1 John 5 Lesson

How Do I Get To Heaven?

HOW DO I GET TO HEAVEN?

The most important question that anyone can ask themselves is:

  • “What must I do to be saved?” 

Another way to say that is:

This is the single, most important question that we can ask ourselves, and yet, how many of us are prepared to answer it? 

People have pondered this question for thousands of years! 

When Paul and Silas were in prison (Acts 16:30), the jailor asked them what he needed to do to be saved.   They answered him:

  • “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” – Acts 16:31.

Precisely! 

As Luke wrote in the Book of Acts:

  • “There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under Heaven that has been given among mankind by which we must be saved.” – Acts 4:12.

This leads to another question.

Is believing in Jesus the ONLY thing that we need to do to be saved? 

FIVE MATTERS OF SALVATION

According to the Bible, there are five things that must be done to go to Heaven.

They are as follows:

  1. Believe in Jesus. “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” – Acts 16:31
  2. Confess your belief in Him. “For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” – Romans 10:10
  3. Repent (turn away from) of your sins. “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” – Luke 13:3
  4. Be baptized. Baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ .” – 1 Peter 3:21 and “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” – Mark 16:16
  5. Obey God’s commandments. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. – Mathew 7:21

SHARING THE GOOD NEWS

Once we understand what it takes to get to Heaven, we need to share this good news with others.

In Peter’s first epistle, he wrote:

  • Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hopethat is in you.” – 1 Peter 3:15.

God’s plan to spread the Gospel requires us to act on our faithand tell others about Jesus.

As God’s children, we are charged with the task of making disciples of all nationsas we see in the following scripture:

  • And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been - given to Me in heaven and on earth.Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” - Mathew 28:18-20.

If others ask us questions about salvation, we need to be armed with scripture and ready to give an answer for the faith that we have in Jesus.

MAKING MISTAKES ALONG THE WAY

None of us are perfect. 

As we live our lives, Satan will come in and try to tempt us.

Sometimes, despite our best intentions, he will be successful.

There is a constant battle occurring between the flesh and the Spirit

The Apostle Paul described the struggle this way:

  • “For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, sold into bondage to sin.  For I do not understand what I am doing; for I am not practicing what I want  to do , but I do the very thing I hate.  However, if I do the very thing I do not want  to do , I agree with the Law, that  the Law isgood.  But now, no longer am I the onedoing it, but sin that dwells in me.  For I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good  is not.For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.  But if I do the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin that dwells in me.” – Romans 7:14-20.

When we fall short and sin, the response that God wants is for us to:

  1. Repent,
  2. Ask for His forgiveness.

If we do these two things, we will be forgiven.

Consider the following scripture from John’s first epistle:

  • “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.: -1 John 1:9.

CONCLUSION

The Bible lists five things that we must do to go to Heaven:

  1. Believe in Jesus,
  2. Confess our belief in Him,  
  3. Repent (turn away from) of our sins,  
  4. Be baptized,
  5. Obey God’s commandments.  

At the core of our salvation is our faith in Jesus

We will conclude today’s lesson with the following two scriptures. 

They remind us of how glorious Heaven will be for those who remain faithful until the end!

  1. “Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb,in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him;they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.” -Revelation 22:1-5,
  2. “And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” – Revelation 21:3-4.

Comments

John

So blessed with this Lesson it is the foundation of our salvation

Reply
Dan W

So thankful for the confidence we have before Him.

Reply
Michael

Does anyone have an opinion about the "Sin leading to death" mentioned in these scriptures?

"If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death."

I assume that the sin leading to death is referring to blasphemy against the Holy Spirit discussed in Mathew 12:30-32?

"He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever [h]speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."

Reply
John
Michael

I read the scriptures the same way Michael. I also believe that John is talking about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

Reply
Donna
John

This is a question I have every time I read this scripture. Thank you for showing us Matthew 12' ... Maybe that is what John is referring to here.

Reply
Mustang

Jesus Himself was baptized. How can anyone dispute the importance of baptism knowing that?

Reply