Where will you go?
Have you ever thought about where you will go one day after this life is over? We have all seen the cartoons with an angel and a devil on the characters shoulder, the angel yelling good things into one ear and the little devil yelling bad things into the other ear, leaving the character with a choice to make. Even with a silly illustration like this, there is truth. There is a heaven and hell and we get to choose where to go.
God allows us to know where we are going. You don't have to guess. You can know for sure!
1 John 5:13 says, I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
So there is a simple question that remains, how? Is it something I have to work for or do? Do I need to be a good person? Really, what does it boil down to?
There is a problem...
- Understand the problem (...and it's a big one!) at hand. We are all sinners...
Romans 3:23 says, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;
- Understand there is a price for our sin...
Romans 6:23a says, For the wages of sin is death...
Because we are born as sinners into this world, our destination is hell because of the wicked, sinful nature of our hearts.
Ok, so you may say, "All I've heard is bad news so far. Is there any good news?" I'm glad you asked, there is indeed!
There is a solution...
Remember the last verse? It sure doesn't sound like there is good news does it? But wait, there's more!
Romans 6:23b says, ...but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
There is a gift that will pay for our wages of death! Still don't see it? Read on!
Romans 5:8 says, But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
That's right, the ultimate price was was paid for by Jesus Christ dying on the cross for us. He replaced us on the cross. We are the ones that deserved to be nailed to the cross for our sins, but God said, "NO!" and substituted his only Son for us.
John 3:16 says, For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
What do I have to do?
With the understanding that you are a sinner, you simply must confess your sins to Jesus and ask him to be the King and Lord of your life. You need to commit to turn from the sin in your life, confess it to Jesus, and live for Him.
Romans 10:13 says, For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Call on the name of the Lord and be saved! If we believe and confess our sin, we will be saved.
Romans 10:9-10 says, If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.
Salvation is really this simple. There are no gotchas, it's just faith in Jesus Christ alone. No works, you can't earn your way to heaven. If you've done this and truly believe, you are now a follower of Jesus. Go and live for him!
Is there anything else?
If you have accepted Christ, then you should find a good Bible believing church in your area to join, be baptized, grow, and serve Jesus together. You can find a list of churches in your area here. I'm excited for you and hope that you have found that Jesus will fill the hole and void missing in your life!