So how do you know where you’ll spend eternity?

Question

A “wise” man once said, “Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get!” You know, he was right. You just never know what you’re going to get in life. But there’s more to our existence than just this life on earth. What about eternity? We can all afford to make mistakes in this life, but when it comes to our eternal destination, none of us can afford to be wrong! So how do you know where you’ll spend eternity? You can find out by asking yourself if you have kept God’s moral Law, the Ten Commandments: Have you ever told a lie? (White lies, half truths, and exaggerations are still lies.) Have you ever stolen anything? (The value is irrelevant.) Have you ever taken God’s name in vain? That’s called blasphemy. Have you ever looked at another person with lustful desires? Jesus said, “Anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). If you have done these things, then God sees you as a lying, thieving, blasphemous, adulterer-at-heart. What will you say on Judgment Day? Your conscience confirms that you are guilty. If you are found guilty of breaking God’s Laws, your punishment will be eternity in Hell. Does that concern you? It should. There is good news, though! God became man in the person of Jesus Christ, who came to this earth to suffer and take God’s wrath for your sin upon Himself. He suffered and died on a cross, taking your punishment. You broke God’s Law, and Jesus paid your fine! That’s God’s gift to you! You cannot earn a gift—you can only accept it with gratitude. In order to accept this gift, God commands you to repent (turn from your sins) and place your faith in Jesus Christ alone to save you. Please do that today; you may not have tomorrow. When you do, your eternal destination will be certain—Heaven. Nothing could be sweeter!

Answer 1

An old proverb quoted by Theodore Roosevelt saild "speak softly and carry a big stick", not "shout and beat people with the stick". What you said was basically correct but you focused too much on the "bad news" and not enough on the "good news".

I know I will spend eternity in heaven because I believe God's promise through Jesus that, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you". I believe that Jesus died for my sins and for the sins of everyone else, therefore, all that "bad news" about the eternal consequences of sin (death, hell, whatever) is irrelevant! All have sinned and sin certainly doesn't end when you accept the grace of God through Jesus! Jesus paid the eternal consequences but I still have to live with the earthly consequences of sin...and I certainly won't "store up any rewards" in heaven if I choose to continue disobeying God. When you read all the "laws" in bible (OT and NT) in light of that, they become a set of instructions for living life on earth to the fullest and earning treasures you CAN take with you when you go! God is still working on me and I still disobey and suffer earthly consequences...I just thankful that Jesus made it possible for me to only worry about learning from those earthly consequences.

Answer 2

All very nice, but what is the point of preaching to the nonbelievers with the specifics of your religion when they don't believe in your God in the first place? Threats of impending doom don't convince anyone to change, either. It's that kind of silly talk that was a major factor in chasing most of the people away. If you can convince me that your God even exists, you'd have a better chance of getting me to listen to your lessons. As it is now, everything you say is meaningless. I don't know how people can keep from losing their marbles believing that their every move is being watched and judged by some Big guy in the sky. I'm paranoid enough without that.

Answer 3

Ok I just read the whole thing. Wow. And how do I know what you say is right? How do I know if another religion is the correct religion. How can you be so certain about your eternity? Do you ever have doubts? I am not trying to be rude,just asking. I have gone to church a few times and never felt what others say they feel in church. I have met many Christians that are more judgemental and rude than non believers! Just wondering how you can be so certain that you are right and others are not!

Answer 4

How do I know if I've "repented" enough from my sins to be saved?

See, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 just tells me to believe. And when "repent" is said by Jesus or Peter, it is in context of repenting from disbelief, not from sin.

So please answer my question, how do I know when I've "repented" from sin enough? When I'm sinless? Can't be that, the Bible says that if we say we have no sin, we lie.

So tell me please, when have I "repented" enough to be saved, according to what you say here?

Answer 5

I'm going to Heaven,of course. There have been many times that I have sinned and came short of his glory, but he loved me through it all. What a guy!!!!!!!!

Answer 6

i agree..... i got saved not too long ago and now i feel peace and know that when i do im going to Heaven