HOW TO GO TO HEAVEN
Today we’re going IN-DEPTH into HOW TO GET SAVED.
When we’re @ someone’s DOOR preaching the GOSEPL …
… we usually have about 10-15 minutes on average …
… to deliver the BASICS of the GOSPEL … (which is sufficient for SALVATION) …
But I’d like to take about 50-55 MINUTES …
… to go IN-DEPTH into HOW TO GO TO HEAVEN.
& HERE IS THE QUESTION I USUALLY ASK people when I PREACH THE GOSPEL:
If you were to DIE TODAY, are you 100% SURE that you would go to HEAVEN?
If you were to DIE RIGHT NOW …
… are you CONFIDENT that would you go to HEAVEN? …
… or would you go to HELL? ….
… or … as some have wrongfully taught …
… would you simply CEASE TO EXIST?
ATHEISTS believe that you didn’t EXIST before you were born …
… & therefore you won’t EXIST after you DIE.
They believe that DEATH is simply a STATE of NON-EXISTENCE.
But What does the BIBLE SAY?
The BIBLE SAYS in HEBREWS 9:27 (& This is the KEY VERSE about what happens to the NATURAL MAN when he DIES): “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”
Unless we, as saved believers, are still alive @ the SECOND COMING OF JESUS CHRIST …
… There are 2 things that are going to happen to EVERY PERSON alive today, without exception:
- EVERYBODY is going to DIE one time.
This is going to happen ONCE to EVERY MAN.
We live ONCE & we die ONCE.
THERE IS NO RE-INCARNATION.
Ecclesiastes 3:20-21 says:
20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?
Verse 21 tells us that the spirit of the BEAST – of the ANIMALS & the beastly creatures of the EARTH —
goes downward into the earth …
… in other words, they ceases to exist …
… But the SPIRIT OF MAN, goes UPWARD to face God …
@ THE JUDGMENT as HEBREWS 9:27 explains.
This leads us to #2 …
- We are all going to be JUDGED.
There is a JUDGMENT for both the BELIEVER & The UNBELIEVER.
THESE 2 JUDGMENTS are VERY DIFFERENT.
… It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the JUDGMENT.
The Bible teaches that EVERY MOMENT of your LIFE is being RECORDED …
like a 4-DIMENSIONAL VIDEO-RECORDING of YOUR LIFE.
… every WORD, every DEED, every GOOD & EVERY BAD thing that you’ve ever done …
… even every IDLE WORD.
Jesus said in MATTHEW 12:36: “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.”
Luke 8:17 also says: “For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.”
YOU CANNOT HIDE from the LIVING GOD.
Jesus expands on this in Luke 12:3-5:
3 Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.
4 And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
Now, I’m speaking about the UNBELIEVER …
… the NATURAL MAN born of WOMAN …
… the MAN whose SOUL has not been REGENERATED …
… the MAN who has NO ONE to stand for him or to speak on his behalf @ the JUDGMENT!
This is what the UNBELIEVER FACES when HE dies.
DEATH is not the END.
In the BOOK OF REVELATION, we get a glimpse of the JUDGMENT @ the END OF THE WORLD …
… BOOKS will be opened …
… BOOKS which contain every DEED that MAN has done in his earthly body …
… & those who have DIED without JESUS as their SAVIOR are JUDGED …
… out of the thoe things which are WRITTEN in the BOOKS.
Revelation 20:11-13 says:
11 And I saw a great white throne [THE GREAT WHITE THRONE is the JUDGMENT of the UNBELIEVER], and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
We have a PICTURE of those who have previously died coming out of HELL …
… to be JUDGED by GOD according to their WORKS.
This is the GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT —
When an unbeliever dies, he goes immediately to HELL …
… to AWAIT his JUDGMENT.
You might ask how can an UNBELIEVER go to HELL, BEFORE he is JUDGED?
John 3:18-19 says:
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
HELL is a temporary holding cell — with exactly the same purpose & function as the LAKE OF FIRE …
… which is the PERMANENT ABODE of the DEAD.
Revelation 20:13-14 says this will happen @ the end of the world that:
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
REPEATEDLY, in all these passages …
The Bible teaches that the DAMNED will be JUDGED according to their WORKS.
But the Bible doesn’t say the same thing about BELIEVERS.
NOTICE that EVERYBODY @ the WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT is cast into the LAKE OF FIRE.
But Paul says that when the BELIEVER dies, his spirit goes directly to HEAVEN …
… to await the RESURRECTION of HIS BODY:
2 Corinthians 5:8 says: “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”
… Paul taught that at the moment of his death that he would be present with the Lord in heaven.
But in Revelation 20:12 & 13, the Bible says that the DEAD (UNBELIEVERS) —
… will be JUDGED according to their WORKS.
Now let me ask you something:
If you were to be JUDGED ACCORDING TO YOUR WORKS ….
… that is, according to the THINGS you have done in this life …
… do you think that you would MEASURE UP to GOD’S HOLY STANDARDS?
JESUS SAID in Matthew 5:48: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
Jesus says that GOD is PERFECT; & so we also ought to be PERFECT.
In the OT, Leviticus 19:2 says: “Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.”
According to these Scriptures, God is both PERFECT & HOLY.
Deuteronomy 32:4 says of God that: “He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.”
Unlike MAN, God’s WORKS are perfect —
& so to MEASURE up to GOD, we also MUST BE PERFECT.
But as any SANE MAN knows, that is an IMPOSSIBILITY.
Are you PERFECT & HOLY …
… FULL OF TRUTH & JUST …
… without SIN or INIQUITY?
In Mark 10:18, Jesus said: “… there is none good but one, that is, God.”
IN ORDER TO GO TO HEAVEN …
… you have to be AS GOOD & as PERFECT & as HOLY & as JUST & Tas RUFHUL as the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.
Can you say that about yourself?
If not, you come short of the glory of God.
Psalm 92:15 says: “… the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.”
2 Samuel 22:31 says: “As for God, his way is perfect …”
Are you good ENOUGH to go to heaven, according to the Bible?
Some think that God will judge them based on their “HEART”.
But Jeremiah 17:9 says: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
It all goes back to what happened in the GARDEN OF EDEN.
Do you ever wonder why there is so much evil in the world?
It all goes back to FREE WILL & to the doctrine of ORIGINAL SIN.
Romans 5:12 says: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”
We live in a SINFUL state …
… because ADAM chose to disobey GOD.
You see, LORDSHIP SALVATION was all there was in the beginning …
… there was yet no GRACE.
ADAM was expected to OBEY GOD & not to EAT of the TREE of the KNOWLEDGE of GOOD & EVIL …
ADAM willfully disobeyed and DEATH entered into the world.
Now, we are under GRACE.
Psalm 51:5 says: “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.”
Every man by NATURE OF HIS BEING …
… & by consequence of his action …
… and even by construct of his very thoughts …
… is a SINNER …
Jesus said in Matthew 5:28: “… That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”
& SINNERS cannot INHERIT the KINGDOM OF GOD.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 says:
9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
Have you ever been DRUNK?
Have you ever STOLEN anything?
Have you committed FORNICATION?
Have you ever been a REVILER?
Then you are on your way to both HELL & the LAKE OF FIRE!
Revelation 21:8 reveals a further WITNESS against MEN: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Have you ever told A LIE?
You don’t have to be a habitual LIAR to go to HELL.
All you have to do is tell 1 SINGLE LIE in your entire lifetime!
Revelation 22:15 says: “For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.”
… The BIBLE even says that the “The thought of foolishness is sin” in PROVERBS 24:9.
So the Bible — the WORD OF GOD — reveals that NONE of us MEASURE UP to GOD’S HOLY STANDARDS.
That’s why EVERY PERSON who goes through the WHITE THRONE judgment …
… will be cast into the LAKE OF FIRE to suffer an ETERNITY of HELLFIRE …
Romans 3:10 plain tells us:
10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:
14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
15 Their feet are swift to shed blood:
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways:
17 And the way of peace have they not known:
18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.
This revelation is not exclusive to the NT.
Psalm 14:1-3 says:
1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
2 The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.
3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, said in Eccl. 7:20: “For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.”
So we have ESTABLISHED from GOD’S own WORD …
… “that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”, as Romans 3:23 also explains.
As I like to tell people when I’m SOUL WINNING …
“THAT’S THE BAD NEWS”!
THE BAD NEWS is that ALL HAVE SINNED …
… & none of us can possibly expect to MEASURE UP to GOD’S PERFECT STANDARD of HOLINESS …
& SO WHAT IS THE ANSWER?
… therefore we need a SUBSTITUTE to STAND for us in the JUDGMENT …
… someone who is willing to take our place and to be JUDGED instead of us …
… THIS IS CALLED the VICARIOUS or SUBSTITUTIONARY ATONEMENT …
IF SOMEONE ELSE who is 100% JUST
& 100% HOLY
& 100% RIGHTEOUS
& 100% TRUTHFUL
& 100% PERFECT
& 100% GOOD …
… could take our place @ the JUDGMENT …
… TAKE YOUR PUNISHMENT ON HIMSELF …
… SUFFER the PENALTY ON YOUR BEHALF …
… & Then IMPUTE that RIGHTEOUSNESS & PERFECTION & GOODNESS & HOLINESS unto you …
… then the Bible says GOD would accept such an ACT of GRACE & MERCY on our behalf.
But is there such a PERSON?
Who but GOD HIMSELF would possibly be QUALIFIED to make such ATONEMENT?
2 Corinthians 5:21 says: “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
This is what the LORD JESUS did for us.
Hebrews 2:9 says: “… that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”
Ephesians 5:2 says that: “… Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God …”
& 1 Peter 2:24 says: “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”
But what makes JESUS qualified to be able do such a thing?
What does the DEATH of a MAN who lived 2,000 years ago have to do with my SALVATION?
What if that MAN was not just a MAN …
What if that MAN was God Himself come in the flesh?
To understand how this could be possible …
… it helps to know a little bit about the DOCTRINE of the TRINITY & …
… the INCARNATION OF GOD.
It’s not a requirement for salvation to understand every JOT & TITTLE of these doctrines …
… but it’s important to understand that JESUS IS GOD …
… which is why He is QUALIFIED to be your SUBSTITUTE @ the JUDGMENT.
The single-most direct passage on the TRIUNE NATURE of GOD, says: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one” (1 John 5:7).
How are these 3 ONE?
In the book of Deuteronomy, there is a verse that every little JEWISH boy & girl had to MEMORIZE & RECITE DAILY …
… from the moment they could speak.
& ADULTS would recite this VERSE as the CENTER-PIECE of their MORNING & EVENING PRAYERS …
In Hebrew, this was called the SHEMA YISRAEL.
SHEMA means, “HEAR” in English & YISRAEL is ISRAEL.
Literally, HEAR ISRAEL …
& The passage was DEUTERONOMY 6:4: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:”
It was hammered into every ISRAELITE that there is ONE GOD.
But as this verse was recited over & over again …
… the TRIUNE NATURE of GOD was also embedded within the VERSE itself.
HEAR, O ISRAEL: THE LORD (1), our GOD (2) is one LORD (3).
The name of God was mentioned 3 TIMES in a ROW …
… even as it was being proclaimed that GOD is ONE GOD.
This was perhaps veiled at the time to those reciting it; but it was nevertheless there.
God also gave ISRAEL hints of His triune nature in verse like Isaiah 6:3, which said: “… Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.”
This is repeated in the NT, in REV. 4:8: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.”
HOLY is repeated THRICE, alluding to the ONE GOD’s TRIUNE NATURE.
We even see a TRI-FOLD witness of the TRI-UNITY of GOD in the first book of the Bible, GENESIS.
ASIDE from the first verses where we see both God the Father, the Spirit, & the WORD actually present in the Creation …
… we also have passages like Genesis 1:26: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:”
Genesis 3:22 after MAN’S FALL: “And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil …”
& Genesis 11:7 at the TOWER OF BABEL, when God said: “Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language …”
In all such passages, God refers to Himself in the PLURAL.
Even GOD’S first revealed HEBREW NAME, ELOHIM which is GOD — is a PLURAL form of His name.
There are HINTS of the TRINITY throughout the OLD TESTAMENT …
… even pre-incarnate appearances of the WORD, VEFORE He was made flesh.
& so why is this IMPORTANT?
Why am I spending time explaining the TRI-UNE NATURE of GOD?
Because, the Bible says that ONE of the MEMBERS of the BLESSED TRINITY …
… was made FLESH & DIED in our STEAD.
AGAIN, 1 JOHN 5:7 says that there are THREE that bear record in HEAVEN …
THE FATHER, the WORD, & The HOLY GHOST.
It was the WORD – NOT THE FATHER, NOT THE SPIRIT — that was MADE FLESH in the PERSON of JESUS CHRIST.
John 1:1 says: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Notice that not only was the WORD GOD, but HE was WITH GOD —
again witnessing to the DISTINCTION between the PERSONS of the GODHEAD.
Further down in John 1:14 it says: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
Arguable the most famous Bible passage of all time, John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son [not the Father not the Spirit, but the SON], that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
God the FATHER sent GOD the WORD to become INCARNATE in the PERSON of HIS SON JESUS CHRIST.
He accomplished this by BEGETTING HIM by agency of the HOLY SPIRIT …
… through a MIRACULOUS VIRGIN BIRTH, through a blessed woman named, MARY.
… because of this unique arrangement, by the will of God …
JESUS was born a PERFECT MAN …
… without the SIN NATURE dwelling in Him.
In other words, in his humanity, He was exactly like ADAM before ADAM fell.
That’s why the Bible calls Jesus the “LAST ADAM” in 1 Corinthians 15:45.
THE WORD, which existed in the beginning, was BEGOTTEN 2,000 YEARS ago in the PERSON of JESUS CHRIST.
HE was BEGOTTEN as a PERFECT, SINLESS MAN;
He was FULLY GOD incarnate & fully MAN without the SIN NATURE.
Only in this way, could GOD Himself accomplish SALVATION FOR US …
… by having OUR SINS IMPUTED unto Him …
… & dying on the CROSS.
Matthew 1:18 tells us: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.”
In Luke 1:35, the ANGEL GABRIEL also told Mary, the mother of Jesus: “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”
Isaiah prophesied of this: “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).
Isaiah also prophesied of His first coming in Isaiah 9:6: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
Jesus lived a PERFECT LIFE …
… fulfill every aspect of the MOSAIC LAW …
… & was therefore the only one QUALIFIED to DIE in our place.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 says:
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
LET ME PUT IT ALL VERY SIMPLY.
In order to go to HEAVEN, you must:
(1) Believe that Jesus is God.
That He is the WORD made flesh.
(2) You must understand that you have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.
(3) That, as Romans 6:23 says, “THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH …”
This means not only the PHYSICAL DEATH, which is the FIRST DEATH …
… but also the SECOND DEATH, which is everlasting, conscious PUNISHMENT in the LAKE OF FIRE.
(4) You must BELIEVE that JESUS took the PENALTY of your sins upon Himself on the CROSS …
… that He DIED, was BURIED, & RESURRECTED on the THIRD DAY.
(5) & You must willingly receive HIM as your SAVIOR.
Hebrews 11:6 says: “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
SALVATION is by GRACE THROUGH FAITH ALONE.
Ephesians 2:8-9 says:
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
The Bible tells us that SALVATION is a FREE GIFT.
& if it is a FREE GIFT …
… then it cannot be EARNED by working for it or by obedience to the LAW.
Romans 5:15-21 says:
15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
17 For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
& that is exactly what we receive when we put our FAITH in the LORD JESUS CHRIST to save us:
EVERLASTING LIFE
By definition, EVERLASTING LIFE means LIFE that NEVER ENDS;
ONCE we PUT our TRUST in the LORD JESUS CHRIST to SAVE US …
We are IMPUTED CHRIST’S RIGHTEOUSNESS …
… & are BORN AGAIN as a NEW CREATION in CHRIST.
JESUS said to a PHARISEE named, NICODEMUS in JOHN 3:3: “… Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
… and again in John 3:5-7:
5 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
The WATER there is not the WATERS of BAPTISM …
… it is the WATER of the NATURAL BIRTH …
… Every is born physically once …
… but we must also be born spiritually.
This is what the BIBLE calls REGENERATION.
John 1:12-13 says:
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
BEING BORN AGAIN means that the HOLY SPIRIT regenerates or QUICKENS our once spiritually DEAD SOULS.
Ephesians 2:1 says: “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;”
Titus 3:5: “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”
When we BELIEVE in Jesus, we are SEALED by the HOLY SPIRIT of PROMISE:
Ephesians 1:13 says: “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,”
Ephesians 4:30 also says: “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”
When we receive Jesus as our SAVIOR …
… the HOLY SPIRIT not only SEALS US, as a promise of the ADOPTION & redemption of our souls …
… but also makes His dwelling with us.
1 Corinthians 3:16 says: “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”
& the NET result of all this is …
… that we RECEIVE LIFE EVERLASTING.
John 5:24 says: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”
We have EVERLASTING LIFE NOW in the PRESENT …
… & will be re-united with our glorified bodies @ the RESURRECTION.
John 3:36 also says: “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life …”
ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED.
There is NOTHING you can do to LOSE YOUR SALVATION.
The SUBSTUTIONARY BLOOD ATONEMENT of JESUS CHRIST …
… is ONCE FOR ALL.
Hebrews 10:4-10 says:
For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.
8 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
ONCE YOU PUT YOUR FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST …
You enter into the NEW COVENANT of HIS SHED BLOOD.
THIS COVENANT is a COVENANT of GRACE.
Romans 6:14 says: “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”
“And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work” (Romans 11:6).
Don’t let anyone tell you that salvation is by WORKS.
There are FALSE PROPHETS & APOSTATES out there who will try to steal the JOY of your SALVATION.
The Bible says in Romans 8:38-39:
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
& THAT’S THE GOSPEL —
ONCE SAVED, the Bible commands that you get WATER BAPTIZED …
… not as a means of SALVATION, but as the FIRST STEP towards OBEDIENCE & DISCIPLESHIP.
Matthew 28:19-20 says:
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.
START READING & STUDYING the BIBLE EVERY DAY & NIGHT …
… allowing the HOLY SPIRIT to GUIDE you into ALL TRUTH.
Psalm 1:1-3 says:
1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
FIND A GOOD CHURCH, seek fellowship, & become active in your local congregation.
Hebrews 10:23-25 says:
23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
& finally, be prepared to PREACH THE GOSPEL to the LOST.
SHARE WITH THEM what — or more accurately, WHO — SAVED YOU!
1 Peter 3:15 says: “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”
2 Timothy 4:2 says: “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.”
Philippians 4:7: “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”