What must we do with life to get to heaven and steer clear of hell?
2007-03-16 18:58:53 · 15 answers · asked by lee f 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
You must have your sins paid for. No one will ever enter the presence of a perfectly, Holy and Righteous God with sin on the account. That's why Chjrist died on the cross, namely to pay for the sins of the world.
Christianity is not a works religion like all the rest of the religions. It's not a bunch of rules and regulations and do's and don'ts and if you do more of the good deeds than the bad deeds then you go to heaven and if you're heavy on the bad deeds then you go to hell and God just sort of grades on a curve. Good deeds(according to the bible) can never get anyone to heaven. Only sinless perfection gets a person to heaven(not practically but legally). But that is no longer impossible since Christ has paid for our sins. From a legal standpoint we are perfect because every sin we ever have committed or ever will commit has been paid for by Christ. The only real question is will you accept what He has done for you on the cross. Christianity, unlike all the other religions is a supernatural religion. It says that if you acknowledge that you are a sinner and need a savior and you accept what Jesus did for you on the cross as your savior and ask Him to come into your heart, He will come into your heart. Also, He sends the Holy Spirit to live inside you. He gives you spiritual life so that you can have a personal relationship with God. In Christianity, God is not unknowable and distant and infinitely unapproachable. God wants to have a personal relationship with you. It is a dialogue. You speak to Him in prayer. He speaks back to you through His Word(The Bible) and also through your daily experiences. You come to know Him and trust Him in your daily walk. There also is assurance of eternal life, which is also unknown in other religions. 1John 5:13 says " I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may KNOW that you have eternal life". Notice that it says KNOW. It doesn't say think, hope or wish. What Christ did on the cross was to open the way to God to anyone who really wants it enough to turn their life over to Christ. 1Peter 3:18 says "For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might BRING US TO GOD, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit"; It is open to anyone. John3:16 says"For God so loved the WORLD, that He gave His only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life". Mathew 11:28-30 says "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
"Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and YOU SHALL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.
"For My yoke is easy, and My load is light."
The only question is "What do you think of Christ"(Mathew 22:42).
You'll hear that there are many ways to God. God says differently. Imagine that you're all alone at the bottom of a pit. The pit is miles deep but bearly wide enough for you to stand. It's sides are made of smoothe slippery glass with no handhold or foothold. Water is up to your chin and it's rising. Then a voice comes down to you from above the pit. God is calling, "I'm throwing down a rope....If you'll just trust me enough to grab and hang on, I'll pull you up!." Sure enough, there's the rope----right in front of you----just within your reach.
Jesus is the rope.
There isn't any other. He said so himself.
What does it mean to grab and hang on? It means to have faith in Jesus Christ as the one who paid the price of your sins and saves you. Faith is more than just head-belief. It means you stop trusting in all the things you trusted before and put your trust in Christ Jesus instead. It means that you admit that you are a hopeless sinner and that you can't get back to God on your own. It means that you say to the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, "Jesus, I'm sorry....Please forgive me....Make me right inside...Mess with me....Do whatever you have to....Don't stop until I'm the way you want me to be.....Help me to follow and obey you....I trust you, starting now".
You can't even mean such a prayer unless the Holy Spirit helps you, but He will. That's part of what He does. Start with the help He's given you already. What ever it is except it and ask for the help for the next step. If you aren't really sorry for your sins, at least be sorry that you are not sorry.....and ask and trust Him to make you sorry for the rest of your sins. If you don't really trust Him for your salvation, at least start wanting to trust Him...and ask and trust Him to enable you to trust Him more. If you don't want to let go of your old life. at least desire that He would help you to do so....and ask and trust Him to pry your fingers loose from your hold on that old life.
Go to this website:http://ww2.intouch.org/site/c.dhKHIXPKIuE/b.2264355/k.BE55/Home.htm ... It's Charles Stanleys'
website
If you click on Today on Radio and then click on Achives you can get all kinds of Audio messages. I think his archives go back to 2006. If you click on 'This week on TV' you can get recent broadcast(in streaming video) and if you look up on top you’ll see ‘broadcast’ which will have ’video archives’ and audio archives’. This is the christian answer to your problem, which I believe is the only answer. He talks about depression, fear, worry, guilt feelings, lack of meaning in your life, slavery to habits and many more things from the bibles perspective. He talks about God and how you can know Him in a personal way. The topics are all labeled so you can pick and choose what you want to listen to. Also, find yourself a church(I recommend one of the Calvary Chapels if there is one near you) but there are other good churches. Just find one that believes the word and teaches it verse by verse. God does Love you(John3:16).
2007-03-16 19:51:37 · answer #1 · answered by upsman 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
As both heaven and hell are Christian beliefs for the most part, I will answer as a Christian.
You would have to accept Jesus Christ as the only Son of God, repent of your sins (be sorry for them and decide to try your best not to continue in them) and open your heart to the Holy Spirit who will then become your supporter, comforter and life leader.
2007-03-16 19:04:44 · answer #2 · answered by Poohcat1 7 · 6⤊ 0⤋
Upsman's answer really explains it the way it is. The short answers are not wrong, but they're not helpful.
We can tell people all day long to have faith, to believe that Jesus is their savior, but that doesn't really tell anybody how to take that first step, then the second step. Upsman even tells you what to do if you find you have trouble with the first step.
If you're serious, print Upsman's answer and keep it handy.
God bless.
†
2007-03-17 00:08:40 · answer #3 · answered by cmw 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
There is no hell. Just be a good person, loving and understanding to have a happier life. Possibly to get to heaven sooner too.
2007-03-16 19:14:05 · answer #4 · answered by Rosalind S 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
even as ANTI-individuals and those who actually help the damnation of us of a for 20 entire years like Barack Hussein Obama definitely develop into between the proper options for president ...the place of work is now no longer fairly worth being called American! You and everybody right here on Y/A, even Bin weighted down himself have a danger to be president! astounding!
2016-11-26 01:22:50 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's not what you do exactly. You can be saved by grace through faith, which is a gift from God, and you can't be saved by works (that's basically what Ephesians 2:8-9 says). The first and most important thing is God's grace, God has mercy on all who choose to follow Him and His son, Jesus. Through this grace, all who choose to follow Him will live by faith which means you will trust God and do what He leads you to do. Finally, you don't get into heaven by out weighing your bad with good, we can't do enough good deeds to get into Heaven. We should do good to please God, and it also shows that our faith is real, but you can't be saved by good deeds. I hope that helps, God bless.
2007-03-16 19:14:37 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
God sent His Son to be your Savior (1 John 4:10)
The living Savior invites sinners to receive Him.
(Matthew 11:28)
Forgiveness of sins and salvation can be yours today. (1 Peter 3:18)
HOW CAN I BE SAVED?
*Agree with God that you are a lost sinner unable to save yourself. (Romans 5:8)
*Believe that Jesus Christ dies for your sins and ask Him to be your Savior. (John 1:12)
*Confess the Lord Jesus Christ before men. (Romans 10:9)
Read John 5:24
*Pray and ask Jesus to come into your heart and stay with you forever.
2007-03-16 19:13:16 · answer #7 · answered by tas211 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Don't you know!
If you ask, it means that He that created you is leading you to the truth.
You already know Lee. God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, God with Us, into the World for this very purpose.
Everything you need to know is written to you lee in God's Word. Just read it. It is sweet to the taste, but sour in your stomach. A Word to the wise.><>
2007-03-16 19:05:28 · answer #8 · answered by CEM 5 · 4⤊ 1⤋
The Bible says if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved.
Confess with your mouth means to tell other people what you believe
2007-03-16 19:04:56 · answer #9 · answered by Kye H 4 · 5⤊ 1⤋
repent for being a sinner, accept Jesus into your heart as your Lord and saviour. Ask for forgiveness, and mean it with all your heart
edit: great answer upsman, thanks for really explaining it.
2007-03-16 19:31:49 · answer #10 · answered by Sicily 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ask Jesus Christ to be your savior.To forgive you of your sins,and to clean your heart.
Then you need to find a church,read the Bible and pray.
This is very condensed.
E-MAIL me if you really want to know.<><
2007-03-16 19:03:14 · answer #11 · answered by funnana 6 · 6⤊ 2⤋