Do You KNOW You Will Go?

In my first post, I outlined my statement of faith because it is the cornerstone of my perspective from which I will study, understand, and write my learning of Scripture. And while I am maintaining this blog as a record of my Bible study, my prayer is that God will use this blog to touch someone's life, somewhere. It may be someone who already knows the Lord, it may not. I may never know if that happens, and that is perfectly okay. After all, I say: To God the glory be, not me!!!  

A FEW ASSUMPTIONS

So, since you are reading this blog -- and you are undoubtedly a busy person, because really, these days, who isn't? -- I think it is safe to assume that you are not just wondering if I'm doing my homework each day, but perhaps you are hoping to glean something personal from my study as well? I hope you do.  

It is also safe to assume that you come from one of two perspectives: you are either certain of your eternal salvation or you are not. I mean, there really is not much middle ground on this issue. It's not a statement of judgment, it is simply a fact: either you know with certainty that you are going to heaven when you die or you are not sure.  

Perhaps you are not sure because you're not sure if heaven and hell really exist.  

Perhaps you're not convinced that the Bible is anything more than a book of history, poetry, prophecy, and wisdom.  

Perhaps you've been hurt, offended, or disregarded by Christians in the past and so reading from the Bible just doesn't appeal to you because after all, those people supposedly read the Bible and it didn't seem to change them. 

Perhaps you know you're a nice person and you have good morals and you keep most of the 10 Commandments (you've certainly never killed anyone); you attend church weekly; you may even be in a small group or a group Bible study yourself, and you hope all that is enough to "get you in" but still, you're just not sure.

HOW DO I KNOW?

Can a little girl of 6 years old be a sinner? Yes. The Bible says we are all sinners (Romans 3:23). Not all adults. Not all teenagers and adults. Not all people who do [fill in the blank] or who are above the age of [fill in the blank]. It says: "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." 

From my earliest days, I grew up going to church and from that experience, I knew that Jesus loved me and wanted to save me from my sin. So, when I was a little girl of about the age of six, I told my mother I wanted to invite Jesus into my heart and so she led me in a simple prayer. The prayer went something like this:

Dear Jesus, I know that I do things I shouldn't because I am a sinner.  I am sorry for those things. Please forgive me of my sin and come and be in my heart forever.  I want you to be the leader of my life. Amen.

That's it. That's all it took. No lightening struck. No thunder rolled. But, the moment I prayed that prayer, I became born again into the family of God and because of that moment in time, I KNOW. Because I prayed that simple prayer as a little girl, I KNOW. 

A LITTLE MORE INFO

Because I am a sinner and because God is holy, we can never be together without someone or something erasing that sin from my person. Someone has to pay the price, right? Well, they are my sins, so it's only fair that I should have to pay that price, don't you think?  

Can you remember when you were in the first grade and everyone in the class had to miss recess because one unruly classmate broke the rules during lunchtime? It wasn't fair that you had to pay the price for someone else's misbehavior. But that's exactly what Jesus did for us. 

You see, the Bible says: "The wages [something we earn] of sin is death, but the gift [something we are given] of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23) This is clear. Just like going to work every day where we earn our wages as payment for our service, the "wages" we earn -- the payment that is due to us -- for every sin -- no matter how big or how small; whether it is gossiping at the water cooler or committing murder; no matter how many or how few; they are all equal in God's eyes (James 2:10) -- the payment is death.  

THE GOOD NEWS

But here's the Good News: God so loved you -- God so loved me -- that He sent his Son, Jesus, to be our payment instead. God sent Him to die for us so that we could live forever with Him in Heaven when we die (John 3:16). God wants you and He wants me. But quite frankly, when we live it apart from Jesus, our imperfect, sinful lives -- are not be enough to bring us into an eternal relationship with God.  

But, when Jesus died, his death -- a death he did not earn -- paid the price for our sin.  

He took the punishment that should have been yours -- the punishment that should have been mine.  

This gift is free for the taking to ANYONE who will sincerely tell God how sorry you are for your sin and humbly ask Him to forgive you and come and live in your heart to guide you.

WHY WAIT?

One of the most exciting parts of having a relationship with God (to me anyway!) is that we don't have to wait until we die to begin experiencing the thrill of a life with Him!! Jesus said: "I have come that they might have life and have it to the full!" (John 10:10, emphasis mine). He meant ... life right now!! I don't know about you, but this is exciting to me! I don't have to wait until I die to experience God's goodness! When we read daily from God's word, we learn to hear His voice. He guides us and walks with us in good times and bad. We know His purpose for our lives and we enjoy the fruit of His faithfulness. Why wait???!

I KNOW ... DO YOU KNOW?

If you have already prayed that simple prayer above at some point in your life, please KNOW: you ARE going to Heaven.    

If you have never prayed that simple prayer, would you like to? Would you like to KNOW with certainty that you will spend forever in heaven, but can begin to bathe in the light of God's love right now? Would you like to have an absolute certain purpose for your life?

If the answer is yes, please pray that prayer and then get in touch with me by emailing me. I would love to offer you some suggestions for what to do next.

So, I ask again. The question is quite simple and very direct: Do you KNOW, with absolute certainty, that you will go to heaven when you die?