The key to eternal life is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. How?
I'm a Christian. Now if you ask a number of people to define what that means, you will likely get a number of different responses. While the word Christian is used very loosely in today's world, there is only one true definition in the eyes of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that Jesus Christ is God's Son, that He died on a cross for my sins and the sins of mankind, and that God raised Him from the dead on the third day and He lives eternally. I have repented of (turned from) my sins, have committed to follow Jesus rather than the ways of the world, and I am trusting in Jesus to fulfill His promise of saving me from the eternal consequences of my sins (eternal death). As a Christian, I know that the moment I die I will be ushered into the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in heaven.
I don't think I've always been a Christian. While this sounds strange, read on. I had some of the points mentioned above down at an early age, but failed to commit my life to Him. I have believed in and known God for some time. My parents began taking me to church when I was about four to five years old. I thank God for parents that raised me to love and honor Him. In fact, God made Himself known to me at an early age. I remember episodes in my life as a child of about nine years old where things happened that could only have been God's doing. Sure, many will say that it was likely just a coincidence that something unusual happened; particularly when you might be looking for things like that. But enough of these happen and you start to question so many "coincidences." However, knowing God is not enough. Many who know God will not receive eternal life in heaven. Jesus said "Not all who say to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 7:21). But the gospel of John (John 1:12) says "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." It requires a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Honestly, I cannot say when I truly committed my life to Jesus and received the full benefits of becoming a child of God. What I can say is this: I now have a relationship with Jesus and have repented of my sins and am trusting in Him to fulfill His promises. The important thing is not when did you make that committment, but rather, right now have you made that committment. For me, I can say I have made that committment. My relationship with God the Father and Jesus the Son continues to grow deeper each day. Today, I am joyful and look forward to the future. But most importantly, I know that if I were to die right now, I would go to live with Jesus forever in heaven.
How did I get to that point? I would guess my story is not unique. As I said, I started attending church at about the age of four or five. When I was about nine years old and in the fourth grade I felt that I had accepted the Lord as my Savior. I did know God, and I felt His presence at times during my life. I publicly confessed my faith to the church in the fifth grade. However, upon examining my life during that period, there was only partial evidence that I was a child of God. I was overall a good kid. But down deep something was missing. My actions said otherwise. There was no outward evidence that I was a Christian. I have many regrets from my youth. As I grew older, so too I strayed from the Lord. I stopped going to church in high school. Of course, just going to church does not make a person a Christian nor does it assure a person a place in heaven. In high school, I turned away from God. I was depressed and lonely. This probably describes many people. I was unhappy and felt no hope of ever being happy. I thought about suicide. It was not a good time for me. It's scary when I look back at that time. But while I had turned from God, He had not turned from me.
Finishing high school and starting college, I was still unhappy and depressed. Some things happened my Freshman year in college that started bringing me back to the Lord. The best was getting together with my future wife Joanna. It was God, through her, that got me back into attending church. That was in mid 1990. Something happened that completely changed my life. I made that commitment that I had failed to truly make when I was younger. It took time, but the Lord worked on both of us, and in January of 1994, the two of us rededicated our lives to Jesus. From that point forward, things really began to change. The unhappiness and depression were gone. I could write for days on all the things the Lord has done for us. We've also had some trials, but looking back, it is amazing to see how God guided us and helped us through it all. He truly is an awesome God.
Despite these things, my wife was not sure she had not totally committed her life to Him. There were things that led her to believe she was not a child of God. I'll leave out the particulars, but many problems and doubts plagued her. This was not a good time for her, nor me. These culminated February 2002 when she decided to make sure she was truly following the Lord. As I said before, the most important point is what your relationship with the Lord is right now. On February 10, 2002, she made sure and began a new relationship with the Lord. It was an amazing thing to experience. I will not question whether she was a child of God who just had doubts, or whether she was without the relationship the Lord requires. I just rejoice that I know, as she does, that now, today, she has eternal life and will go to live with Jesus in heaven one day. Hallelujah!
There's a more recent time of my life that I won't describe here, but would gladly discuss with anyone interested one-on-one, that I will label here as a time of intense questioning and doubt. A time that so shook my faith and life. A time that could have led me to a complete opposite of anything I ever thought or believed. In fact, I felt that was where I was headed. Through a lot of research and study of most of the alternatives to Christianity, I was left with the realization that I could not KNOW anything to be true, in the sense of absolute proof. You cannot prove there is a God anymore than you can prove there is not a God. Despite what many will say, thoroughly examine anything that someone says they "know" to be true and you'll find an element of faith involved. What I found through this long and intense exploration is that the person of and the claims made by Jesus Christ require the least amount of faith to believe.
We truly do have so much to be thankful for. There are four things which top our list of thanksgiving praises. First and foremost, we thank God for sending His Son Jesus to die for our sins that we may be forgiven and have eternal life. From this hope He freely provides to all who ask for and receive it, stems unbelievable joy, and many blessings too numerous to list. Second, we are thankful for our parents and the loving way they raised us and the fact that they too are Christians and will be with us in heaven. Third, we are thankful for each other. It's amazing how each of us compliments the other. Where I am lacking, she fills in, and vice versa. And where both of us are lacking, God fills the void. Fourth, we are thankful for the answer to our prayers for a most precious gift of God, a baby born March 17, 1999 (a son). His arrival is a testimony in itself, one I'll save for another time and another place. He was followed by a brother December of 2002 and then another brother December of 2004.
So the question is this: How does a person get to heaven? God clearly answers this question in His Word, the Bible. One of my favorite verses is Romans 10:9 "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." What does this mean to me? Well, read on...
While many believe that doing good or the prayers of friends or family will get them to heaven, I found the real answer in the words of the Lord as spoken through the Bible. I've never been the kind of person who can easily talk to people so I've never been one to witness for God. Yet the Lord commands that we do so. I found some help at church through the word FAITH. Each letter serves to further answer the question of how a person gets to heaven. Here, I share it with you.
F is for FORGIVENESS. We cannot have eternal life and heaven without God's forgiveness. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 1:7 "In Him (meaning Jesus) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins." This points us in the direction of obtaining God's forgiveness, noting the need for such forgiveness from God. The good news is in the next letter...
A is for AVAILABLE. God's forgiveness is available - and it's available to everyone. The Bible tells us in John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." So it is available to everyone, no one is excluded. BUT...it is not automatic. This is where many people get it wrong. Jesus says in Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven." So God's forgiveness is available to everyone, but it is not automatically given to anyone. I compare this to a gift. If someone gives you a gift, you do nothing for it except you must receive the gift. A gift is freely given but a person must accept the gift, otherwise they still do not have it. So a person has to ACCEPT this gift. Why do they need forgiveness? It's in the next letter...
I is for IMPOSSIBLE. It is impossible for God to allow sin into heaven. God is perfect. He cannot tolerate sin. But God is love. The Bible states in John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son..." He loves us so much that He gave up His one and only Son for us. But God is also just. He states in James 2:13 "For judgement is without mercy." God cannot overlook sin and allow it into heaven. But man is sinful. In Romans 3:23 it states "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Our human nature is to sin. There is no way a person can live a sinless life. So the question becomes "How can a sinful person enter heaven where God allows no sin?" That leads to the next letter which is the key to obtaining eternal life...
T is for TURN. If you're driving down the road and someone tells you to turn, they're asking you to change direction. Turn means to repent. To change direction. It requires that you turn from something to someone. You're turning from sin and self. Jesus is quoted in Luke 13:3 as saying "But unless you repent you will all likewise perish." And you turn to Someone, Jesus Christ, trusting in Him alone. The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day as foretold by the prophets." Also, Romans 10:9 says "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."
These verses are most important in obtaining God's free gift of eternal life. Confessing and believing as stated in Romans 10:9 means more than just saying you believe Jesus is God's son. Look again at Jesus' words in Luke 13:3, "But unless you repent..." You must turn from your sin and turn to Jesus Christ and trust Him alone to save your soul. You must commit your life to doing His will and not what the world or you may want, understanding that He will help you do this. If you turn your life to Him, what is the reward? Read on...
H is for HEAVEN. Heaven is eternal life. Heaven is here and now: Jesus is recorded in Luke 10:10 as saying "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." You gain eternal life the very instant you believe, confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and ask for God's forgiveness. Heaven is also the hereafter. Jesus' words as recorded in Luke 14:3 are "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." When Jesus was raised from the dead, he ascended into heaven and will return one day as He promised. I try to imagine what heaven is like and my finite mind cannot comprehend what it might be like. But I look around at the world and all its beauty and am awed when I think how God created all things in just six days. Then I think how Jesus told us almost 2,000 years ago that He was going to prepare for us a place in heaven and would come again to take us to where He is. If God created such beauty in just six days, just imagine what He has done in 2,000 years and however much longer until He returns. We can rest assured it will be awesome.
FAITH. So the question is HOW can a person gain God's forgiveness and eternal life? To summarize it in one verse, Romans 10:9 makes it clear as it states "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." Believing and confessing. FAITH can also stand for Forsaking All, I Trust Him. That's repenting of your sins and trusting completely in Jesus Christ. God does not make strict requirements on confessing your beliefs. Many people don't think they know how to pray and talk to God. For this reason, I quote a "Salvation Prayer" I saw written down. Feel free to recite this one as you invite Jesus into your heart. A true heart-felt prayer such as this is all it takes:
"Dear Jesus, I believe that You died on the cross for my sins and that You arose from the grave. I now ask You to forgive me of my sins and to save my soul. I promise to trust in you alone and live my life as you want me to. Amen"
As you grow in Christ, I encourage you to take the next step in public confession and baptism as well as joining a local church. My prayers are with you. Remember that Jesus will never leave you and your assurance of eternal life can never be taken away. Also remember that, as a part of mankind, we are still sinful by nature. Jesus can and will help you turn from sin, but don't let times when you may "slip up" and sin cause you to be discouraged; just apologize to God and ask for renewed strength to resist the temptation of sin.
I can testify to the joy and hope that knowing Him brings!
If you're reading this and you haven't found the joy and hope that surpasses all understanding, I pray that you will allow God's truth to speak to you. The Bible clearly spells out how to receive God's free gift of forgiveness and eternal life through His son Jesus. I believe our reason for being here on earth is to bring others into the family of God with all its glory and splendor. If you need someone to talk to, please contact me at robertsfd@appstate.edu.
One day, there were three trees talking in the forest. They were discussing their futures with one another. The first said it was going to be a fine jewelry box. The second said it was going to be a great ship for a great king. The third said it was going to stand as is and be a great symbol of stature for all who came by.
One day, a lumberjack came by and felled all three trees. The first became a feed trough. The second became a simple row boat. The third sat in the back of a woodshed.
One day, a baby was laid within the first one while angels sang on high. It ended up holding the most precious "jewel." As for the second, some fishermen climbed in, a storm came up, one of those in it was awoken and spoke the words "Peace, be still." It ended up a ship of the King of Kings. The third was dug out of the woodshed and a man was forced to carry it to a place where he was nailed to it and hung and died to save all mankind. It ended up a symbol of all time to all people.
I thought this was good at pointing out the usefulness of all our lives despite current situations if we just trust in the One who made us and holds our future in His hands.
Last revised: May 22, 2007.