1. How good would we have to be to enter Heaven on our own merit?
God’s standard is never less than perfect. He could not be truly holy if He ever ignored sin. Therefore, to get into heaven on our own merit, we would have to be perfect.
Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
(Rev 21:27) (NIV)
Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. (Matt 5:48)
2. Who then can ever qualify to go to heaven?
Actually, no one is qualified on their own merit.
As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one.” (Rom 3:10-12)
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Rom 3:23)
We have ALL sinned, we have ALL fallen short. And the penalty for sin is death, both physical death and spiritual death; which means separation from God forever.
For the wages of sin is death, (Rom 6:23)
Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt 25:41)
3. How then can we be saved?
God passionately desires us to be saved, because He loves us. Since we could not save ourselves, God became flesh in the person of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Because Jesus had no sin of His own, He was qualified to die in our place.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom 5:8)
Christ paid the price for all of our sin by dying on the cross. He then conquered death by rising from the dead three days later.
4. What must I personally do to be saved?
Simply repent of your sin and place your faith in Christ.
For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, (2 Cor 7:10)
That 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. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Rom 10:9-10)
Repentance is a sincere, heartfelt desire to turn away from sin.
Faith is completely trusting in something or someone.
Since we can’t earn heaven by our works of merit (because we have all fallen short), God offers salvation as a free gift to all those who believe in, (put their faith or their trust in) Jesus Christ. That’s His offer to us. He wants us to stop trusting in ourselves, and start trusting in Christ alone for our salvation.
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Eph 2:7-9)
Grace means unmerited favor. We don’t deserve it, but if we repent and believe in Jesus, it is God’s pleasure to freely give us salvation.
5. How can I be assured that salvation is mine?
Once you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, God wants you to know that you are saved.
These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. (1 John 5:13)
For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” (Rom 10:13)
He gives His promise that He will see us through to the end.
For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Heb 13:5)
If you have NEVER before taken the opportunity to place your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can do that right now. Simply pray something like the following prayer with all of your heart:
“Lord Jesus, please save me. I am sorry for my sins. I want to live for You, and have assurance of Heaven. I believe You died for me, and that You rose again from the dead. Please forgive me, come into my heart, and give me new life. I receive You as my Lord and Savior. Thank You Jesus.”
Congratulations! You now have God’s promise of eternal life! Feel free to contact us for information on how to victoriously live out your new life in Christ.