There is no sin in heaven. It's where God is. We are born sinners... no one had to teach us to sin, it is part of our nature at birth. The verse in Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" So, if we have sin, and everyone does, there's no way we can go to heaven when we die. The Bible says there are only 2 options when we die, heaven or hell. It's our choice. We can say we don't need God to get to heaven, and depend on our good works to get us there, but remember, we've sinned. All it takes is one sin and heaven's out for us. It has nothing to do with all our good, just the fact that we have sin in us and there's none in heaven. Since the only options are heaven or hell, I know that anyone who puts some thought into it will of course choose the wonderful heaven over a place of constant death in hell, the lake of fire.
Well, you ask, then how DO I go to heaven when I'm a sinner? Great question. Thanks for asking. There's a verse in the Bible in I John 1:7 that says, "...the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from all sin." This is where Easter comes in. This whole week of Easter has been about the blood of Jesus and His resurrection. First, there is sin in each person which needs to be taken care of. There has to be a penalty for sin... someone has to pay for it since it can't go unpunished. Well, as we said, because of our sin, our punishment is eternal death, or eternal separation from God which means hell and no access to heaven. But there's this great verse in Romans 6:23 that says, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.." There's a way out through Jesus Christ! We've just celebrated Easter which talks about Jesus dying on the cross. He didn't just die like the rest of us. When he was on that cross, for 3 hours the earth went black as night. God in heaven, Jesus' Father, had to turn His back on His only Son, because Jesus had done the unthinkable. He stepped in and took our punishment of hell for us. He, who had never sinned, took all of the world's sin, including yours and mine and pretty much went to hell for us. He's the only one that could do it since He's the only one that's not guilty. When the Bible says that the blood of Jesus can cleanse us from sin, it's that blood that He shed that day on the cross when He took our place and died that says, the debt for sin has been paid in full. He was willing to go to hell in our place, to take our punishment for us, to step in when He didn't have to, all because He loves us that much and was WILLING to do this so the debt could be paid and we could go to heaven. What a gift! Romans 5:8 says, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
So, Jesus died, shed His blood, took our punishment, and that's it? No, because the best part of the whole thing is that He rose again! He's not dead in any tomb, He's alive and rose again 3 days after He died! That's what Easter is really a celebration of! His death is unlike ANY other in the world, because He's alive and living today!
So, then how ARE we saved from an eternity in hell? Well, it says in Romans 10:9, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Doesn't say anything about our good we've done, just about all that Jesus has done instead. It's that shed blood that cleans away the sin when we truly believe what Jesus has done in dying for us and rising again! Confess it with your mouth... Tell it to God... Tell Him you believe and trust that HIS work on the cross that's been done is what will take away your sins. Don't forget to admit that you really do have sin, and that you want to get rid of it and are willing to repent of what you've done. I love a few verses down in Romans 10:13 that says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." We're not talking about being saved from drowning in a pool or saved from being in a car crash, we talking about being saved from an eternity in hell!!! You know, one of the best loved verses says this, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." There! Did you see it? Heaven not hell!
So, you ask lastly, how can I be 100% sure of something that will happen after I die? Well, there's a verse in I John 5 :13 that says, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life..." It doesn't say, "hope" or "wish" you'll have eternal life. It says "KNOW"! I can sit here typing this with 100 % confidence that when I die, I WILL go to heaven and not because of me or anything I've done, but 100% because of Jesus Christ and what He's done on the cross and in the grave! His blood has washed away every sin of mine, and some day when I die and stand before God, He will see the blood of Jesus, and not my sin, and I will be in heaven with Him for eternity.
If you don't have the 100% certainty that you'll go to heaven when you die, please take a minute and talk to God. Tell Him you know you've sinned. You don't deserve to go to heaven. That you believe that He died on the cross and shed His blood to pay for your sins. Tell Him you want to change and follow Him. Tell Him what's on your heart! Ask Him to save you now. He will. Immediately. He will fill you with His Holy Spirit and will never leave you or forsake you. He promised. He wouldn't be God if He broke a promise. Pray and cry out to God with a believing and trusting heart that His blood CAN cleanse you from all your sin! It's all about your true desire to believe and follow Jesus Christ. If you talk to God about all this from your heart, guess what? You will KNOW that you WILL go to heaven when you die. No questions, no doubts! It's that wonderful. You become God's child and nothing can change that! If you've made this decision, would you write me and let me know so I can rejoice with you and pray for you and help you in any way? My email is lindasowry@gmail.com.
I planned to write about what's been going on these last couple of days, but this is what came out. I guess I'll start another blog for that and this is what God wanted me to write for tonight. :o) I love celebrating Easter because of everything I've written here tonight. I hope you now have that peace of God and love for Him and thankfulness for all He's done for you too! Here's a great verse for what's happened in your heart! God bless you all! Happy Resurrection Day!!!
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:
old thngs are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
2 Corinthians 5:17
2 Corinthians 5:17
