Heaven or Hell: Man's Part

Man's Part

First, you must realize that man cannot save himself. If you wanted to save yourself by your good deeds, you would have to be perfect! "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). Under God's perfect standard, there is no one who can save himself. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is a gift of God; not by works, so no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9). "And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace" (Romans 11:6). The Bible says that in order to be saved, one must "Repent, and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15). "By this gospel you are saved…that Christ died for our sins…that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" (Corinthians 15:2-4). "The gospel is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe it" (Romans 1:16). Acts 16:31 tells us to "Believe (trust) on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…." "If you confess with you mouth, 'Jesus is Lord', and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved" (Romans 10:9,10).

Faith in Christ is the key that opens the door to heaven

Saving faith is not mere intellectual assent, like believing certain historical facts about Christ. Even the devil believes there is one God, so simply believing there is a God is not saving faith. Saving faith is trusting only in Jesus Christ for your eternal life. It means placing all your trust in Christ alone and what He has done- His sacrificial death on Calvary's cross for your sins and His bodily resurrection. This means that you must cease from trusting in anything that you can do to save yourself and only trust in Jesus Christ.

Dear Lord Jesus,

I know that I am a sinner and that I need you as my savior. I believe that you are the Son of God and that you are God. I believe you died on the cross for my sins, and then you rose from the dead three days later. I repent of my sins and now place my trust in you for my salvation. Lord Jesus, come into my life; take control of my life; forgive my sins and save me. I accept the free gift of eternal life and I want to follow you as my Lord and Saviour.

How will You Respond to God's Word?

Jesus said that if you reject His Word, that is equivalent to rejecting Him (John 12:48). If you do not believe that Jesus is who He claimed to be, you will die in your sins (John 8:24). The author of Hebrews warns us about neglecting salvation and losing the opportunity to reign with Christ for eternity. "How will you escape if you neglect so great a salvation?" (Hebrews 2:3). Likewise, the apostle Paul exhorted us to "behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2). Would you like to receive the free gift of eternal life? John 1:12 states, "But as many as received Him (Jesus), to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believed in His name."

Will you accept Jesus as Savior by opening the "door" of your heart and invite Him into your life? He says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in…"(Revelation 3:20).

Are you willing to repent? To be willing to turn away from anything that is not pleasing to Him? God will reveal His will to you as you grow in your relationship with Him. He will also give you the power to follow Him after you place your faith in Him for your salvation.

Now, if this is your desire, you can go to God in prayer right where you are. Through prayer, invite Jesus Christ to come into your heart and give you the gift of eternal life as you place your complete trust in Him. Below is a suggested prayer that you might say to Him:

Congratulations!!! If you have truly repented (willingly forsaken, turned away) from your sins and placed your trust in Jesus Christ's sacrificial death and resurrection, you have become a child of God. Heaven is now rejoicing over you! "Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost! I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance" (Luke 15:6,7). Your position in God's family is forever! Jesus said, "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of My hand. My Father who has given them to me is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of My Father's hand" (John 10:28, 29). "God's gifts and His call are irrevocable" (Romans 11:29). Today is you spiritual birthday- a day to always remember! The Bible refers to those who receive eternal life as those: "which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:13).