The most important matter in our lives is where we will spend eternity. Most of us think about this from time to time, but because we don’t know where to start, push it to the back of our minds. In this article we will take a look at what the Bible has to say about eternity and how we can decide to spend it with a loving God in a place beyond our wildest dreams.
The Problem
Anyone who is honest with himself or herself will have to admit that we blow it at times. We hurt those we love, we are prone to selfishness, our temper gets the best of us sometimes. Some of us have commited big sins and others have lived pretty good lives. But the fact of the matter is that none of us gets it all right. The Bible hits the nail on the head when it says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23.
When God created us, he could have made us so that we couldn’t sin. We might think that the world would be a better place if he had done this. So why didn’t he do this? You see, above all else, God is a God of love. He loves us, and his desire is for us to love him and each other. In order to love, we need to have the choice not to love, because a forced love is not love at all. So the reason that we are able to sin is because God gave us a free will. It could be no other way.
This is the reason why God takes sin so seriously. Sin is what breaks this bond of love between him and us and between us and each other. Sin has made a mess of the world and our relationship with each other. It is for this reason that there is a severe penalty associated with sin. The bible says that “the wages of sin is death.” Romans 6:23. Before sin came into the world, animals and people did not die. Death did not exist. After Adam and Eve sinned however, physical death became reality. Even more significantly, a spiritual death also took place. There was now a separation between God and man. Sin caused this. This separation, if not dealt with, will result in an eternal separation from God in Hell.
This is the last thing that God wants to happen as we see in Ezekiel 18:23 “Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord GOD, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live?”. And because he wants us to spend eternity with him, in heaven, he made a way for our sins to be forgiven and the separation healed.
The Solution
Probably the most famous verse in the Bible is John 3:16 which says “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.” This verse tells us that the reason Jesus gave his life was so that we could be forgiven and that we would spend eternity with him.
So what does “believes in Him” mean? Does it mean that I believe Jesus existed and died on a cross? Well, thats part of it, but biblically, it means 3 things:
1. Acts 3:19 says “Repent… and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” The first thing we need to do is tell God (and mean it) that we are sorry for our sins.
2. Ephesians 2:8 says “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” The second thing that needs to be done is to accept God’s gift. We need to realize that it’s not the good things we do that get us to heaven (nothing we can do would ever earn a gift like that), but that it is the gift Jesus paid for when he died for us. If we could earn this by our good deeds then why did he have to die?
3. John 1:12 says “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:” Receiving Jesus in this context means that we make him the Lord (or ruler) of our lives. Realizing that he wants and knows what’s best for us, we say I will do the things you want me to do and go the places you want me to go.
What To Do
If you agree with the above three steps then you are ready to be forgiven and receive the gift of eternal life. You can do this by praying something like this:
Lord, I realize that I have blown it many times and have not lived the way I want to or how you have wanted me to. I’m ready to change. I know that I can’t earn eternal life by doing good, so I accept the gift Jesus paid for with his life. I want to live the way you want me to and accept Jesus into my life to help me do that. Thank you for your gift of eternal life.
If you have prayed that prayer (or something like it) and meant it, you now have eternal life! You can be assured that you will go to heaven when you die. You also have the Holy Spirit (A form of God himself) living inside of you, helping you to live life as it was meant to be lived. Jesus said that “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” John 10:10. In order to find out more about that abundant life, it is important that you find a good home church to attend. Ask the Lord to show you where he wants you to be. If you live in the Rochester area, we would love to get to know you and have you become a part of our family. If not, it is important to find a church where Jesus is the center and the Bible is taught.
May God bless you in this new life you have chosen. You are loved by God and by us.
