The Four Steps to Peace and
Eternal Life
If
you could know for sure how to get eternal life in heaven, would you want to
know how?
Step 1
Realize that God loves you
and offers you peace and eternal life in heaven.
The
Bible says:
"For God
so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him
should not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
"...in
heaven for you." (1 Peter 1:3, 4)
"...we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:1)
Unfortunately, there's a problem.
Step
2
Realize you are all
imperfect (sinful) and therefore separated spiritually from God.
The
Bible says:
"For
all have sinned and fallen short of the glory (perfection) of God."
(Romans 3:23)
"For
the wages (penalty) of sin is death (spiritual separation from God)…"
(Romans 6:23)
These are some of
the ways people think will get them into heaven, but actually these ways
won't get them there:
|
Imperfect
(sinful and spiritually dead)
Man
|
|
Trying your best
|
|
Church Attendance
|
|
Baptism
|
|
Good moral life
|
|
Keeping commands
|
|
Praying
|
|
Doing good deeds
|
|
Perfect God
and
Eternal life in Heaven
|
If these ways
won't get us into heaven, what will?
Step
3
Realize that
Jesus Christ is God's solution for our imperfection (sin). Why?
Because
Jesus Christ is the one who specifically died on the cross to pay the penalty
for all of our sins (I Corinthians 15:3-5), and because He paid the penalty in
our place, we are completely forgiven (Colossians 2:13, 14).
That's why
Jesus could say "…I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one
comes to the Father, but through Me." (John 14:6)
So,
Jesus is the only bridge to get into a right and eternal relationship with God because
Jesus is the only One qualified to die in our place (because He was sinless
– 1 Peter 2:22), therefore He could be
our substitute and pay the penalty for all our sins. And by His doing so,
we are completely forgiven of all our sins. (Ephesians 1:7)
"…He (God) made you alive together with Him (Christ),
having forgiven us all our transgressions (sins), …having nailed it (our
moral debt) to the cross" (Colossians 2:13, 14)
|
Imperfect
man
|
|
Perfect God and Eternal
Life in Heaven
|
Now
that we know what God's part was, what's ours?
Step
4
We must
personally believe (that is, put our faith/trust in the fact) that because
Jesus Christ did die for our sins, we are completely forgiven and will
therefore have eternal life in heaven.
The
Bible says:
"For
by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is a
gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast"
(Ephesians 2:8, 9)
"He
saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but
according to his mercy,…" (Titus 3:5)
"Of
Him (Jesus) all the prophets bear witness that through His name every
one who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins." (Acts 10:43)
"These
things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in
order that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5:13)
But as
many as received Him (Christ), to them He gave the right to become
children of God, even to those who believe in His name." (John 1:12)
Now what???
If these 4 steps
make sense and you would like to know for sure that you will have eternal life
in heaven, then make the decision to put your trust in Jesus
Christ as your personal Savior. Believe that His death alone
paid the complete penalty for all your sins (past, present, and future),
and will, therefore, guarantee you eternal life in heaven.
If you want to
express this decision to God in prayer, you could say something like this:
"Dear
God, I know that I'm imperfect, but I believe that Jesus died for all my sins
so that I'm completely forgiven now and will spend eternity with You in
Heaven. In Jesus' name, Amen."
For further assurance, read:
John 3:36; Acts 16:31; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 1:13, 14
If you have made the
decision to put your faith/trust in Christ as your Savior by believing Jesus
died on the cross to pay the complete penalty for all your sins, it’s
important to learn how to grow in your new relationship with God. Though
salvation/eternal life in heaven is a free gift with no strings attached, you
have become a child of God (Jn. 1:12), are a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17), and have God’s Holy Spirit now
living in you (Eph. 1:13, 14). There is more to your new life in
Christ than a new title. Please follow the link to discover How to Live a
Fruitful and Successful Christian Life.
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