Good News

Where are YOU going?

We’re all going somewhere when this life ends, and there are only 2 possible destinies – one in heaven, one in hell. We don’t automatically get to go to heaven, contrary to popular opinion. We are actually born on our way to hell, and we MUST be saved.The Bible – God’s Word – shows us how we can know for certain where we will spend eternity. This message starts out with some bad news, but on the other side of that is the tremendous GOOD news.

First off, I must accept a holy God’s evaluation of me. When the prophet Isaiah saw God, he heard the angels cry out,

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts.” (Isaiah 6:3).

When considering if we will go to heaven, we usually compare ourselves to our own arbitrary standard, or to those around us (“I’m not as bad as him.”), but God’s standard is Himself – holy and completely perfect. We don’t measure up at all:

“For there is not a truly righteous man upon earth, who continually does good, and never sins.” (Ecclesiastes 7:20)

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

Even the supposedly “good” things we do are unacceptable to God. His Word states,

“All our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” (Isaiah 64:6b)

“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10)

So much for thinking that our goodness will get us “in good with God”! Clearly the Bible shows us there is nothing we can do to achieve salvation. What we deserve for our sins is death:

“For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a)

Death in the Bible always speaks of separation – and because of sin, eventually there will be separation from God for all eternity in the lake of fire. As sinners, we are bound for hell. This is truly bad news.

The gospel (GOOD news) of grace centers in what Jesus Christ accomplished for us on the cross of Calvary. God saw us in our hopeless, helpless state, and in infinite love and mercy, sent his own Son to Earth to save us.  God’s justice demanded the punishment of death, and Jesus Christ, the perfect God who became man, died in our place, taking the penalty we justly deserved.

“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

“By this we know love, that He laid down His life for us” (1 John 3:16a)

His sacrifice for our sins paid our debt in full. He died for all sins for all men for all time, satisfying God’s holy demands completely. And thanks be to God – He did not stay dead but rose again, conquering death!

“We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him.” (Romans 6:10)

What amazing love! What awesome grace! Now all that is left is for us to believe eternal salvation and life is a gift apart from religious works. Since Christ fully paid for our sins when He died, what sins remain to be paid for by our good works? None! Salvation is not a reward for good people, it is the gift of God for sinners who trust in Jesus Christ alone.

“The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23b)

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31a)

“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.” (John 3:16)

Think for a moment: if we could get to heaven by living a moral life, trying to keep the Ten Commandments, being baptized, going to church, praying the sinner’s prayer, etc., why would Jesus Christ have to die for us and our sins? His death would have been for nothing!

“But to the one who does not work but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.” (Romans 4:5)

Good works are to be the result of salvation, they are never the means to be saved (or even to stay saved).  We must simply rest by faith in God’s promise and assurance. God’s free salvation is personally received through an act of childlike faith in Jesus Christ alone to be our Savior.

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe on His name.” (John 1:12)

Once we’ve believed, we don’t have to wonder any more about our eternal destiny. Read God’s promise to the one who transfers their faith from their works to Christ’s finished work for them:

“And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:11-13)

Do you know for sure where you will spend eternity? That verse says that you can know, beyond a shadow of a doubt. God is offering to you the free gift of eternal life on the basis of His amazing grace (His undeserved favor).  However, this available salvation is of no personal value to you until you receive it through trusting in Christ alone. While you may have seen before that faith in Christ was necessary for salvation, do you see how that FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE is enough? Jesus Christ’s last words on the cross were…

“It is finished [paid in full]” (John 19:30).

There’s nothing left for us sinners to do but believe. And the moment we do, our everlasting destiny changes from the hell we deserve to the heaven we don’t. And because our salvation is eternal, there’s no way we can lose it. Eternal means just that – eternal! Jesus Himself affirms this eternal security when He says:

“I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” (John 10:28-29)

Don’t wait another minute – you never know when your life here on earth may end. Rest from your striving, place your trust in the work and promise of Jesus, and you will be saved!

Questions? Feel free to ask in the comment section below.