

After you become a Christian there are four ways to grow in your faith. Think of it like four tires on a car.  You need all four tires to move forward.  The four tires are;

1. Read Your Bible Every Day

The bible says, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

You can liken reading your bible is getting breakfast.  Whether it’s a small or big breakfast, it’s good to start the day off right with a healthy meal.  reading your bible in the morning is the best way to start every day. This could be as simple as one paragraph or a whole chapter. Reading your bible is how God talks to you.

You miss out when you don’t listen to Him in the morning before your day starts.  What if your Dad was the richest CEO in the world? If you could have a personal meeting with him in the morning to ask his advice – wouldn’t you take advantage of that?   Give God your first fruit, the first portion of your day is like having that meeting.  God will never disappoint. Your time is not wasted. In fact, it is the most well spent time of the entire day. Try it – you’ll see!

2. Pray Every Day

When you read your bible that’s God talking to you. When you pray that’s you talking to God.  It’s a relationship that has a back and forth motion.  A great way to kick-off the day is with prayer.  This could be a couple of minutes before you get out of bed. Maybe time during breakfast. Time in the car. A prayer walk.  It’s worth it to spend that time talking things over with God every day.  If you read about king David in 1 & 2 Samuel you will see that he constantly asked God to help make decisions. God tells us David had a “heart after God”.  Whenever he sought the Lord for his decisions he got victory.  Prayer is the path to victory in our lives.

3. Fellowship

When you become a Christian it is important to get plugged into a bible teaching church. This will help you grow, get connected and become accountable.  The church is a support network that is supposed to encourage and strengthen one another. Find a bible teaching church or bible study group in your area and go regularly.

4. Share Your Faith

Jesus tells us, “you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” After you receive the Lord as your Savior, you receive the ability to share with others the gospel. This is that Jesus came, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again after three days. Sharing your faith strengthens you, blesses the person you are sharing with, and pleases the Father.

How to Get to Heaven Bible Verses

The bible says  “For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin. For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. All things were created through Him and for Him. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the scriptures; in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.  Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Jesus said ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’  ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. and whoever lives and believes in Me shall  never die.  Do you believe this?’

‘Therefore, whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.’ Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.  Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”