How Do I Get To Heaven? - Bible Study Tools

Heaven is the dwelling place of Almighty God. It is where His holy nature shines unveiled and in its full glory and majesty. It is where the angels dwell in service and worship. It is a place of peace, beauty, and joy. This wondrous place is also where man’s heart often yearns to be.

The Bible says that God loves His people, and wants to be in fellowship with them. When the world was created, Adam - the first man - and his wife Eve lived in harmony with God. In the Garden of Eden, there was a tree that could give man the knowledge of good and evil, when they only knew good.

When tempted, they both disobeyed God and ate the fruit of that tree, despite being told not to do so, because the Devil said they would become like God. From that moment forward, man could not be in God’s presence, choosing to sin rather than be holy and in communion with God.

Because man’s sin separates him from God, he cannot go to heaven on his own merit. The Bible makes it clear that every person is inherently wicked, and will violate God’s law and will; “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins” (Ecclesiastes 7:20). God’s design was for man to be with Him, and for a period of time, He instituted sacrifices, where the blood of an animal was given as a substitute, atoning for sin. This system highlighted how wicked people were, as they continually had to offer sacrifices - it seemed like a never-ending cycle. They were not perfect sacrifices which perfectly and completely paid the debt for sin.

In order for man to have a perfect way to get to heaven, God the Son - one of the persons of the Trinity - came to earth, grew up living a sinless life, and died as the perfect sacrificial lamb. Three days later Jesus was resurrected, proving by the power of God the gift of new life is available through Him, and will return one day for His people.

In order to receive salvation, a person must first understand they are a sinner, and unable to justify themselves before God on their own. To be saved, all one needs to do is believe that Jesus is Lord, that He died as the perfect sacrifice for their sins, and He was resurrected. Once someone has faith in Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit secures that person’s salvation until Jesus returns. “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 1:13).

In addition to sealing believers for salvation, the Holy Spirit strengthens those who have faith, helping them to repent from sins. Salvation through Jesus is the only way to go to heaven. Jesus claims absolute authority over this path, saying, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6b). No good deeds, no chants, no sacrifices are enough. Only the blood of Jesus has the power to wash away someone’s sins forever.

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