This is an article that I wote specifically for our Literature Table at the weekly Flea Market.
So, You Think That You Are Going to Heaven?
Are You Sure ???
The are many religions and professing Christian denominations, local assemblies, and individuals who believe they are going to heaven. The Watchtower Tract Society (aka Jehovah’s Witnesses) think they are the only ones going to Heaven, the Latter Day Saints (aka Mormons) think they are the only ones going to Heaven, the Roman Catholic Church thinks that they are the only ones going to Heaven unless someone has “invincible ignorance,” and a host of professing Christians from various denominations and groups that think their good works will help them get to Heaven. Do you think that you are going to Heaven? If so, are you sure? What do you base it on? Does it line up with the word of God, the bible?
The Narrow Way: The Person and Work of Christ Alone
Jesus Himself said in Jn.14:6 “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” The Apostle Peter also said about Jesus in Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” So, trusting in Jesus Christ the God-man and His sacrificial death and bodily resurrection with a repentant faith is the only way to Heaven, or Jesus and Peter were liars or lunatics. But something must happen first by God, then by the person, before he/she will trust in the Person and Work of Christ with a repentant faith.
Cheap Easy Believism Doesn’t Save, It Deceives
Today many think they are leading people to Christ by emotional manipulation, activities, programs, telling them to just ask Jesus into their heart, and trying to get them to say the sinner’s prayer, without dealing with the issue for which Christ died: SIN! Unless a person realizes how sinful they are, they will not rightly understand the biblical gospel of Christ’s perfect righteous life, suffering, shed blood, death, and resurrection as the sole means of their salvation. However no one will be able to receive these spiritual things unless God through His Holy Spirit takes away the heart of stone because we are born dead in sins and trespasses (Ezek. 36:26; Eph.2:1-3; Col.2:13) and changes our nature by giving us a heart of flesh as He makes us alive through regeneration/new birth (1Cor.2:14; Ezek.36:26; Eph.2:4-5; Col.2:13; Tit.3:4-5; Jn.1:12-13; 3:3-8) using His word as the means to accomplish this (Rom.1:16; 10:17; Jam.1:18; 1Pet.1:23). When this happens, the person realizes that they have sinned against the holy and just God because they now know they have not been able to keep His laws and commandments (Lev.11:44; Is. 6:3; 1Pet.1:16; Rev.4:8; Ecc.7:20; Ps.14:2-3; Rom.3:10-12, 20,23,28; Gal. 3:22), and therefore flee to Christ and trust in Him and His sufficient sacrifice and resurrection with a repentant faith for their salvation from the penalty, power, and one day presence from sin (Acts 3:19; 17:30; 20:21; 26:20; Rom. 4; 5; 6; 10:9-13; Jn.3:16-18, 36; 5:24; 1Cor.15:1-4; Eph.2:8-9).
But God doesn’t stop there. Certainly a person is justified (declared righteous by the righteousness and blood/death of Christ) and saved once they are made alive through the new birth and believe. But they are also sanctified (set apart to God)/made holy and changed (1Cor.6:9-11; 2Cor.5:17). This is both positional and progressive as they grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ (2Pet.3:18). The new Christian now hates sin and desires to obey God through His word. He will no longer sin as a way of life, and will repent when he/she commits an act of sin (Mt.7:21-23; 1Jn.2:4; 3:9; 2Cor.7:9-10).
In other words, while good works, obeying the word of God, and a correct understanding of essential biblical doctrines does not save or help save a person, or keeps them saved, they are evidence, proof and the result of someone who was born again and saved. The following is what a born again Christian will believe and do as a result of their salvation, not the cause:
1. Believe in the deity, virgin birth and sinlessness of Christ. [1]
2. Believe that God is One God yet three co-eternal, co-equal Persons known as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
All three are distinct yet one God. They were never a man and have always been eternal God. [2]
3. Believe in the sufficiency of Christ’s perfect life, sacrifice and bodily resurrection from the grave. [3]
4. Believe that salvation from Hell to Heaven is by grace through faith alone in Christ alone. [4]
5. Believe the bible is the word of God, the 66 books from Genesis 1:1 through Revelation 22:21. [5]
6. Believe in the reality of Satan and the Lake of Fire, and that the Lake of Fire is forever and where all those
who are not born again and trusting in the person & work of Christ with a repentant faith will be eternally. [6]
7. Desire to read, study and obey the word of God both in and out of the church assembly. [7]
8. Desire to regularly worship, serve, and fellowship in a bible centered church that believes these things. [8]
9. Hates sin, repents when they do sin, and does not practice sin as a way of life regardless of the sin. [9]
10. Speaks the truth in love, and has a biblical love for one another. [10]
11. Was water baptized and regularly participates in the Lord’s Supper through the local church. [11]
12. Believe in the literal, physical second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His people. [12]
13. Believe in a literal bodily resurrection of all people. Of Christians to eternal life in Heaven, and unbelievers
to eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire. [13]
1. Jn.1:1-3,14; 8:56-59 Heb.1:1-3; 1Jn.5:20; Mt.1:18-25; Lk.1:26-35; 2Cor.5:21; 1Tim.3:16; Heb.4:15; 7:26; 1Pet.2:22; 1Jn.3:5
2. 1Tim.3:16; Rom.8:9; Gal.4:6; Mt.28:19; Acts 5:1-4; Jn.1:1-3; 8:56-59; Heb.1:1-3; 1Jn.5:20
3. Mt.1:21; 20:28; 26:28; Lk.1:67-68; Acts 20:28; Heb.9:12,28; Jn.10:11,15; Eph.5:25; 1Cor.15:3-4; Rom.8:34; 10:9-10; 1Cor.15:12-20; 1Pet.1:21
4. Eph.2:1-9; Tit.3:3-7; Rom.4:1-5,25; 5:1-2, 8-11
5. 2Tim.3:16-17; 2Pet.1:20-21; 3:15-16
6. Mt.25:41,46; 2Th.1:8-9; Rev.20:1-15; 21:8
7. Ps.119:11, 2Tim.2:15; 1Pet.2:2
8. Heb.10:24-25; Jn.4:23-24
9. Ps.101:3; 119:104; 2Cor.7:9-10; Mt.3:8; 7:21-23; Lk.3:8; Acts 26:20; 1Cor.6:9-11; Gal.5:19-23; 1Jn.2:4; 3:9
10. Eph.4:15; Jn.13:34-35; 1Th.4:9-10; 1Jn.4:7-11
11. Acts 2:37-39; 8:36-38; 16:31-34; Mt.26:26-28; Lk.22:17-20; 1Cor.11:23-32
12. Jn.14:1-3; Acts 1:9-11; 1Th.4:13-5:11; Heb.9:28; Rev.19:11-21
13. Jn.5:28-29; Acts 24:14-15; 1Cor.15:12-23 1Th.4:13-18; Rev. 20:1-6
Again, good works and obedience to the Lord’s commands do not justify and save anyone. They are not
meritorious in any way. But as Jam. 2:14-26 teaches, they are the very essence and evidence of a living, saving faith. I’m reminded of Phlp.1:6 which says: “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” All the glory goes to God for saving us, keeping us, and enabling us to obey Him and His word. We as God’s people were created and redeemed to worship and enjoy Him forever. But there is evidence when someone is regenerated and saved. They are a new creature. Old things have passed away and new things have come (2Cor.5:17).
So, whether it is doctrinal and gospel evidence, or the practical evidence of fruit of the Spirit and good works, I hope you are a Christian in the true, biblical sense. And I hope that you are sure. As the Apostle John was getting ready to close his first letter after giving six proofs of the Christian life, he said in 1Jn.5:13 “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.” May the Lord be pleased to use this article to convict hearts and give assurance where needed.
Bret M. Lovitz, Pastor-Elder
Grace Fellowship of Mountain Home
www.gracefellowshipmh.org
PesterBrat@aol.com
208-832-4410
So, You Think That You Are Going to Heaven?
Are You Sure ???
The are many religions and professing Christian denominations, local assemblies, and individuals who believe they are going to heaven. The Watchtower Tract Society (aka Jehovah’s Witnesses) think they are the only ones going to Heaven, the Latter Day Saints (aka Mormons) think they are the only ones going to Heaven, the Roman Catholic Church thinks that they are the only ones going to Heaven unless someone has “invincible ignorance,” and a host of professing Christians from various denominations and groups that think their good works will help them get to Heaven. Do you think that you are going to Heaven? If so, are you sure? What do you base it on? Does it line up with the word of God, the bible?
The Narrow Way: The Person and Work of Christ Alone
Jesus Himself said in Jn.14:6 “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” The Apostle Peter also said about Jesus in Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” So, trusting in Jesus Christ the God-man and His sacrificial death and bodily resurrection with a repentant faith is the only way to Heaven, or Jesus and Peter were liars or lunatics. But something must happen first by God, then by the person, before he/she will trust in the Person and Work of Christ with a repentant faith.
Cheap Easy Believism Doesn’t Save, It Deceives
Today many think they are leading people to Christ by emotional manipulation, activities, programs, telling them to just ask Jesus into their heart, and trying to get them to say the sinner’s prayer, without dealing with the issue for which Christ died: SIN! Unless a person realizes how sinful they are, they will not rightly understand the biblical gospel of Christ’s perfect righteous life, suffering, shed blood, death, and resurrection as the sole means of their salvation. However no one will be able to receive these spiritual things unless God through His Holy Spirit takes away the heart of stone because we are born dead in sins and trespasses (Ezek. 36:26; Eph.2:1-3; Col.2:13) and changes our nature by giving us a heart of flesh as He makes us alive through regeneration/new birth (1Cor.2:14; Ezek.36:26; Eph.2:4-5; Col.2:13; Tit.3:4-5; Jn.1:12-13; 3:3-8) using His word as the means to accomplish this (Rom.1:16; 10:17; Jam.1:18; 1Pet.1:23). When this happens, the person realizes that they have sinned against the holy and just God because they now know they have not been able to keep His laws and commandments (Lev.11:44; Is. 6:3; 1Pet.1:16; Rev.4:8; Ecc.7:20; Ps.14:2-3; Rom.3:10-12, 20,23,28; Gal. 3:22), and therefore flee to Christ and trust in Him and His sufficient sacrifice and resurrection with a repentant faith for their salvation from the penalty, power, and one day presence from sin (Acts 3:19; 17:30; 20:21; 26:20; Rom. 4; 5; 6; 10:9-13; Jn.3:16-18, 36; 5:24; 1Cor.15:1-4; Eph.2:8-9).
But God doesn’t stop there. Certainly a person is justified (declared righteous by the righteousness and blood/death of Christ) and saved once they are made alive through the new birth and believe. But they are also sanctified (set apart to God)/made holy and changed (1Cor.6:9-11; 2Cor.5:17). This is both positional and progressive as they grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ (2Pet.3:18). The new Christian now hates sin and desires to obey God through His word. He will no longer sin as a way of life, and will repent when he/she commits an act of sin (Mt.7:21-23; 1Jn.2:4; 3:9; 2Cor.7:9-10).
In other words, while good works, obeying the word of God, and a correct understanding of essential biblical doctrines does not save or help save a person, or keeps them saved, they are evidence, proof and the result of someone who was born again and saved. The following is what a born again Christian will believe and do as a result of their salvation, not the cause:
1. Believe in the deity, virgin birth and sinlessness of Christ. [1]
2. Believe that God is One God yet three co-eternal, co-equal Persons known as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
All three are distinct yet one God. They were never a man and have always been eternal God. [2]
3. Believe in the sufficiency of Christ’s perfect life, sacrifice and bodily resurrection from the grave. [3]
4. Believe that salvation from Hell to Heaven is by grace through faith alone in Christ alone. [4]
5. Believe the bible is the word of God, the 66 books from Genesis 1:1 through Revelation 22:21. [5]
6. Believe in the reality of Satan and the Lake of Fire, and that the Lake of Fire is forever and where all those
who are not born again and trusting in the person & work of Christ with a repentant faith will be eternally. [6]
7. Desire to read, study and obey the word of God both in and out of the church assembly. [7]
8. Desire to regularly worship, serve, and fellowship in a bible centered church that believes these things. [8]
9. Hates sin, repents when they do sin, and does not practice sin as a way of life regardless of the sin. [9]
10. Speaks the truth in love, and has a biblical love for one another. [10]
11. Was water baptized and regularly participates in the Lord’s Supper through the local church. [11]
12. Believe in the literal, physical second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His people. [12]
13. Believe in a literal bodily resurrection of all people. Of Christians to eternal life in Heaven, and unbelievers
to eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire. [13]
1. Jn.1:1-3,14; 8:56-59 Heb.1:1-3; 1Jn.5:20; Mt.1:18-25; Lk.1:26-35; 2Cor.5:21; 1Tim.3:16; Heb.4:15; 7:26; 1Pet.2:22; 1Jn.3:5
2. 1Tim.3:16; Rom.8:9; Gal.4:6; Mt.28:19; Acts 5:1-4; Jn.1:1-3; 8:56-59; Heb.1:1-3; 1Jn.5:20
3. Mt.1:21; 20:28; 26:28; Lk.1:67-68; Acts 20:28; Heb.9:12,28; Jn.10:11,15; Eph.5:25; 1Cor.15:3-4; Rom.8:34; 10:9-10; 1Cor.15:12-20; 1Pet.1:21
4. Eph.2:1-9; Tit.3:3-7; Rom.4:1-5,25; 5:1-2, 8-11
5. 2Tim.3:16-17; 2Pet.1:20-21; 3:15-16
6. Mt.25:41,46; 2Th.1:8-9; Rev.20:1-15; 21:8
7. Ps.119:11, 2Tim.2:15; 1Pet.2:2
8. Heb.10:24-25; Jn.4:23-24
9. Ps.101:3; 119:104; 2Cor.7:9-10; Mt.3:8; 7:21-23; Lk.3:8; Acts 26:20; 1Cor.6:9-11; Gal.5:19-23; 1Jn.2:4; 3:9
10. Eph.4:15; Jn.13:34-35; 1Th.4:9-10; 1Jn.4:7-11
11. Acts 2:37-39; 8:36-38; 16:31-34; Mt.26:26-28; Lk.22:17-20; 1Cor.11:23-32
12. Jn.14:1-3; Acts 1:9-11; 1Th.4:13-5:11; Heb.9:28; Rev.19:11-21
13. Jn.5:28-29; Acts 24:14-15; 1Cor.15:12-23 1Th.4:13-18; Rev. 20:1-6
Again, good works and obedience to the Lord’s commands do not justify and save anyone. They are not
meritorious in any way. But as Jam. 2:14-26 teaches, they are the very essence and evidence of a living, saving faith. I’m reminded of Phlp.1:6 which says: “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” All the glory goes to God for saving us, keeping us, and enabling us to obey Him and His word. We as God’s people were created and redeemed to worship and enjoy Him forever. But there is evidence when someone is regenerated and saved. They are a new creature. Old things have passed away and new things have come (2Cor.5:17).
So, whether it is doctrinal and gospel evidence, or the practical evidence of fruit of the Spirit and good works, I hope you are a Christian in the true, biblical sense. And I hope that you are sure. As the Apostle John was getting ready to close his first letter after giving six proofs of the Christian life, he said in 1Jn.5:13 “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.” May the Lord be pleased to use this article to convict hearts and give assurance where needed.
Bret M. Lovitz, Pastor-Elder
Grace Fellowship of Mountain Home
www.gracefellowshipmh.org
PesterBrat@aol.com
208-832-4410
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