Am I Going to Heaven When I Die?

Well, I think so – I hope so.

Ever felt that way?

1 John 5:13: I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

God wants me to be sure!

Not just hope.

Come to think of it, this is an important thing to research since eternity will be much longer than 80-or-90-something years on earth!

Exactly how can I be sure?

1 John 5:11-12: And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

So I need God’s Son – Jesus.

John 14:6: Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Jesus is the only way? Two questions come to mind. How and why?

Let’s start with why.

1 Peter 3:18: For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,

So Jesus Christ suffered and died for sins – to bring us to God. Why did He have to do that?

Isaiah 59:2: but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.

Ok, so sin separates us from God. But I’m not a bad person!

Romans 3:23: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

All – as in everyone.

Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ok, it’s starting to make sense. Because the penalty for sin is death, someone has to die. And Jesus did that for me so I wouldn’t have to?

1 Peter 2:24: He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

Wow. That is an amazing thing to do for me!

Romans 5:8: but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

That is some kind of love!

Ephesians 2:4-6: But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

So that answers the why. What about the how? What do I need to do?

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

Just faith? What a gift!

Luke 24:46-47: and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

Sounds like true faith includes repentance – turning away from sin. And you know what? I want to repent, because I am so grateful for His unfathomable gift. My heart has genuinely changed!

1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I confess I really would like to do better – to be the kind of person God wants me to be.

2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

I can be a new person! A fresh start. Where should I begin?

John 8:31-32: So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

The Bible – God’s Word – will teach me how to be a disciple of Jesus.

1 Corinthians 8:6: yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

This is why we exist!  For God!

2 Corinthians 5:15: and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

I want to live for Him now – no longer for myself.

Romans 10:9-10: 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.

I confess with my mouth and believe sincerely in my heart …

Dear God,
I know I’m a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness.
I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son.
And I believe that He died for my sin and that You raised Him from the grave to life.
I want to trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord, from this day forward.
Guide my life and help me to obey your will.
I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Recommended reading:

Finding Peace With God – Billy Graham

Do You Know Jesus? – Proverbs 31 Ministries

What Is the Gospel? – David Platt

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