Would you like to know for sure that you will spend eternity with God in heaven when you die?  The Bible says that it is possible for you to be certain right now!  Isn’t that good news?

 

God loves us and desires a personal relationship with us — now and for all eternity.

Jesus said: "I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly." (John 10:10, NAS) "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)

We have rebelled against God and are separated from a relationship with Him.

God’s Word, the Bible, calls this rebellion “sin”. Sin is doing what we want instead of what God wants — in thought, word, or deed. All of us have sinned against God -either by doing what He says we should not do, or by not doing what He says we should do.

“There is no one righteous, not even one... for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  (Romans 3:10, 23)

Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.  (James 4:17, NAS)

Even the good things that we do don’t measure up to God’s standard. His standard is perfection, and no one is perfect. In fact, just one sin during our entire lifetime is enough to keep us out of heaven!

“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags...”  (Isaiah 64:6)

“For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.”  (James 2:10)

Our sin has hurt, angered, and offended God and separated us from Him. Because God is holy and just, He must punish sin.  God’s Word tells us that the penalty for our sin is death—both physically and spiritually. Death means “separation”. Physical death separates the body from the soul. Spiritual death separates the soul from God, in this life and then forever in hell.

"These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord…"  (2 Thessalonians 1:9, NAS)    

“For the wages [payment] of sin is death [spiritual separation from God].”  (Romans 6:23)

As the above diagram illustrates, all attempts that SINFUL PEOPLE make to connect with a HOLY AND JUST GOD (by their own self effort) will always fail in reaching Him.  Since God’s standard is absolute perfection, no amount of our personal effort, good works, or religious deeds can earn us a relationship with Him.

God has provided the only way to give us an eternal relationship with Himself through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus is 100% God and 100% man. He is God the Son.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… The Word became flesh [Jesus] and made His dwelling among us.” (John 1:1, 14)

"For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill Him; not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He [Jesus] was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God."  (John 5:18)

Jesus proved that He is God the Son by: living a sinless life, fulfilling numerous Messianic prophecies, performing miracles, claiming to be God, and rising from the dead. His resurrection from the dead proves that He conquered sin and death.  Jesus claimed to be the only way to God the Father when He said:

"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes tothe Father except through Me."  (John 14:6, NKJV)

Question: Why is Jesus our only way to God?

Answer: Jesus is the only one qualified to pay for our sins.  God says that sin must be paid for by the death of a perfect, sinless substitute (Romans 6:23; 2 Corinthians 5:21).  Only Jesus has lived a perfect, sinless life.

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

Question: Why did Jesus have to die to pay for our sins?

Answer: God says that sin can only be paid for through death (Romans 6:23) and the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22).

As the diagram illustrates, since SINFUL PEOPLE can never reach a HOLY AND JUST GOD, God has to reach us (God’s effort).  The only way that God can reach SINFUL PEOPLE is through the death of JESUS, who died in our place to pay the full penalty for our sins.

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