Do You Really Want To Go To Heaven?
When we leave this earth... this very temporary life... we will live for eternity either with God or without God. Living with God will be the greatest thing we can ever imagine, while living without God will be worse than we can ever imagine.
The question "Do you really want to go to heaven?" is a very important question. There is only one way to get to heaven and that is God's way... through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. The Bible clearly tells us that there is no other way to enter the kingdom of heaven.
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
As I mentioned on the Introduction page... it is essential to understand that we have everything we need to know God's way, in His Word. God inspired the apostle Paul to clearly teach us this truth when Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
In Paul's second letter to Timothy, we learn that "ALL SCRIPTURE," which includes the entire Bible, Old and New Testament, "is given by inspiration of God."
Paul further wrote in this same passage that "ALL SCRIPTURE" is so "the man of God may be perfect" and "thoroughly furnished," which is to be perfectly complete.
Therefore, the Bible is all we need to learn how to be perfectly complete and acceptable to God. The Bible is fully sufficient, absolute, inspired, and authoritative.
God tells us in His Word that we can know the truth... and He has given us His Word (the Holy Scriptures) so that we can know this truth. When it comes to something as vitally important as our soul and where we spend eternity, we should want to know the truth and not have any doubt what that truth is. It is a matter of eternal life with God or eternal separation from God, and it is our choice to make.
When Jesus was praying to God for His disciples (the apostles), He said that God's Word is Truth.
John 17:17 "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth."
The entire Word of God is the truth and will endure forever.
Psalms 119:160 The sum of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting.
God wants and desires "all men to be saved" and He wants all men "to come to the knowledge of the truth." God even gave his only begotten Son, Jesus, as "a ransom for all" so that no one would have to suffer eternal separation from God. God does indeed want us to be saved and know the truth. Paul verifies this for us in his first letter to Timothy.
1 Timothy 2:1-7 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time. For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying) as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
It is our responsibility to "study" the Scriptures "to show thyself approved unto God" so that we can present the truth correctly.
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (KJV)
2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (NKJV)
It is our responsibility to "study" the Scriptures to understand and know what God's will is for us, and then we will have success in pleasing Him.
Joshua 1:8 "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.
We cannot live by only a handful of Scripture. We must live by "every word" of God... because Jesus says so.
Matthew 4:4 But he answered and said, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
His words are what will judge those that reject His words.
John 12:48 "The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has something to judge him: The word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day."
It is comforting to know we have the very words that will judge us on judgment day. To reject the Word of God is to reject God... we cannot simply do what we think is right or what the preacher tells us... we must do what God tells us to do.
1 Samuel 15:22-26 Samuel said, "Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king." Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned; I have indeed transgressed the command of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and listened to their voice. Now therefore, please pardon my sin and return with me, that I may worship the LORD." But Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with you; for you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel."
Jesus said the way to destruction is broad, and "many" will follow this way.
Jesus then said the way to eternal life is narrow, and "few" will "find" this way.
"FEW" will "FIND" the way. To find something, we must look for it.
It is the "Truth" that we must search for, and it is in the Word of God.
When we find the truth, we will find eternal life!
Furthermore, Jesus said there will be those that appear to be harmless, but in reality, they will be false teachers (ravenous wolves). Consider these verses carefully and ask yourself why Jesus would say that only a "few" will "find" the way that leads to life, and there will be "many" who find the way that leads to destruction... then in the very next verse, He speaks of false teachers.
Matthew 7:13-15 "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves."
Jesus says that there will be "many" that will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, and He will tell them He never knew them. He explains what will happen to those who hear His words and "act" on His words versus those who hear His words and "do not act on them."
Matthew 7:21-27 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.' Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell--and great was its fall."
Why will there be "many" that claim they are saved, but in reality, they are not? Jesus gives several reasons for this...
Jesus says "many" will not be saved because they will be deceived by what appears to be harmless sheep... false teachers.
Jesus says "many" will not enter heaven because they have not done "the will of My Father who is in heaven."
Jesus says "many" will not be saved because He "never knew" them.
Jesus says "many" will not be saved because they practice "lawlessness."
Jesus says "many" will not be saved because they do not "act" on His words.
Yes, it is sad, but it is true... "many" people believe they are saved, but they are not. This is not what I say... it is what Jesus says in the Bible.
We must be careful and not be deceived by "evil men and impostors." Paul wrote, "the sacred writings" ("the holy scriptures" in KJV) are able to give us the wisdom that leads to salvation. The Word of God completely and thoroughly equips us for every good work. The Holy Scriptures are all-sufficient and is all we need to know the TRUTH!
The Bible tells us what we need to know so that we can do the "will of the Father"... it tells us how to "act" on the very words of Jesus... it tells us how we can avoid practicing "lawlessness"... it tells us how we can "know" Jesus.
All scripture is inspired by God (God-breathed) and is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. We can find the way to salvation from the Scriptures, but we must be careful and not be deceived by evil men and people pretending to present the truth without any scriptural support.
2 Timothy 3:12-17 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
Paul clearly warns us to keep our eye on "those who cause dissensions" ("divisions" in KJV and ESV) and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and further warns that "by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting."
Romans 16:17-18 I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.
How can we possibly know if someone is deceiving us if we do not read the Scriptures and learn what God is telling us?
We must "abide in the teaching of Christ."
If we have not studied the Scriptures to know what Christ taught and what He instructed the apostles to teach us, how can we abide in His teachings?
2 John 1:9 Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.
We should "always" be ready to defend our faith.
1 Peter 3:14-17 But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.
Can you point to the passages that tell you why you have hope? Can you show someone the passages that prove you are saved? Indeed these are crucial questions, and you should "always" be ready to "make a defense to everyone who asks."
How can we defend our faith if we have not studied the Bible and do not know what we are defending?
The "Word" is like "pure milk," which is how we grow. We need the Word of God to grow as Christians.
1 Peter 2:1-3 Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.
We must "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ"... so that we do not "fall" from our "own steadfastness."
2 Peter 3:17-18 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
The Word of God is able to save our souls.
James 1:21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
From the above passages, we can learn how God has given us His Word for several significant reasons...
We can come to know God and His truth...
We can know what we must do to be saved...
We can always be ready to defend our faith...
We can defend against Satan and evil...
We can verify what is being preached to us by others is true...
We can learn how to live faithfully as Christians...
We can grow as Christians...
We can learn how to please and glorify God.
This list could go on and on, but the bottom line is we must be willing to read and study the Scriptures... it is a matter of where we will spend eternity. Indeed this is of utmost importance to you, and you want to know without any doubt what God's way is. God's Word is sufficient for all aspects of our life... it is all we need to know His way.
Are you simply going to take a man's word for what God tells us, or are you going to study His Word and know without any doubt what the truth is?
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.
Do not forget the very words of God...
Psalms 118:8 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.
Do you really want to go to heaven? Do you know what you must do to be saved?
Again, I encourage you to read with eagerness and study the Bible. Use these studies to help you learn the truth, but do not trust in me, verify what I write by studying the Bible for yourself. Do not be fooled or continue to be deceived by false teachings. The Bible is very clear on what we must do, and it is not hard to understand.
God is not a God of confusion, and He wants us to know the truth.
Jesus said "few" will "find" the way into heaven... this is not only because of false teachers but also because "few" search for the truth. Do not be one of the "many" who follows the path of destruction.
I beg you... for the sake of your soul... find out the truth and follow the straight path.
Be one of the "few"!
God bless you!
Sonnie Parker