By David J. Stewart | May 2004 | Updated January 2017
| Am I Going To
Heaven?
Most people in the world DON'T know whether or not they are going to Heaven.
Many of them, when asked if they would go to Heaven, say that they “think”
they would, because they are a good person; or else they don't think so,
because of the many sins in their life. But did you know my friend, that
going to Heaven has absolutely nothing to do with how good you are? That is
absolutely correct! Going to Heaven is all about how good God is, and what
He has done for you and me, to pay for our sins, by giving His only begotten
Son, Jesus, to die on THE CROSS. Salvation is not doing your best, it is
having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith.
The clarity of the Gospel is what makes
it easy to BELIEVE and be saved. There is no greater joy in life, than to
KNOW that your name is written in Heaven, and that you are a child of God,
whose sins are all forgiven, and you have eternal life, right now. It is very simple to be saved and takes
only seconds to explain. Please let me show you exactly, from God's Word in
the Holy Bible, how to have eternal life, get your sins forgiven and KNOW
that you will go to Heaven someday.
THE GOSPEL—I am going to
explain on this webpage the beautiful doctrine of salvation. But first, I
want you to know, that if you don't read anything else on this page, you can
be saved right here, right now, by simply acknowledging to God that you are
a guilty sinner, and BELIEVING the Gospel. What is “THE GOSPEL”? It is three
things: Jesus DIED on the cross for our sins, He was BURIED, and then He
physically RESURRECTED from the dead three days later. Christ did that FOR
YOU, Oh sinner! BELIEVE this Good News and the work is done, you are
eternally forgiven and saved! I wanted you to know that, to summarize what I
am going to teach you, in case you decide not to read any more. I want you
to go to Heaven!!!
I hope friend that you will continue
reading, and give me the privilege to explain in further detail what I have
just shared with you. First, there are a few TRUTHS that God wants you to
know from the Holy Scriptures...
Man is a guilty sinner in God's sight
(No one was ever saved who didn't admit to being a sinner)
-
Isaiah
53:6, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to
his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."
-
John 3:3, "Jesus
answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a
man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
-
Romans 3:10, "As it
is written, There is none righteous, no, not one."
-
Romans 3:23, "For all
have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."
There is a price on our
sin―everlasting punishment in Hell (You've got to know what you're
being saved from)
-
Romans 6:23, "For the
wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus
Christ our Lord."
-
Romans 5:12,
"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."
-
2nd Thessalonians
1:8, "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and
that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ."
-
Revelation 20:15,
"And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into
the lake of fire."
-
Revelation 21:8, "But
the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and
whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have
their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is
the second death."
Jesus Christ paid the price
for all our sins, by
dying on the cross & shedding His blood (Jesus paid a debt that He
did not owe, because we owed a debt that we could not pay)
-
Romans 5:8, "But God
commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us."
-
John 3:16, "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.
-
1st Timothy 1:15,
"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief."
-
1st Peter 1:18-19,
"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things,
as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition
from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ..."
By faith in “THE GOSPEL”
of Jesus Christ
ALONE we are saved (faith plus nothing)
What exactly is “the
Gospel”? I'm glad you asked, my friend! ...
The Simple Gospel According to the Bible
Religion wants to fit us with glasses, but the Lord wants to open our eyes!
Thank God for the truth of His precious Word, which is a lamp unto our feet.
Psalm 119:105, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my
path.” America's churches influence the world, so if Satan can
corrupt our churches here at home, then he can corrupt the world. The United States sends out more missionaries than any other nation. Sadly,
there is MUCH heresy and false teaching circulating on the radio, television
and in our churches nowadays concerning what a person must do to be saved. Salvation is not doing your best, it is
having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith.
What exactly is the Gospel? The word “Gospel” means “Good News” or “Glad
Tidings.” There is no need to guess what the “Gospel” is because the Bible
plainly tells us. The “Gospel” is the Good News of Christ's DEATH on
the cross for our sins, His BURIAL and bodily RESURRECTION three days later:
1st Corinthians 15:1-4,
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel
which I preached unto
you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye
are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have
believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I
also received, how 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.”
We are saved by BELIEVING “the
Gospel,” which is the power of God unto salvation.
Romans 1:16, “For
I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is
the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth;
to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” John 6:28-29, “Then said they
unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus
answered and said unto them, This is the work of God,
that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”
It is that
simple to be saved. If you admit that you are a needy sinner in God's
sight, and you receive Christ's sacrifice on the cross as payment for
your sins, believing that He was buried and bodily resurrected three
days later, YOU ARE IMMEDIATELY, SECURELY AND FOREVER SAVED!!!
“The Gospel” is that
Jesus DIED on the cross for our sins, and He was BURIED, and He physically
RESURRECTED from the
dead three days later according to the Scriptures! If you BELIEVE these
truths, trusting Jesus Christ as your ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN, then you are
saved!!! God can read your mind. The very moment that God sees that
you've BELIEVED the facts of the Gospel, He saves you.
Jesus doesn't forgive sins.
That is correct! Jesus has already paid for everyone's sins with His
precious blood on the cross. Forgiveness of sins and eternal life are
free gifts from God, paid for with Jesus' blood. So the very second that
you BELIEVE, God works the supernatural miracle of salvation and you are
born-again by the Holy Spirit of God. John 1:12-13, “But as many as
received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to
them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of
blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Most churchgoers who think
they are saved, have no idea why they are saved. If asked why, they'll
likely say that they are “trusting Jesus,” but that is not the Gospel.
It's not enough to simple believe in Jesus, you must accept the facts
that Christ DIED on the cross for your sins. The cross must be included.
Christ's death on the cross for your sins must be believed. Christ's
BURIAL officiated His death, proving that is wasn't an elaborate staged
hoax, as some wicked people claim. Jesus was 100% physically dead! His
body was placed into a tomb. For 72 hours His body was lifeless in the
grave. Then, miraculously, after 72 hours (three days) Christ
RESURRECTED from the dead, triumphant over death. According to 1st
Corinthians 15:6, Jesus was seen in His resurrected body by over 500
brethren (believers) at one time. CHRIST IS RISEN!!! If you BELIEVE
(TRUST) these truths of the Gospel, YOU ARE SAVED!!! It is free, easy
and simple to be saved, have your sins forgiven, and go to Heaven!!!
Praise God for His grace, mercy and goodness!!!
Salvation is NOT found in
a religion or good works, but in a Person—the precious LORD JESUS CHRIST!
-
John 11:25,
“Jesus
said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in
me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”
-
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.”
-
John 6:40, “And
this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the
Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise
him up at the last day.”
-
Mark 1:15, “And
saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent
ye, and believe the gospel.”
-
Acts 26:18, “To
open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the
power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and
inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.”
-
Romans 10:13, “For
whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
-
1st Corinthians
3:11, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is
Jesus Christ.”
-
Galatians 3:26,
“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”
You “CALL” Upon the Name of the Lord By
Placing Your Confidence in Him Alone to Save You
Contrary to popular
teaching, you don't need to “pray” to be
saved. That is not what the old English word “call” means. It means to “pay
a visit.” You've probably seen the business sign that read, “Please Call
Again!” They are inviting you as a customer to pay them a return visit in
the future. In Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved,” it simply means that the Lord will
save anybody who comes to Him to be saved. John 6:37, “All that the
Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no
wise cast out.” What a beautiful and comforting promise from God,
that He will not cast anyone away who comes to Him by faith. Even the vilest
sinner and criminal is assured full salvation by simply BELIEVING on the
Good News of the only begotten Son of God, who died for our sins, was
buried and is bodily risen!!! Won't you come to Christ to be saved?
I got saved at age 12 because I BELIEVED the
Good News (i.e., the Gospel) that Jesus is the Christ Who DIED on the cross
for my sins, He was BURIED, and three days later He bodily RESURRECTED from
the dead. I am saved by
Christ's imputed righteousness, and not by any human effort or goodness
of my own!
Perhaps you'd feel
comfortable praying a sinner's prayer as did the publican in Luke 18:13,
“And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes
unto Heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a
sinner.” But please understand dear reader that
YOU DON'T NEED TO PRAY TO BE SAVED! It is not wrong to accompany your faith
with a sinner's prayer, just as it is not wrong to walk down an isle during
a church invitation at the end of a sermon. But you don't need to walk an
isle, nor pray a prayer, nor publicly confess Christ, nor turn from your
sinful behavior, nor anything else, to receive the GIFT of eternal life.
Whatever changes God wants to be made in your life comes later, after you
are saved, which is entirely a matter of discipleship as God's child. Right
now I am addressing sonship, trying to lead you to receive Jesus as your
personal Savior, so that you will become a born-again child of God.
Albeit, if you do desire
to pray a prayer to accompany your faith, you might pray something like
this:
Dear Jesus,
I admit that I am a
guilty sinner in God's sight, deserving of punishment in Hell forever.
But I realize that you took my place on the cross, and were punished for
my sins. I believe that You
DIED on the cross for my sins. I believe you were BURIED. I believe
that three days later you miraculously RESURRECTED from the dead. I now
freely receive your gift of forgiveness of sins and eternal life,
trusting upon You alone apart from all self-righteous works and human
effort, as my
personal Savior. Thank you! Amen.
It
doesn't matter what words you pray, or even that you prayed at all, just so long
as you BELIEVE in your mind that Jesus died on the cross FOR YOU, and that He
was raised up physically after being buried and dead for three days. That is
“THE GOSPEL,” meaning, GOOD NEWS!!!
Furthermore, there is some
nonsense being taught in many churches today, that says you can believe in your
mind but not in your heart. Such talk is foolishness, which causes much
confusion! How does a person believe in their mind, but not in their heart
(which is also located in the mind)? It is ridiculous. If you believe the facts
of the Gospel in your mind, then you certainly also believe them in your heart.
Granted, it is possible to
have mere head knowledge of the details of the Gospel, without personally
trusting in them yourself. That is, you DON'T BELIEVE! This is no doubt what is
meant by missing Heaven by 18 inches, that is, the distance between one's heart
and head. However, the heart is a muscle that pumps blood, which is confusing to
a child and adults as well. Just because a person is familiar with the facts of
the Gospel, does not mean that they're personally trusting in them. But this is
VERY different than telling someone that it is possible to BELIEVE with their
mind, but not with their heart. If you BELIEVE, you BELIEVE, period. There is NO
SUCH THING as believing with your mind, but not your heart. But there is such a
thing as being familiar with the Gospel, but not BELIEVING it!
So if you have been confused
by such gibberish circulating on the internet, my simple question to you is
this: DO YOU BELIEVE THE GOOD NEWS? If so, you are saved! Are you personally
trusting what Jesus did on the cross to pay for your sins? Do you believe that
Christ DIED for you? Do you believe that He was BURIED for you? Do you believe
that by the power of God Jesus RESURRECTED 72 hours later for you? That is, for
your justification? If so, you are saved! Romans 4:25, “Who was delivered for
our offences, and was raised again for our justification.” What was
justified? Why, our faith, of course? When Christ raised up, everyone who placed
their trust in Him was justified. Our faith was not in vain! 1st Corinthians
15:14, “And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith
is also vain.”
Just as you were born
physically to your parents, so you were born spiritually into the Family of God
the very moment when you received Jesus as your Savior! Again, please understand that we are not saved because we pray
a prayer, but because we believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ. It is certainly
appropriate to ask the Lord in prayer to forgive and save us, but it is our
faith which prompts us to pray. You could just as easily believe in your heart
upon the Lord to be saved, and not pray at all. Salvation is of the heart, as we
read in Romans 10:10, “For with the heart man believeth unto
righteousness...”
Also, please take careful
notice that the Gospel of John is God's Gospel tract according to John 20:31,
“But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son
of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” In
the Gospel of John, we find the words “believe,” “believed” and “believing”
mentioned 87 times; but the word “repent” is never mentioned once. Clearly,
believing includes repentance, which means they are one in the same act. That
is, we repent TO believe. Repentance (as a verb) in the Bible concerning
salvation simply means “to think differently.” It is a false Gospel to tell
someone to “repent of their sins” (i.e., commit to turn from sinful behavior)
and then secondly, believe, to be saved. This latter counterfeit plan of
salvation is commonly known as “Lordship Salvation,” and it is deadly. You don't
make Jesus the “Lord” of your life, He is Lord, and He becomes your Lord the
very moment that you receive Him as your personal Savior. So please beware of
this popular false doctrine.
We are saved solely by
BELIEVING the Gospel, the “Good News” of Christ crucified, buried and risen!
Jesus is precious!!!
It's not what you're doing that gets you to Heaven, it's where you're looking.
Look to Jesus!
You do NOT have to be
water baptized or
doing anything to get to Heaven other than trust upon the Lord as your Savior.
Romans 4:5, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him
(Jesus) that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”
What a wonderful truth! Our faith is COUNTED for righteousness! There is NO
self-righteousness involved in salvation. It is the gift of God. You see, we
have no righteousness of our own to offer God. No amount of good can undo the
bad we've done. Thus, Jesus paid a debt that He did not owe, because we owed a
debt that we could not pay. Salvation is receiving; not giving. We are Sinners
and Jesus is the Savior. Jesus is precious!
Unbelief is the only sin which can keep you out of Heaven.
Just take God at His word and claim His
salvation by faith. Believe, and you will be saved. No church, no lodge, no good
works can save you. Remember, God does the saving. All of it!
God's simple plan of salvation is: You are
a sinner. Therefore, unless you believe on Jesus Who died in your place, you
will spend eternity in Hell. If you believe on Him as your crucified, buried,
and risen Savior, you receive forgiveness for all of your sins and His gift of
eternal salvation by faith.
You say, "Surely, it cannot be that
simple!" Yes, that simple. It is scriptural; it is God's plan. My friend,
believe on Jesus and receive Him as Savior today.
If you've never been saved, then now is the time to believe upon the name of
Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, that your sins will be blotted out forever
and you can know that your name is written in Heaven. We are SINNERS and Jesus
is the SAVIOR. Salvation is receiving, not giving. Eternal life is a free gift!
Simply believe THE GOSPEL.
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