You Can Be Certain You Are Going To Heaven

By Janie Baer

God’s Word Alive is a place on the internet where I want people to come and get real answers to life’s situations and that’s why I want to include this most important subject of your certainty of going to heaven.  I want those who have fear because of uncertainty they are going to heaven to read this and leave with certainty that heaven is their future home. I also hope you use this article as a ministry tool to lead others to the Lord.

I am so glad to know I have eternal life because I didn’t always have that assurance and so at a very young age I feared dying and going to hell.   Hell is a real place!  The possibility of dying and going to hell became very real to me as I heard people talk about hell.  About this time I watched a drama team acting out the end of the world.  Families and friends were being separated, some going to heaven and some going to hell.  It was a very emotional thing for me.  They said, “If you do not receive the gift of eternal life here on the earth you will be eternally lost and separated from your loved ones.”  Also around this time we had revival meetings in my church and I heard more about eternal life.  I decided that day, around nine years of age I would accept God’s eternal life.  God was faithful to give me His abundant, eternal life, and continued to be faithful to me as I matured and He certainly has been faithful to my family and me and has guided us and blessed us.  My testimony since has been that God is faithful.  Since I received the gift of eternal life I have not been afraid of dying for I know now I have eternal life and will go to heaven when I die.

Because I love you and care about your eternal outcome I want to ask you this most important question, “Have you come to the place in your spiritual life where you know for certain that if you were to die today, would you go to heaven?”

The bible tells us the New Testament was written so that you can know for certain that you have eternal life and heaven will be your home after life on planet earth. (1 John 5:14)

So allow me to ask you two very important questions:

Suppose you were to die right at this very moment and stand before God and He would ask you,

“WHY SHOULD I ALLOW YOU TO COME INTO HEAVEN?”

How would you answer that most important question?

A lot of people think that if they do the best they can and live by the Ten Commandments they will get into heaven.  Maybe that is what you would say or maybe you don’t have an answer.  If you will take some time to read this article you will find…

The Bible was written so that you could KNOW FOR SURE YOU HAVE ETERNAL LIFE AND WILL GO TO HEAVEN.

1 John 5:13 These things have I written unto you…that ye may know that ye have eternal life, KJV

Allow me to share with you how you can
KNOW FOR CERTAIN YOU WILL GO TO HEAVEN…

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HEAVEN (ETERNAL LIFE) IS A FREE GIFT.

	Whatever answer you would give to me, I want to share with you some really good news and that good news is that HEAVEN IS A FREE GIFT!
	Yes, you read that right.  Heaven is a genuine free gift and so it can’t possibly be EARNED OR DESERVED  by any person.

Scriptures tell us that none of our efforts, our good works, our religious deeds, nothing we could possibly ever do can earn a place for us in heaven and here are just a couple:

Romans 6:23 …the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. KJV

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. KJV

See, I told you heaven was a genuine gift and now you can believe it because you just read it in these scriptures.  This is what makes Christianity different from all religions.  We don’t do anything to get God to do something.  We don’t work to get God’s approval or work to get to heaven.  God’s approval and heaven (eternal life) is a gift by Jesus Christ.

WHY can no person ever earn their way into heaven?  Because…

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EVERY PERSON IS A SINNER.

The bible tells us that every person born on this earth was born a sinner resulting from receiving a sin nature by way of the first man, Adam. Romans 5:19 For as by one man's (Adam’s) disobedience many were made sinners, KJV The bible also tells us,  Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; KJV

What is sin?  Sin is anything that doesn’t please God or is a transgression of His law like lying, stealing, lust, adultery, deceit, anger, immoral behavior, etc.

Because every person on the earth possesses a sin nature as a result of Adam, the first man…

NO PERSON CAN SAVE THEMSELF.

What every person needs to realize is that no person can ever save themself from the punishment for their sins or get themselves into heaven by good deeds and living a good life.

To be good enough to get ourselves into heaven, Jesus tells us how good we would have to be:

Matthew 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. KJV

Jesus gives us the standard to save ourselves and get ourselves into heaven and that is by complete perfection.

That is impossible!  No man can by himself save himself for it is also written in the bible:

James 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. KJV

So if we want to get to heaven by our own good works then we have to be perfect.  God’s standard is complete obedience to Him all the time and of course we all fall short of this perfection on our own.  We simply cannot save ourselves!

Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. KJV

So we must see we were all made sinners by the first man, Adam, and we have committed sins and we cannot save ourselves from the penalty of our sins; but a loving God did not leave us there in our hopeless situation…

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GOD IS A GOD OF MERCY AND
THEREFORE HE DOESN’T WANT TO
PUNISH US FOR OUR SINS.

God is merciful and doesn’t want any person to go to hell because…

1 John 4:8b God is love. KJV
Jeremiah 31:3b  I have loved you with an everlasting love; NIV

You might be asking, “Well, if God is love and so merciful, then why would He send any person to Hell for eternity?” 

The bible answers that question for us by telling us, GOD IS JUST and therefore MUST PUNISH SIN.

The bible says,

Exodus 34:7 …he does not leave the guilty unpunished. NIV

Ezekiel 18:4 The soul who sins shall die.  NKJV

To make it clear what the bible told us in that scripture in Exodus 34:7, let me tell you a story so you can see where God is coming from.

Let’s suppose I robbed a local bank of $1,000,000.  The hidden cameras in the bank recorded everything and eye witnesses identified me as the robber.  When I faced the judge the evidence was undeniable and so I said to the judge, “Yes, I am guilty of robbing the bank of $1,000,000.”  But then I said, “Judge, I am truly sorry I robbed the bank but the bank has all the money back in their safe and no person was hurt and I promise you, judge, I will never, ever rob another bank if you let me go.”

Do you think the judge would be just if he let me go?  He has a standard of justice that must be satisfied.  If he did let me go, there would be no bank that would be safe in the country.  So if a human judge, because of justice, must punish those who break the law, how much more a just and holy God must punish sin!  That is why the bible tells you and me He can by no means leave the guilty unpunished.

The good news is that God is good and faithful and merciful and He doesn’t want any person, including you, to be punished for their sins but He is also just and therefore has to punish sin.

We have all sinned and the penalty for our sins is death.  We need forgiveness of all or our sins (past, present and future) so we can enjoy a right relationship with God.

So God in His great mercy towards all of us took care of the predicament we were in because of our sins when He sent His Son…

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JESUS CHRIST

WHO IS JESUS CHRIST?

Jesus Christ, the scriptures tell us is the infinite GOD-MAN.

John 1:1 IN THE beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. 14 And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth. AMP

WHAT DID JESUS DO?

Jesus Christ, the God-Man came to the earth and lived a sinless life, died on the cross to pay the penalty for all sins of every person and rose from the dead to purchase a place in heaven for every person living on planet earth; which now God offers to each one of us as a free gift.

Here’s what the bible tells us:

1 Peter 2:24 Who his own self (Jesus Christ) bare our sins in his own body on the tree, KJV

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. KJV

Romans 5:8-9 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. KJV

Romans 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. KJV

All of your sins and my sins, which God hates, were placed on God’s beloved Son, Jesus Christ, because God so loved the world (that’s you and me).

John 3:17 For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him. AMP

Jesus bore all our sins (past, present and future), He bore all the judgment of God for our sins that we deserved, and He took for us the condemnation, the guilt, and the shame as a result of our sins.  The bible tells us Christ was smitten of God and afflicted by God.  He received full punishment for all our past, present and future sins.  The bible tells us that it actually pleased our loving heavenly Father to bruise Him and that He put Him to grief.  On that cross Jesus actually received the infinite wrath of God for the sins of all mankind.

So now Jesus offers heaven, eternal life, to you and me as a FREE GIFT.  That is what the word GRACE means.

 After Jesus paid the price for all sins, Jesus said, “It is finished!”  The word in the original text is “Tetelestai” which means, “It is paid; the debt is paid!”

After Jesus paid the price for all sins, Jesus said, “It is finished!”  The word in the original text is “Tetelestai” which means, “It is paid; the debt is paid!”

The bible tells us,

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. KJV

So what is this grace of God all about?  Grace is God’s riches at Christ’s expense:  forgiveness of all sins (past, present and future), heaven as your eternal home, eternal life, peace, joy and daily experiencing of Father God’s love, and much more!)  I couldn’t even begin to list all that the grace of God gives us.  We all have to experience God’s grace for ourselves.

The grace of God came to you and me at the expense, the cost Christ paid through the crown of thorns placed on His head, the mocking, beating, nailing to the cross, piercing in His side, experiencing the wrath of God that should have come to us, separation from the Father and going into Hell itself.  Jesus paid it all.  Jesus paid the full price for our sins my friend and all so we could be right before God in Christ Jesus.  That’s why we owe Him everything, including our lives.  He now offers us eternal life as a gift by His grace.

The grace of God, the riches of God, came to you at the expense of Jesus Christ and not by you earning it or deserving it.  There is no amount of personal effort, good works, religious deeds that you could ever do that could ever earn you a place in heaven; because eternal life is a genuine gift from God and so it is free. It is one free gift you will have forever!

Let me ask you, “Would you try to pay for an expensive gift your best friend had given to you for your birthday?”  Of course not.  That would be insulting to them!  No, you would accept the gift freely and enjoy it.  If you would pay your friend even a penny, the gift would no longer be a gift to you.  It is the same with eternal life, for it’s the best free gift you will ever receive.

Now isn’t that the best Good News you have ever read or heard?

So how do we receive this gift of eternal life (heaven)?

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There are many people telling us today there are many ways to God and Heaven but the truth is, faith is the only key that opens the door for us to go to heaven. 

There are also many people who mistake other kinds of faith for saving faith:

Here’s a good example of what I am talking about:  You could have a key ring with many keys on it that look somewhat alike and you could go to my house and try all the keys but the right one and still not get the door unlocked.  It doesn’t matter if you keep trying to open the door with all the other keys but the right one; still the door will not open for you.  The only key that will open the door to my house is the right key.

The right key to get into heaven is called saving faith. It is faith in what Jesus Christ has done for you that will open the door to heaven for you.  It means resting in the finished work of Christ Jesus.

There is nothing in this world that you could ever possibly do that will open the door to heaven for you no matter how sincere you are in exercising the practice or belief of something other than saving faith.

What is saving faith?   Saving faith is not “intellectual assent”.

INTELLECTUAL ASSENT believes certain historical facts like some believe in Jesus Christ the same way they believe in George Washington or Thomas Edison.  They believe these men actually lived on this earth.  These men were real people in history but they don’t trust in them to do anything for them now.

The bible says the devil believes in God.
 
James 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. KJV

So believing in God is not what the bible means by “saving faith”.

Demons speaking through the Gadarene demoniac spoke to Jesus,

Matthew 8:29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? KJV

Even the demons believed in the deity of Christ!  But these demons weren’t saved!

Another mistaken faith for “saving faith” is “temporal faith”.

TEMPORAL FAITH is when you trust God for a temporary crisis such as when you trust the Lord for your finances, we could call that “financial faith”.  Or you could pray and trust God for family matters and we could call that “family faith”.  If you trust God for safety in your traveling vacation, we could call that “traveling faith”.  The one thing all of these have in common is that they are all of a temporary nature or temporal.  Once one of these needs is met, you no longer need to trust the Lord for it.

Everything in this world is going to pass away.  Everything is temporal.  Many people trust God for these temporal things, but “saving faith” is trusting Christ to save you ETERNALLY.

So here is what SAVING FAITH is:

Saving faith is trusting in Jesus alone for your eternal life and that He has secured for you a home in heaven when your life on this earth is finished.  Saving faith is resting upon Christ and what He has done instead of what we have done or could do to get us into heaven.

Acts 16:30-31 …Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. KJV

You may have believed that Jesus existed and could help you; but you didn’t have eternal life because you were trusting in your own good works to get you into heaven.

Remember what your response was to my earlier question, “What would you say to God if He asked you why He should allow you into His heaven?”  You may have said something like, “I try to do the best I can.”  Who is the only person you referred to in your answer?  “I.”  So who did you trust to get you into heaven when you said that?  Yourself.

To receive eternal life you must transfer your trust from yourself and other people or earthly things to Jesus Christ alone in order to receive eternal life.

Once we accept Christ as our only Savior from all punishment for our sins and receive the gift of eternal life He came to earth to gIve us then we should live our lives as thanksgiving to Him.  The whole purpose for Christian living is in gratitude for the gift of eternal life Christ gave us.

2 Cor 5:14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; KJV

Saving faith is the hand of a beggar reaching out to accept the gift of a King.  None of us deserve the gift of eternal life (heaven) but because of the love and mercy of our loving Heavenly Father we can receive and possess it anyhow and for eternity because of Jesus.

What I have just told you is the greatest love story ever told to humanity for it is the greatest offer to humanity by their Creator, the Person Jesus Christ.

I want you to know that God because He loves you so very much is asking you right now…

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WILL YOU RECEIVE THE GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE OFFERED TO YOU RIGHT NOW?

	WHAT DOES THAT INVOLVE?
	TRANSFERRING YOUR TRUST from what you have been doing to PUTTING YOUR FAITH IN, TRUSTING IN JESUS CHRIST AND WHAT HE DID FOR YOU BY WAY OF HIS CROSS.  Next you RECEIVE JESUS, THE RESURRECTED, LIVING CHRIST INTO YOUR LIFE AS YOUR ONE AND ONLY SAVIOR

Jesus is saying to you,

Revelation 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. NIV

It also means you RECEIVE JESUS CHRIST INTO YOUR LIFE AS THE LORD OF YOUR LIFE.

Jesus comes as Master and King and the throne of your heart is rightly His for He created you and with His blood He paid for your right standing with God and so His rightful place is on the throne of your life.  This actually means you have true repentance for your sins and are willing to turn from all sin that is not pleasing to Him and instead desire to follow Him and desire His will for your life as He reveals it to you by His Word and His Spirit.

IF THIS IS REALLY WHAT YOU WANT TO DO…

	Right where you are you can pray and ask God to give you His gift of eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ.
	Romans 10:10 For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation. 13 For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord [invoking Him as Lord] will be saved.  AMP

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PRAY A PRAYER TO RECEIVE
THE GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE

If this is truly what you want to do right now, just pray this simple prayer and receive God’s gift of eternal life He offers you today through Jesus Christ.

Suggested prayer for you to pray:

Jesus, I come to you as a sinner.  I believe You took my sins on You and the punishment for my sins when You died on the cross and I believe You rose again from the dead to purchase a place in heaven for me.  Lord Jesus, I ask You to come into my life and take control of my life, forgive me of sins and save me now.  I turn now from a life of sin and place my trust in You and You alone for my salvation.  I am accepting right now the gift of eternal life that only comes by saving faith in You, Christ Jesus.  Come into my life and be my Savior and the King and Lord of my life.

Praying that prayer with sincerity of heart, Jesus promises you,

John 6:47 I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, he who believes in Me [who adheres to, trusts in, relies on, and has faith in Me] has (now possesses) eternal life. AMP

Placing your saving faith in Jesus’ work and receiving the gift of eternal life, you are now a child of God and part of the royal family of God!  Forever!  Welcome to the Family of God!

John 1:12 But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name AMP

Please let me know at God’s Word Alive that you have prayed that prayer and received God’s gift of eternal life.  I would like to send you some free information to help you get started living your new life in Christ.  Here is my email address:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

This day is a very special day you will always want to remember for this is your SPIRITUAL BIRTHDAY!

Just as your natural birth was attested to by a birth certificate I want you have record of this most important day with a “Spiritual Birth Certificate” you can copy and sign to remember this day that begins your eternal life in Christ.

right click on certificate and save image as

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SO WHAT IS NEXT?

Just as newborn babies grow physically, now you will grow spiritually and so I have listed below things you can do to help you grow spiritually:

1.  Begin by reading at least one chapter of the Book of John in the New Testament in your BIBLE each day and as the Spirit of God leads you continue to read the rest of the New Testament written for believers in Christ. 1 Peter 2:2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk (the Word of God), so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, NIV

Also available to help you grow spiritually, I have listed many scriptures on God’s Word Alive along with confessions of scriptures (scriptures of God’s love, faith, the reality of your new life in Christ and much more) to encourage you to speak God’s Word over your life and also scriptures for specific situations. 

4.  FELLOWSHIP with other believers in Christ who can help you mature in your faith and walk with the Lord. Acts 2:41-42 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. 42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. KJV

5.  Be a WITNESS for Christ by telling others what Jesus has done for you and allow the Holy Spirit to release His presence and power in their midst through you. Jesus told us, Matt 10:32-33 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. KJV

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MY PRAYER FOR YOU

I want to pray that you would truly understand the message of trusting in Christ,  understand it is by grace you are saved through faith in what Christ’s has done for you and there is nothing you can possibly do to make yourself right before God.  I pray you have continued assurance that as a result of receiving Jesus as your resurrected and living Christ, your personal Savior, and personal Lord you are secured a home in Heaven when your life is finished on planet earth.  I also pray the following scripture over you:

Philippians 3:10-11 [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope]  11 That if possible I may attain to the [spiritual and moral] resurrection [that lifts me] out from among the dead [even while in the body].   AMP