Expert: Scott Talbot - 10/28/2007

Question
How does a person get to heaven?

Answer
Hi An,

You could not possibly ask a better question! This is the most important issue we can address in our lifetimes.

When God created us, He wanted to have a personal relationship with us. Rather than making us robots, He gave us a free will so that we could choose to love Him. However, that choice also allowed us to reject God, which we did.

It began when Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, broke God's rules and introduced sin into the world. This alienated them, and the entire human race, from God, and from that close personal relationship they once enjoyed with Him. (See Genesis 1-3.)

We are all born sinners by nature. We also all choose to sin, and so we become sinners by choice, and by our actions. Romans 3:23 tells us, "All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God."

God is a God of love, and He is also a God of perfect holiness. He cannot tolerate disobedience or any impurity. Because of our sin, we are condemned to eternity apart from God. Romans 6:23a says, "The wages of sin are death ...." This includes both eventualy physical death, as well as spiritual death--alienation from God.

But that verse does not end there. The verse goes on to say, "The wages of sin are death, BUT the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ His Son." God came to earth in the form of a man--Jesus Christ. He lived a perfect, sinless life. Then He willingly served our death sentence for us by dying in our place when He was crucified on the cross.

There is nothing we can do to save ourselves. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "By grace you are saved, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast." And Titus 3:5 tells us, "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 Spirit."

We cannot save ourselves. But Jesus can. Through His death, He offers to all the gift of salvation. All we need to do is reach out and accept it. Romans 10:9-13 tells us how: "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. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scdripture says, 'Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.' ... Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'"

John 1:12 puts it simply: "As many as received Him [Jesus Christ], to them He has given the authority to become the children of God, even to them that believe in His name."

Have you accepted this free gift of salvation? Have you placed your faith and trust in Jesus Christ to save you? Only He can do it. We cannot do it ourselves. If you haven't why not do it right now.

I will be happy to continue this discussion with you, if you have further questions or would like to talk more.

Scott