Think carefully on this
soul-searching question: If you should die right now, do you know
for sure that you would go to Heaven?
If your answer is anything other than, "Yes I'm absolutely certain that
my sins are forgiven and that Heaven will be my home," then this
important message is just for you.
The Bible teaches that you
need to know and believe four things to settle this matter of your
eternal destination:
1. You must accept that
you are a sinner."For all have sinned, and come
short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). No one is exempt from this indictment.
Everyone has sinned. Romans 5:12 says, "Wherefore, as by one man sin
entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all
men, for that all have sinned." No one is perfect and no one can live
up to God's perfect standard. We are sinners by nature.
2. You must accept that as a sinner you owe a penalty."For
the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23a). Because of our sin
we owe a debt. This debt is a spiritual death or separation from God in
the lake of fire known as Hell. Hell is not a figment of someone's
imagination or only a figurative term. Hell is very real. It is a
literal burning place. It's not a place where you go because your
friends will be there and you want to have a good time. It is a dark,
lonely, seething, burning place, and it never ends. It continues to
burn for all time. The worst part is, there is nothing you or I can do
on our own to avoid it. Outside of Jesus, it is our final destination.
If you are depending on your church membership to get you to Heaven,
beware; it's not enough. If you pray a lot hoping to get to Heaven,
don't depend on that; it's not enough either. Even if you give a lot of
money to a church, it's not enough to gain Heaven. Many people think if
they are good enough, they will be able to slip in through the gate
when no one is looking or find a hole in the gate somewhere. Please, my
friend, don't depend on something so shaky. It can't happen that way.
There is only one way to get to Heaven. How?
3. You must accept that Jesus Christ has already paid
our sin debt."But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we
were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Christ was not a sinner, and the Bible
teaches that God took all of our sin and placed it on Christ. While
Christ was bearing all our sins in His own body, God punished Him in
our place to pay the debt we owe. This is not something God promised to
do. It is something He has already done. "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" (John 3:16). It is a
fact: Jesus Christ has already paid your sin debt.
4. You must accept by faith what Jesus Christ did for
you. "He
that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth
not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him"
(John 3:36). In this verse,
the world is divided into two groups: those who are believing and those
who are not believing on the Son. Those who believe have everlasting
life, and those who don't believe shall not see life.
The word "believe" means to trust, to depend on, to rely on. To believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ means that you accept the fact that you are a
sinner, that as a sinner you owe the sin penalty, and that Jesus Christ
died on the cross, was buried, and arose again on the third day to pay
the debt you owe. But it means going one step further: it means that
you will completely trust Christ to get you to Heaven, that you will
place the matter of your salvation in His hands and depend on Him alone
for everlasting life.
The moment you do this, God promises you are not condemned but have
everlasting life and that you will never perish in Hell. "Verily, verily, I say unto
you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath
everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed
from death unto life" (John 5:24).
**If you would like more information about
accepting Jesus Christ as Saviour please contact us**
Faith
Baptist Church 911
D Ave.
Vinton, IA 52349
(319) 472-4270
