Explanation
If you checked one or more of the above items, you failed the test. Don’t feel badly though, most people do fail. Most are, to some degree, “religious,” but religions are nothing more than man-made attempts to reach God.
The real answer of how to get to Heaven is not found in some religious system or man’s self-righteousness. Titus 3:5a says, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done , but according to His mercy He saved us.” God has declared that, “There is none righteous, no not one” (Romans 3:l0); “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
Further, God’s Word teaches that sin is a very serious matter. 2 Thessalonians l:9 tells us, that sin is so serious that those whose sins are not forgiven will suffer “everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord.”
What can you do about your sin problem? Can you clean up your life, do good works, and hope that in the end your good works will outweigh your bad works? NO! Salvation does not come for those who work for it, but to those who cease from their own works, placing their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 4:5 makes this point abundantly clear: “To him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” In Ephesians 2:8-9, it is declared: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
The issue is not what you can do for God, but what He has done for you. “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). “He hath made Him [Jesus] to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). You have no righteousness of your own. To have eternal life, you must have the righteousness of Christ Philippians 3:9 tells us:: “And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.”
What then is your responsibility? To have God’s righteousness, you must believe 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” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
Your response to the Gospel should be as we read of the Ephesians: “In Whom [the Lord Jesus Christ] ye also trusted, after that ye heard the Word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation (Ephesians. 1:l3a). This seal is a guarantee that your salvation is eternal: you can never lose it (see 2 Cor. 1:22; Eph 1:14; 4:30).
Romans 8:38-39 states, “For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities , nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” NOTHING can separate believers – us – from God’s love. 2 Timothy 1:12 says, “for I know Whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.” What is true of Paul is likewise true of all who trust in Jesus Christ, namely, God is able to keep saved those who have believed.
At this very moment you have the responsibility of making a decision. If you are convinced by God’s Word, you can be saved right now: simply make the decision to trust completely and exclusively in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ His death burial and resurrection (1 Cor. 15:1-4) as the total payment to God for your sins. The moment you do, God will forgive you all your sins and save you from spending eternity in the Lake of Fire.
The choice is now up to you. What did you decide? If you trusted Christ today, or if you have any questions, please contact us. We would love to hear of your faith in our wonderful Savior and to know that you have passed from death unto life. We are eager to share more with you from God’s Word.
