Share the Gospel: Heaven—Am I Ready to go There?

How can a person be ready for  heaven? How do I get into the presence of a Holy God? God has already done for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Jesus said "...unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:1-8). He explains that the second birth is to be born spiritually. Those born just once will die physically then will die spiritually at the second death (following the Great White Throne judgment—Revelations 20:11-15). Those who are born twice (both physically and spiritually) will die physically, but will live spiritually forever and be given new and transformed bodies (1 Cor. 15:43; 2 Cor. 4:13-18).

How are people born again spiritually? Jesus said: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16). By faith we trust in the work Jesus did on the cross to pay for our sins, and through God’s grace we are born again (Eph 2:8-9).

When you commit to follow Jesus as Lord you become righteous (by faith taking on the righteousness of God through Christ—Romans 3:22), by faith, before God. This forgiveness of sins is a gift given by God alone, not based on your good behavior, but based upon the righteousness of Christ—Roman 5:8; 6:23. By accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior, we give Him permission to change us into a new creation—2 Cor. 5:17. We grow closer to Him daily as we seek Him and experience His presence. If you choose not to believe, you will be judged on the basis of your sin and will be separated from God forever (the second death). God will not allow sin to live with Him in Heaven.

Confessing Christ

God’s plans to save mankind from their sins includes the confession that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God. The lost in the world identify us as followers of Christ not only by the fruit of our lives, but also by the repeated confession of our mouth the Jesus is our Lord.

In Jesus’ day, people were not sure He was the Messiah. This is why Jesus asked His disciples, “who do men say that I am?” (Matt 16:13-19). The disciples’ answers proved there was great confusion then concerning who Jesus was. Likewise, there is great confusion today about who Jesus is.

Some people today say Jesus was a great leader and teacher. Some say following Jesus is one of many ways to get to heaven. Some say Jesus was a fake and a phony--just a man. Some say He was a prophet, like Moses, or Muhammad, or Joseph Smith. Why is there so much confusion still today concerning who Jesus is??? How do we help clear up the confusion?

The answer to these questions is the same as it was the day Jesus asked His disciples to identify who He was. Peter said it right that day, and He kept on saying it boldly and courageously with his life and his words, every day. And, Peter and the disciples did it in a place and a time that was oppositional to the truth that Jesus is truly the King!

So how do we respond? How do we answer? We MUST do likewise. We must be Peter, James, and John to our generation. A person cannot become a Christian unless he/she confesses that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God (Rom 10:9-10). One day, everyone will confess Christ (Rom 14:11-12; Phil 2:9-11), but if people wait till that day it will be too late. There is an urgency here we must not ignore. We must lay aside our fears, open our mouths, and confess Christ. We must be His witnesses…for lives are on the line…eternity is at stake!