My Good Deeds Will Get Me Into Heaven…Right?
God not only created you, He loves you with an unconditional love and wants you to know Him and spend eternity with Him. “Yes, God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him would not be lost and have eternal life“-John 3:16 (ERV) Jesus came so that we could know and understand God in a more personal way.
People of the world tend to believe that if they DO enough good works, then God will be proud and that is their way into heaven. They don’t actually pay attention to the relationship that is crucially needed in order to bridge the gap between God and us. You see, being as though we are descendants from Adam and Eve, caused by Adam’s disobedience we were born sinners, which caused a feeling of separation or distance between God and us. For an unbeliever, it’s easy to sense that separation which is why you try to do good deeds in hopes to earn Gods acceptance. It’s like adopting a moral philosophy but our good deeds and efforts are insufficient to cover up our sin. The Bible tells us, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”-Isaiah 53:6 (NIV) and it also states that, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”-Romans 6:23 (NIV) What does this mean? It means that we are no surprise to God and knowing we were sinners, He still loves us so much that He came up with a way for us to form a relationship with Him and live an eternal life. However, He also gifted us with the will to choose because who wants to be in a relationship when there is forced love? He wants us to believe in Him enough to make the decisions for ourselves.
We deserve to pay for our own sin and deal with the result- death. God, out of His love for us, sent His only son, Jesus Christ, to die in our place. Jesus was crucified for blasphemy in identifying Himself as equal to God, which He is. On the cross, Jesus took all of our sin on Himself and completely, fully paid for it. “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made live in the Spirit.”-1 Peter 3:18 (NIV) ”He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy…”- Titus 3:5 (NIV) Therefore, because of Jesus’ death on the cross, our sin doesn’t have to separate us from God any longer. We can choose to come into direct relationship with Him!
Not only did Jesus die for us, He rose again, proving beyond doubt that he can rightfully promise eternal life, that He is the Son of God and the only means by which we can know God. (1 Corinthians 15:3-6 NIV) that is why Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except THROUGH me.”- John 14:6 (NIV) It was Jesus’ love for us and faith in God that caused him to endure the cross and now He invites us to come to Him, that we might be in a personal relationship with God. However, simply just knowing Jesus did this is not enough, we need to welcome Him into our lives.
We must individually accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. It cannot be something done for us through someone else. If you bought yourself a ticket to a concert it should be pretty easy to get in. However, just because you bought yourself a ticket, doesn’t mean your friend, who doesn’t have one, gets to go. It’s not a VIP lounge where you can invite your friends or a BOGO 50% promotion. This gift is exclusively for you if you choose to respond to the invitation. Jesus said, “…..I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).”- John 10:10 (AMP) Accepting Jesus means believing that Jesus is the Son of God, who He claimed to be, the inviting him to guide and direct your life. The precise words you use to commit yourself to God are not important just as long as you ask Him into your life and believe in your heart. “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord”, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved [born-again]. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10 (NIV)
If you are unsure of what to pray, here’s some assistance putting it into words:
“God, I want to know you. I want you to come into my life. Thank you for sending your only Son to die on cross for my sins, so that I could be fully accepted by you. Only you can give me the power to change and become the person you created me to be. Thank you for forgiving me and giving me eternal life with you. I give my life to you, please do with it as you wish. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
If you sincerely asked God into your life just now, then He has come into your life as He promised. What follows is a lifelong journey of change and growth as you get to know God better through reading His Word and interactions such as prayer and worship. The promises to His children have unleashed on you for choosing to make Him your Heavenly Father. Welcome to the Kingdom!
The more you invest time in your relationship with God, the more you will understand Him and be able to distinguish when He is spending time on you. God will never leave you in your times of need. He will never forsake you because of your sin. You are now covered by the blood of Jesus and His mercy endures forever!
“I’m standing at the door and I’m knocking. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in.”- Revelation 3:20
How will you respond to Gods invitation?
