WHAT DOES GOD REQUIRE FOR A PERSON TO GO TO HEAVEN?

Most people will answer this question with some version of good works. In other words they believe that they will make it to heaven based upon the good things they have done. However, the Bible teaches differently.

Going to heaven is about having a right standing with God, or "righteousness." For a person to earn a right standing with God, he/she would have had to perfectly obey all of God's commandments.

BUT NOBODY'S PERFECT

We have a sinful nature that leads us all to do sinful things. We have all done sinful things. Romans 3:23 says that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..." We all fall short of God's standard. The Bible teaches that God is perfectly just. He always executes perfect justice. So, no wrongdoing will ever go unpunished.

So does this leave us all hopeless? We are all guilty of sin. If God requires perfection and nobody's perfect, then will nobody make it to heaven? Thankfully, in spite of our shortcomings...

GOD MADE A WAY 

The Bible also describes God as "love" (1 John 4:8). God is perfectly just and he is love itself. This puts human beings in a strange place. At the same time, we deserve God's justice and yet he loves us unimaginably. We are at once the objects of his wrath and his love. The question is: how can God show us perfect love without compromising his perfect justice?

Forgiveness is always costly. If you went to a friend's house and broke his television, the friend could either demand that you replace the television or he could forgive you. His forgiveness would cost him something: either the use of a television or the money to replace it. In the same way, God could not simply say "You're forgiven!" God's decision to forgive us does not mean that the penalty for sin just disappears. Instead, it means that he would pay the price for us.

Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus."

NOT BY WORKING HARD OR BEING GOOD

We can never work hard enough or be good enough to earn the right to go to heaven. Remember, getting into heaven is about being righteous, or having a "right" standing with God. A right standing with God can only be earned if a person has perfectly obeyed God's commandments. Nobody has ever done this.

Now, if we look at the 10 commandments (see Exodus 20:17), we may at first think, "Great! I've never murdered anybody! I have obeyed God's commandments!" But Jesus explains in Matthew 5:22 that even an angry thought toward another person makes us guilty of sin as if we had actually killed that person.

Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5 serves to show us that we are not perfect. It removes any false idea that we can perfectly obey God's commandments and be righteous because of our own works. We are simply not capable of working our way to righteousness. If we are going to be considered righteous, God has to grant it to us as a gift.

Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

BUT BY FAITH IN CHRIST

How does God grant righteousness to us as a gift? Through faith in Christ. Romans 3:20 verifies that no person can become righteous by obeying the Law. Then Romans 3:21 and 22 declare that now a new way of becoming righteous is available: "the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe."

God will grant a righteous status to anybody who puts their trust in Jesus! He can do this because of the work Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross. Jesus chose to take our sins onto himself. On the cross, he endured the punishment for our sins. Jesus Christ took our place.

Before he died, he declared, "It is finished." This phrase also means "paid in full." Our sins deserve an eternal punishment. That is why hell is eternal. Yet, because of who he is, Jesus was able to fully pay an eternal price in a moment of time. Romans 6:23 says that "the wages of sin is death." And since Jesus had eradicated the sin which he bore, death no longer had a claim on him. He rose from the dead.

When you put your faith in Jesus, it is more than just believing that he died on the cross and rose from the dead. Putting your faith in Jesus for salvation is about putting every bit of trust in him. It is about trusting his work instead of your own. It is about making Jesus your everything.

Along with faith, repentance is necessary. Repentance is abandoning your own life to take up the life that Jesus has for you. Jesus says in Matthew 16:25, "whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it." Repentance and faith are two sides of the same coin. Putting your faith in Jesus is an "all-in" commitment that will change everything about your life.

WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE?

Romans 10:9-10 says, "if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified and with the mouth one confesses and is saved."

If you want to become a Christian, it is not a complicated process. You do not have to clean yourself up to come to Jesus; in fact, you can't. Come to Jesus broken and let him heal you. He says in Matthew 11:28-29 "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

You can be saved by asking Jesus to save you. Prayer is how we can talk to God. Pray to him. Tell him that you are broken, that you have sinned and are guilty. Tell Jesus that you are tired of trying to make things right on your own and that you want to turn your life over to him. Ask him to forgive you of your sins. Tell Jesus you understand that it was in your place he died, that it was your sin for which he died. Tell him you believe he rose from the dead and that he is alive and able to save you today. Put all your faith in him and he will save you.

You don't need anybody to help you get saved. You can come directly to God through Jesus because of what Jesus did.

But if you would like to talk with somebody, please reach out to us. We would love to pray with you, answer questions, or even just have a conversation about what it means to be a Christian. You can join us at one of our services or contact us. Also, if you are saved, please let us know. We want to join with you in this new life!