What Does the Bible Tell Us About How a Person Enters Heaven?
Well, I think all of us would agree that this is a very important question for each of us to think about. The good news is that God has not left us in the dark on how to answer this question. Instead, God has revealed to us through His Word the information we need to know to answer this question correctly. The Bible clearly tells us how a person can enter heaven. Regardless of what religion you were raised in, if any at all, the Bible alone has the answers to life’s ultimate question. It is the final authority in all matters that pertains to this life and the life to come. So let's take a quick tour through the Bible to find out how you can enter heaven.
How to Deal with the Sin Problem?
First of all, each person must understand that they were created in the image of God. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were created to love and obey God, but chose rather to listen to voice of the devil. When they disobeyed God and partook of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, sin entered the human race. After Adam and Eve “sinned,” their relationship to God was severed. They were now condemned to die not only physically, but spiritually. The consequence to that first sin was that every person born afterwards would inherit a sin nature and be separated from God for eternity. Romans 5:18 says, Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation. Every person from that point on is born a sinner and completely depraved. However, God in His abundant love, grace and mercy sent His One and only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to die on the cross as a substitute for our sins. Romans 5:8 states: But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. God the Father sent Jesus His Son to save the world. One of the most famous verses in the Bible sums it up: For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). Jesus’ death on the cross paid the full penalty for every person who would ever believe in Him. Through His death and the shedding of His blood we can have forgiveness of sins as Eph. 1:14 tells us: In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. Jesus could pay for sin because He was the perfect sacrifice to satisfy the wrath of God against sin. Jesus lived a perfect life! He never even sinned once. God punished Jesus for your sins so that you could have His perfect life imputed to you! 2 Cor. 5:21 brings this out: For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. That is how God dealt with the sin problem.
Vindicating the Cross of Christ
In addition to Jesus' death on the cross, His Resurrection is essential for any person to enter heaven. True "orthodox" Christians have always believed in the literal Resurrection of Christ. It is a cardinal doctrine of the Christian faith. Romans 10:9 states: If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. The Resurrection of Christ must be embraced by faith if a person is to be saved. That's why the New Testament marshals its forces to give testimony to this event. There are over three hundred verses that concern the subject of Jesus' Resurrection in the New Testament. One of the best places in Scripture to see the full impact of the Resurrection is in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. This is called the "Resurrection Chapter" because it deals with both the Resurrection of Christ and the resurrection of believers. 1 Corinthians 15:1-3 sums it up for us: I declare to you the gospel…by which also you are saved…that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. Romans 4:25 tells us that Christ was delivered up for our offenses and was raised because of our justification. If the Passion of Christ underscores the love God has for us in forgiving our sins, the Resurrection of Christ underscores the absolute proof of this love.
So How Do I Apply the Gospel to Me Personally?
Having understood what constitutes the Gospel, a person must repent of their sins and believe in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord. Both repentance and saving faith and intrinsically connected together; they are not seperate acts. Jesus said in Mark 1:15: Repent and believe the Gospel. In Luke 13:5 Jesus stated: Unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Repentance is a work God does in your heart by grace helping you to turn away from sin and live a holy life. Jesus also said in John 5:24: Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. This belief also comes about by God's grace. If you come to Christ and believe He is the divine Son of God, trusting what He has accomplished for you on the cross as your only hope of salvation, you will be on your way to heaven. A good way to understand this is to remember a simple phrase: Salvation comes by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to God's glory alone. Religion, rituals, or good works will in no way grant you entrance into heaven. Titus 3:5 is clear that it is not by works of righteousness which we have done, but by His mercy he saved us. Romans 4:5 affirms the same truth: To him that who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. God does not look at your life and weigh the good works against the bad works and if the good outweighs the bad you are in. That is the exact opposite of what the Bible teaches. It is by faith alone that a person is saved.
Is Jesus the Only Way?
There are people who have a problem with Jesus being the "only" way to get to heaven. However, that is exactly what the Bible tells us. A question was asked to the Apostle Paul by a Philippian jailor in Acts 16:31: What must I do to be saved.” The Apostle Paul responded by saying: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. The only way a person can enter heaven is through the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus made this clear in John 14:6: I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. In Matthew 11:27 Jesus declared: All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. The Apostle Peter tells us in Acts 4:12: Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. That is the name of Jesus! The Bible makes it unambiguously clear that Jesus is the only way. How could God the Father Almighty send His One and only sinnless Son to be tortured and crucified on a splintered cross, place all the weight of sin upon Him, and even turn His back on Him, if there were another way? When you think about it in those terms, you will understand that there is no other possible way!
Will You Respond?
That leaves you with one last question to answer: Will you believe the Gospel? Will you repent and trust Christ as your personal Savior and Lord? Will you submit and surrender your heart to follow Jesus the rest of your days on this earth? Saving faith involves a commitment to love and follow Jesus. God can redeem your life from sin and give you meaning and purpose today and for eternity! If you would like further information or would like to talk to us about trusting in Christ, please contact us and we would be glad to assist you in anyway we can.
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