Is there a God? If so, Who is He? The answer is Jesus. He is God and came to this Earth to live and die for all of us. It may surprise you but there is only one way to get to heaven. That’s right, only one way. Jesus said in John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Jesus Christ is the only one who can save your soul and take you to heaven.
How does He do this? With the Gospel message. Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for is it the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth…” What is the Gospel message?
God is righteous, perfect, and sinless. Therefore, there is no sin in heaven. Not even the smallest of all sins is allowed into heaven. It is perfect in every way. Anything less than perfection would pollute heaven. Of course, this means none of us could claim to be good enough, by God’s standard of perfection, to go to heaven.
Small wonder then, that the Bible declares in Romans 3:10, “…There is none righteous, no, not one,” and Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Just one sin carries a penalty of eternal death, because the Bible says that one sin is equivalent to being guilty of all sins. This is why Isaiah 64:6 states, “…all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags…”. In other words, no matter how many good works you engage in, all your efforts to be good enough and to work off your sins are in vain. Questions like, “Am I good enough?” or “Am I too sinful?” vanish in irrelevancy. You can never be good enough or sincere enough to be saved. Here is why….
Ultimately, the problem is what you are, no what you do. At the root of our sin problem is the nature of sin. This is why when you commit one sin, you are guilty of violating the whole law. One sin is outward evidence that your inner being of nature is sin. You can’t wash it off. You can’t work it off. You can’t be good enough to escape it. It is what you are. The only thing that can possibly change the inner core of your being, your nature, is a miracle. You have to be born all over again.
Needing a miracle requires divine intervention. It is beyond your power and ability to change your inner being, therefore, it is impossible to save yourself or to gain a beneficial reward from God. This is why God must be your Savior, and why the Bible describes salvation in Ephesians 2:8-9, “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.” In other words, no amount of good works and efforts on your part can save you. Salvation must come by the grace of God without the admixture of your own inferior works. So then, Romans 3:28 says, “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.”
This change that brings forgiveness and salvation from sin is for anyone and everyone who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord God and Savior, and who will accept His invitation to them from their sins. Jesus’ invitation is for you. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Jesus alone is qualified to give rest and peace to the guilty soul because He is the only one who died for you. He will save you when you accept His invitation without attempting to taint His work with your own. God does not want arrogance and vanity in your attempts to please Him. He wants simple, humble dependence on Him: acknowledging that you desperately need Him. John 3:16, perhaps one of the most familiar verses of the Bible says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” This is how you get to heaven. Will you be there?
How does He do this? With the Gospel message. Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for is it the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth…” What is the Gospel message?
God is righteous, perfect, and sinless. Therefore, there is no sin in heaven. Not even the smallest of all sins is allowed into heaven. It is perfect in every way. Anything less than perfection would pollute heaven. Of course, this means none of us could claim to be good enough, by God’s standard of perfection, to go to heaven.
Small wonder then, that the Bible declares in Romans 3:10, “…There is none righteous, no, not one,” and Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Just one sin carries a penalty of eternal death, because the Bible says that one sin is equivalent to being guilty of all sins. This is why Isaiah 64:6 states, “…all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags…”. In other words, no matter how many good works you engage in, all your efforts to be good enough and to work off your sins are in vain. Questions like, “Am I good enough?” or “Am I too sinful?” vanish in irrelevancy. You can never be good enough or sincere enough to be saved. Here is why….
Ultimately, the problem is what you are, no what you do. At the root of our sin problem is the nature of sin. This is why when you commit one sin, you are guilty of violating the whole law. One sin is outward evidence that your inner being of nature is sin. You can’t wash it off. You can’t work it off. You can’t be good enough to escape it. It is what you are. The only thing that can possibly change the inner core of your being, your nature, is a miracle. You have to be born all over again.
Needing a miracle requires divine intervention. It is beyond your power and ability to change your inner being, therefore, it is impossible to save yourself or to gain a beneficial reward from God. This is why God must be your Savior, and why the Bible describes salvation in Ephesians 2:8-9, “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.” In other words, no amount of good works and efforts on your part can save you. Salvation must come by the grace of God without the admixture of your own inferior works. So then, Romans 3:28 says, “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.”
This change that brings forgiveness and salvation from sin is for anyone and everyone who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord God and Savior, and who will accept His invitation to them from their sins. Jesus’ invitation is for you. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Jesus alone is qualified to give rest and peace to the guilty soul because He is the only one who died for you. He will save you when you accept His invitation without attempting to taint His work with your own. God does not want arrogance and vanity in your attempts to please Him. He wants simple, humble dependence on Him: acknowledging that you desperately need Him. John 3:16, perhaps one of the most familiar verses of the Bible says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” This is how you get to heaven. Will you be there?