| How to Receive Eternal Life |
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We all must come to God the same way – through faith in God’s Son, Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. [John 14:6] Yet we come to the point of recognizing our need for Jesus in different ways. We may become so broken through the heartaches and disappointments of life that we realize we cannot make it without God ... we may become so weak and broken through various addictions that we realize we need God to make us whole ... we may be so filled with guilt for the things we have done wrong that we know we need God’s forgiveness ... we may become so disappointed and empty even with the best life has to offer that we realize that there must be a greater purpose for our life than pleasure seeking. We may become desperate to know that there is meaning to life and that there is more to life than the few short years we have on this planet.
No matter how we are brought to the point of recognizing that something is missing in life, we all have the same ultimate need ... forgiveness from God and a relationship with Him. We all need to be reconciled to God and brought into a genuine relationship with Him. This is what we were made for ... and that is exactly what God offers us through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” [John 17:3]. “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled we shall be saved by His life” [Ro. 5:10].
So, God has provided forgiveness and eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ, but how do we know if we have this life that He offers? Let me ask you a question ... If you died today and found yourself before God, and He asked you, “Why should I let you into My heaven?” What would you say? [Think about your answer before reading on.]
Most people would answer in one of four ways ...
Many people do live commendable lives as law-abiding citizens, morally upright people and even have compassion for the unfortunate and work or give to relieve the suffering of others. If this describes you at all, you will have a hard time seeing why you need God’s forgiveness ... but we all do need His forgiveness because we have all sinned ... “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” [Romans 3:23]. No matter how good we are, we have all failed to live up to God’s standards perfectly. We have all let God and other people down. We have all coveted someone else’s life or stuff which violates the 10th commandment. We have all failed to love God above all else which is a failure to keep the greatest commandment of all [Matt. 22:34-40].
We have all sinned ... we have all done wrong things and we have all failed to do some good things that we should have done. Those sins separate us from God who is holy or perfect and pure [Isaiah 59:2]. And those sins have put us in a condition of spiritual death which will continue forever if we do not receive Christ and the life He gives. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” [Ro. 6:23].
We may not have sinned as greatly as other people, but we have sinned ... that is why we cannot earn eternal life in heaven and that is why we do not deserve it. That is why God offers forgiveness and eternal life as a free gift ... all we have to do is believe God’s offer and by faith receive Christ as our Savior and Lord. “But as many as received Him [Jesus], to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name [John 1:12]. “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy ...” [Titus 3:5].
Think about this ... if God let us into heaven just as we are, without being forgiven and cleansed from our sin [because we think we’re pretty good after all], heaven would no longer be heaven ... it would be imperfect and disfigured with the pain and disappointment we each would cause with our “little sins.” Heaven would be no better than life on earth now! We must not only be forgiven, we must be changed. And Jesus forgives and changes us when we receive Him as our Savior [Acts 10:43; 2 Corinthians 5:17].
Think about this ... if we could gain heaven by our own goodness and kindness and sincerity and effort, then why did Jesus die for us? If we could make it on our own, His death is meaningless! The Apostle Paul said, “I am not one of those who treats the grace of God as meaningless. For if we could be saved by keeping the law, then there was no need for Christ to die” [Galatians 2:21, NLT]. Christ died to pay the penalty for our sins because there is no other way for sinful man to be saved. “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed” [1 Peter 2:24]. “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit” [1 Peter 3:18].
Since we are all sinners, nobody deserves heaven. But “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” [John. 3:16]. “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” [Romans 6:23]. We don’t deserve heaven ... but God loves us so much that He wants to give us what we don’t deserve and what we cannot earn as a free and gracious gift. He gave His Son to provide that gift, we must receive Christ by faith – trust Him as our Savior – in order to receive this gift. This is the gospel ... the “good news” of salvation in Jesus Christ.
This is more than a transaction between us and God. Just as we receive great joy in giving a special gift to someone we love, so God rejoices to give us the gift of salvation. Speaking to those who believe, Jesus said, “Do not be afraid little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom” [Luke 12:32].
3. I believe in God ... it doesn’t matter what I call Him or what religion I practice ... as long as I sincerely believe in God I’ll be OK ... Belief as in intellectual assent to the existence of God is not sufficient for salvation ... the Bible says that the devil believes in God [James 2:19]. Belief in a generic god who is all things to all people is a false belief. There is one God and one Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” [Jn. 14:6]. Jesus is the only way to God – not because Christianity is narrow-minded or intolerant – but because Jesus is the only one qualified to be our Savior and is the only one who died for our sins and rose again in victory over sin and death.
4. I don’t have a clue how I’d answer ... Just to be clear, getting into heaven is not a matter of having the “correct answer” as if a “correct answer” was a magic key for being admitted to heaven. But the answer we give to this question reveals what we believe the entrance requirement to be ... it reveals what we are trusting in for our eternal life. Are we trusting in our own goodness and good works or are we trusting in Christ? Are we trusting in a generic god who accepts all who sincerely believed in a generic god? Or are we trusting in God who has revealed Himself in creation, in Scripture and who has sent His one and only Son into the world to bear our sins on the cross and rise again, providing resurrection life for all who trust in Him for salvation?
If you have read this far, you should have a clue by now as to the answer that reveals we possess saving faith. The “answer” is that we recognize that we have sinned ... we repent or desire to turn away from sin and live for God’s honor ... we want to receive the gift of forgiveness and eternal life that God offers to all who truly believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior and surrender their lives to Him as their Lord. We express that desire in a prayer to our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” [John 5:24]
Yeah but ... what if I have doubts and questions? Don’t assume that there are no answers to your questions ... seek for answers ... explore ... investigate the claims of Christ and the Bible.
Read the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Bible. And as you read and investigate, pray an honest seekers prayer such as the following suggested by John Stott in Basic Christianity:
God, if you exist [and I don’t know if you do], and if you can hear this prayer [and I don’t know if you can], I want to tell you that I am an honest seeker after the truth. Show me if Jesus is your Son and the Savior of the world. And if you bring conviction to my mind, I will trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as my Lord.
An honest seeker should be able to pray that prayer, and God will answer such an honest prayer!
Additionally, there are many good books to help those who sincerely want to know the truth about God, Christ and salvation. Among those books are:
If you would like to invite Christ into your life right now, you can pray a prayer such as this: Dear Lord, Thank you for the gift of eternal life. I know I am a sinner and that I cannot save myself. I believe Jesus is the Son of God and that He died for my sins and rose again from the dead. I now put my complete trust in Him alone for eternal life. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer with a sincere heart, Jesus promise to you is, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life” [John 6:47].
What should you do now if you are a new Christian?
God bless you in your new life with Him! Pastor Jim |