Are You Going to Heaven?

Unless you're an atheist, you probably assume that your spiritual home is going be in heaven once you die.

And if you're like most folks, your assumption is based more upon wishful thinking rather than upon hard evidence.

If you ask most people, they believe that they're heaven-bound because they've done more good things in their lives rather than bad things. They view eternal life as some sort of grand celestial scale; if their good deeds outweigh their bad deeds, then the scale tips in their favor.

That assumption is embraced by millions of people today--even many professing Christians. Unfortunately, that's not only an erroneous assumption, it's an extremely dangerous one.

How so? Because, according to the Bible, our own good deeds do not earn us a place in heaven.

What does the Bible teach? That we are rebels who "have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) As such, we are unworthy of heaven because we are condemned by our sins.

Then how do we get to heaven? Through faith in the Son of God Jesus Christ who came into this world 2,000 years ago in the form of a humble man in order to die on a cross for the sins of the world.

That's not some vain hope--that's a fact that was revealed by God through the ancient prophet Isaiah over 700 years before Christ appeared in the world. Here's what Isaiah wrote in the 8th century B.C.: "But he (Christ) was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5)

But if we have done more good deeds in our lifetime than bad ones, then why did Christ have to die for us on the cross? Because our bad deeds--or sins--are like a permanent stain upon our souls.

No amount of good deeds can wash away the stain of our sins. As long as that stain remains on us, we remain condemned in our sins. Then what can wash away that stain? According to the apostle John: "And the blood of Jesus, his (God's) Son, purifies us from all sin."(1 John 1:7)

Faith in Christ's death on Calvary's cross for our sins and His resurrection from the dead isn't about religion. Religion plays no part in our salvation and eternal life. In fact, religion has historically been the greatest obstacle to eternal life and heaven.

Why? Because religion mandates that eternal life is predicated upon adherence to good works, baptisms, customs, sacraments and rituals rather than upon faith in Jesus Christ. That's an unbiblical notion that the apostle Paul shot down in his epistle to the early church in Ephesus: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Do you believe that you're going to heaven? If you do, is your belief based upon faith in Jesus Christ? Or is it based upon either faith in a religious system or your own good works?

If it's based upon anything other than faith in Christ, then you're not going to heaven. As Christ Himself stated: "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins." (John 8:23-24)