For every American polled who thinks
they are going to Hell, there are 120 who think they're going
to Heaven. Author Randy Alcorn explains that Heaven isn't our
"default destination" and that specific preparation must be
made if we are to safely arrive in Heaven.
A recent poll indicated that for every American who believes
he or she is going to Hell, there are 120 who believe they're
going to Heaven.
This optimism stands in stark contrast to Jesus Christ's words
written in the Bible: "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate
is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and
those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the
way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few"
(Matthew 7:13-14).
The truth is that according to the Bible we don't
automatically go to Heaven. In fact, Hell-not Heaven-is our
default destination. Unless our sin problem is solved once and
for all, we can't enter Heaven. That's the bad news.
But once that's straight in our minds we're ready to hear the
good news of Jesus Christ-Jesus took upon himself, on the
cross, the Hell we deserve so that we could experience for
eternity the Heaven we don't deserve!
The Only Two Options
There are two possible destinations when we die-Heaven or
Hell. Can we really know in advance where we'll go? John, one
of the writers of the Bible, said this: "I write these things
to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may
know that you have eternal life" (1 John 5:13).
We can know for sure that we'll go to Heaven when we die. Do
you?
To sin means to fall short of God's holy standards. Sin is
what ended Eden's paradise. And all of us, like Adam and Eve,
are sinners. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory
of God" (Romans 3:23). Sin separates us from a relationship
with God (Isaiah 59:2). Sin deceives us and makes us think
that wrong is right and right is wrong (Proverbs 14:12). Sin
has terrible consequences, but God has provided a solution:
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23).
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, loved us so much that he became
a man to deliver us from our sin. "For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should
not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). He came to
identify with us in our humanity and our weakness, but he did
so without being tainted by our sin, self-deception, and moral
failings (Hebrews 4:15-16). Jesus died on the cross as the
only one worthy to pay the penalty for our sins demanded by
the holiness of God: "For our sake he [God] made him [Jesus]
to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the
righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). But God raised
Jesus from the grave, defeating sin's consequences and
conquering death (1 Corinthians 15:3-4, 54-57).
When Christ died on the cross for us, he said, "It is
finished" (John 19:30). In those times "It is finished" was
commonly written across certificates of debt when they were
canceled. It meant "Paid in full." Christ died so that the
certificate of debt, consisting of all our sins, could once
and for all be marked "Paid in full."
The Critical Decision
Only when our sins are dealt with in Christ can we enter
Heaven.
We cannot pay our own way. Jesus said "No one comes to the
Father except through me" (John 14:6). "There is salvation in
no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given
among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Because of
Jesus Christ's sacrificial death on the cross on our behalf,
God freely offers us forgiveness.
To be forgiven, we must recognize and repent of our sins.
Forgiveness is not automatic. It's conditioned upon
confession: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just
to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Christ offers to everyone the
gifts of forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life. "Let the
one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the
water of life without price" (Revelation 22:17).
There's no righteous deed we can do that will earn us a place
in Heaven (Titus 3:5). We come to Christ empty-handed. We can
take no credit for salvation. "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"
(Ephesians 2:8-9). This gift cannot be worked for, earned, or
achieved. It's dependent solely on Christ's generous sacrifice
on our behalf.
Now is the time to make things right with God. Confess your
sinfulness and accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on your
behalf.
You are made for a person and a place. Jesus is the person,
and Heaven is the place. They are a package-they come
together. You cannot get Heaven without Jesus or Jesus without
Heaven. "Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him
while he is near" (Isaiah 55:6). For all eternity you'll be
glad you did.
If you understand what God has done to make forgiveness and
eternal life possible for you, you may want to express it in
words like these: "Dear Lord, I confess that I do not measure
up to your perfect standard. Thank you for sending Jesus to
die for my sins. I now place my trust in him as my Savior.
Thank you for your forgiveness and the gift of eternal life." |
