Have you ever been so lost you were not sure where you were, or how you got there? I have! The more roads I took, the further away from my destination I got. All I knew to do was try to backtrack my steps until I could find a place that looked familiar. That is difficult when you’ve gone in circles and took each road you came to, hoping it would miraculously lead you were supposed to be. That is much like the world tries to get to Heaven. Multitudes believe there is a Heaven, but are not sure how to get there. They understand that mankind sinned causing a separation between God and man, but they don’t know how to return to the state of mankind before Adam and Eve sinned.
Many believe that if you are baptized, and go through some ritual, some ceremony, you can find favor with God and you will be allowed to enter Heaven when you die. Some are so certain this is the way to Heaven that they have their babies baptized. They are seeking to secure their entrance to Heaven as young as they possibly can. This may sound good, and make them feel good since baptism is a spiritual exercise, but it is not enough to turn God’s wrath away from mankind.
Some join a church and think because their name is recorded on the church role they are now registered in the book of life in Heaven. Some attend church services regularly and perform good deeds for those in need. Others depend on the word of some man to give them the assurance they are right with God. They believe he can absolve their sins.
Others believe that because God is love that He could not send anyone to Hell. This is another false belief. God is the God of love, and He is proclaimed throughout scripture as the God of love. In I John 4:8, it is stated that God is love. His love is so great He gave His Son to pay the penalty for our sins. While His payment is available to all, it is only applied to those who meet God’s conditions of salvation. Because of His holiness, the sin debt had to be paid. Because of His holiness, He could not be in the presence of sin, therefore sin could not enter Heaven. His love made a way for us, but His love is not enough to allow everyone into Heaven.
I John 4:8 “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”
While each of these situations may have merit on their own, they are not a way to Heaven. All mankind has sinned, and therefore we are guilty. The only way to return to the path that leads to Heaven is to follow the map that God himself drew for us.
We must first admit that we are a sinner. Romans 3:23 makes it clear that everyone is deficient when it comes to meeting the qualifications God has set for obtaining Heaven. On our own merit, we fail miserably.
Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
We all know there are consequences for every action we take. Sometimes they are good and at other times they are bad. Romans 6:23 teaches us that death is the penalty for our sins. Our wages are what we deserve for our actions. This is not talking about the physical death we all will face unless Jesus comes back first. It is referring to the opposite of eternal life mentioned in the next section of the verse. It is referring to eternal death in Hell. This is not a death where we will cease to exist, but it is a punishment that will last forever. We are created in the image of God and we will live eternally somewhere. We can get what we deserve and spend that eternity in Hell with the devil and his angels, or we can spend it in Heaven with God. He offers us that opportunity if we will follow His map.
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
The love we were talking about earlier, is not just a feeling that God has toward us. Feelings that are true bring forth actions. When you love someone, you want to show them how you feel. That’s exactly what God did for us. In Romans 5:8, the word “commendeth” means He demonstrated. The sacrifice of His perfect Son was a demonstration of His great love for us. He took the penalty for all who would place their faith in Him and obey. His holiness would not allow Him to live forever in the presence of sin, so His love made a way.
Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
This road that leads to salvation is a one-way street. We all must come the same way, whether rich, poor, educated, ignorant, black, white, or red, everyone must come through Jesus. We must confess that we believe Jesus is Lord and repent of our sins. To repent means to turn away from. It is a military term that means to do an about-face. It is not enough to just say you believe, you must put what you say you believe into action. Turn away from your sins and turn to God. For those who continue until they die, they will experience a full return to a state of perfection that Adam and Eve had when God created them. When we reach heaven, we will live forever in sinless perfection with God.
John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
Romans 10:9-10 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
Once we have repented of our sin and surrendered to Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we should be baptized, get involved in a good Bible believing church, and perform good works, but those are not what saves us. However, they are evidence that what we say we believe is real.
Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
If you already have accepted Jesus as your Savior, but seem to have lost your way, now is the time to return to where you began your walk with Him. He will forgive if we confess and forsake our sins.
I John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
