How to Get Into Heaven

My friend looks at me through watery eyes, her grief seeping through her pores like something souring. She tells me she just wants to know that she’ll see the friend she lost too soon. She says he professed belief in God. He was a good person. She wants to know if that’s enough. She wants to know how to get into heaven.

I wish I could tell her that being a good person is enough.

I wish I could tell her that a vague belief that all pathways lead to God is enough, but I can’t lie.

In response, I open up and tell her my story.

How to Get Into Heaven According to the Bible

I was 14 years old when I stumbled into a Scripture verse I that grabbed my heart: “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me’” (John 14:6).

It was a decision point.

Either Jesus was just a fanatic who falsely claimed to be the Messiah or he was the Son of God and the only pathway to God.

That summer, I came to believe that Jesus was (and is) the Son of God. I received him as my Lord and Savior and committed to following him.

I came to this conclusion by studying the following biblical truths:

1. No one is “good enough” to get into heaven by being a good person.

The Bible reminds us in Romans 3:23 that we all fall short of being “good enough” to earn our way to heaven.

We have all sinned and fallen short of God’s perfect standards.

None of us are good enough to earn our way into heaven.

2. We need a Savior.

We can’t earn our way to heaven by making sure good deeds outweigh bad deeds. We can’t give up swearing or lying or cheating or gossiping and suddenly feel confident of our eternity with God.

We’re broken people, and we need someone to save us from ourselves.

We all need a Savior.

3. God is just, and he has to punish sin.

God is good. Because he is a good judge, he is also just. He cannot let sin go overlooked.

Before Jesus came, God’s followers sacrificed animals to make payment for their sins. It was bloody, but the blood was an indication of just how serious sin is. Sin is so serious that there must be payment, and if there is no payment, an eternity in hell awaits.

4. Jesus took the punishment we deserve when he died on the cross.

Jesus died on the cross so that God would punish him instead of punishing us. He did away with the old system in which animals had to be sacrificed to pay for sins. This is why he is the “Spotless Lamb of God.”

God punished Jesus instead of punishing you and me.

Astonishing.

I wouldn’t send my precious children to die in the place of anyone on this earth. But this is how God showed us just how much he loves us. He willingly sent his Son to die as a demonstration of his love.

5. You can know you are going to heaven by asking Jesus to save you.

It sounds too simple. In our humanness, we feel a deep need to prove our goodness and earn our way into heaven.

This is where grace comes into play. Grace is a free gift. You don’t deserve it and cannot earn it. It is given because of love.

Because of love, Jesus paid the price for your sins.

Because of love, he died on the cross for you.

He would have died on the cross even if you were the only one on earth.

You can rest assured that you will go to heaven if you believe he died on the cross for you and that he rose from the dead to prove that he is indeed God’s Son. Tell him you believe, ask him to forgive you for your sins, and make a decision today to live for him.

Romans 10:9 tells us that if we confess with our mouths and believe with our hearts, we will be saved. If you have never professed belief in Jesus, tell him today. Thank him for dying in your place and ask him to be the Master of your life.

My friend prayed to receive Jesus as her Lord and Savior that day.

How will you respond to Jesus?

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