How To Get To Heaven

That question, asked of Paul and Silas while they were in prison, was very simple, and yet, heartfelt. The person asking the question was their jailer. The act of asking of the question indicates that the jailer knew that salvation existed. A great number of people do understand that salvation is available. Sadly many people do not.

What a good place to begin. "To be saved" or "salvation" means, very basically, what the words themselves mean. Think of it like struggling in a lake, unable to swim. Maybe you didn’t know how to swim, or you did something unwise, or dangerous, or it was just an accident. If you are saved, you obviously do not drown, and you live. The person who rescues you has to make a degree of sacrifice to do so. If you are genuinely grateful for the efforts of the one who saved you, you will become more responsible and change your life. You would learn to swim, or be more careful and safe, and use wisdom in your actions.

Salvation as used by Christians, means very much the same thing, except that you are saved from the penalty of sin. Before we go any further, let’s understand some basics.

The Scriptures, both the Old and the New Testaments, were inspired by God and God uses them to reveal to all mankind His rules of faith and conduct. As Christians, we believe that the Scriptures cannot contain any mistakes or inaccuracies, because God gave them to the various writers. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 states, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, (17) that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." NKJV) The Scriptures tell us salvation is available, and why, and how.

The one true God revealed Himself to us through the Scriptures as the eternally self-existent "I AM." (Exodus 3:14, " And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’" NKJV)

God is the Creator of heaven and earth (Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." NKJV) and is the Redeemer of mankind (Isaiah 43:11, " I, even I, am the LORD, And besides Me there is no savior." NKJV)

God exists as one Being of three persons, the Father (God), the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Ghost. (1 John 5:7, "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." NKJV) This is often referred to as the Trinity.

The Gospel of John refers to Jesus, the Son of God, as the Word of God. (John 1:1, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." NKJV) Jesus was the Son of God sent us, (John 1:14, "And the Word became 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. NKJV)

The Scriptures also point out why God sent Jesus to us. (John 3:16-18 "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. (17) For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. (18) He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." NKJV).

Jesus is our rescuer, our Savior and our Redeemer. We all know we sin. Whether you’ve ever read the Bible or not, you know it in your heart. It doesn’t matter if you’re the most prominent man of God or the worst mass murderer. We all sin. We all make mistakes. (Romans 3:23, " For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." NKJV) The Scriptures go even further. (1 John 1:10, "If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." NKJV)

Understand this, the Holy Spirit is not an "it" but a Person-the third person of what is often referred to as the Trinity. God’s spirit knows God’s thoughts; (1 Corinthians 2:11, "For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. NKJV).

The Holy Spirit convicts you of the sins you commit. (John 16:8, "And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: NKJV)

The Holy Spirit is also our teacher, to clarify what we have learned through preaching and studies. (John 16:13, "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. NKJV)

The Holy Spirit will pray through you during those times when you do not know what you should pray for or how to go about it. (Romans 8:26-27, "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. (27) Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. NKJV)

Living a life of sin means being apart from God. The Scriptures point out that the wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." NKJV)

The Scriptures also tell us that there will be a judgment. (2 Corinthians 5:10, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." NKJV)

But remember, the Scriptures tell us that God sent Jesus to us, to save us. Jesus took the punishment for us. He died on the cross at Calvary. (Romans 5:8, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." NKJV) Jesus was dead and buried, and arose on the third day. (I Corinthians 15:3-4, "For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: 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," NKJV) He sits at the right hand of God, and makes intercession for us. (Romans 8:34, "Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us." NKJV)

A key point to understand is that there is no other way to be saved. Salvation is available only in the name of Jesus. (Acts 4:12, "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." NKJV) Salvation also cannot be earned by being a "good" person or by doing good deeds, (Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast." NKJV)

Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we have the opportunity to be forgiven of our sins. (Romans 10:9-10, "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." NKJV)

Through that forgiveness of sins we are made sons and daughters of God. (2 Corinthians 6:18 "I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty." NKJV)

Of course this all brings us to the question that began it all. "What must I do to be saved?" That becomes relatively simple. The main question to be answered is, "What is in your heart?" Forgiveness of sins, and the salvation offered, is not merely speaking some words, or even getting baptized. Baptism is scripturally required after repenting and salvation. (Mark 16:16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." NKJV) It is the belief and repentance in your heart that allows for salvation. God knows your heart, and cannot be fooled. The Scripture mentioned before, Romans 10:9-10, says it all. You must believe in your heart.

If you do, then open your heart to God, wherever you are. You don’t need a church, and you don’t need any other help. Jesus is all the help you need. As an initial guidance, pray this prayer.

If you have prayed this prayer, we welcome you into the body of Christ. Please let us hear from you through email. You have begun a great journey. We urge you to seek out and attend a local church. Fellowship with other believers, as well as listening to preaching, is the "battery recharge" of your spiritual life. You cannot do it alone. Let the love of Christ within flow out into all of your life.

(Isaiah 55:6 "Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near." NKJV)