If you died today, would you go to Heaven?
The Bible teaches that no sin will be allowed to enter Heaven (). Sins are the wrong things that you have done, that make you a criminal and guilty of violating God’s law. When you know what God has said is wrong but do it anyway, you have disobeyed God and committed sin. Not only will sin make you feel guilty, but you will try to hide it from God and others. But God sees and knows it all and has recorded it (). The payday for your sins will be eternal punishment in Hell! (; ) God hates sin, but He loves you. He wants you to go to Heaven more than anything else (, ), and He has designed a plan to free you from sin—and its punishment (, ).
You don’t have to go to Hell when you die. God has made a way for you to escape the punishment for your sins (). Christ took the punishment for your sins on the cross (). He did His part, but you have to do your part. Once you do your part, God has promised you His forgiveness and salvation.
How to Get Saved
Here is how you can know you are going to Heaven when you die:
Confess
Confess your sins to God (). “If you confess your sins, He is faithful and just to forgive you” (). Be honest with Him about your guilt and your need for forgiveness. Do not try to hide anything from Him in your confession—He will not forgive you if you hide from Him even the smallest disobedience. “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” (). Humbly ask Him to show you mercy, and to forgive you.
Repent
This step is very, very important. Many people skip it or do not complete it properly. It is one of the most common messages of the New Testament. Jesus said, “I came…to call sinners to repentance” (). If repentance is not complete, the result is a very disappointing, incomplete, and false salvation. When you truly repent, you turn away from your past sinful actions. You stop doing what God has told you is wrong, and you begin to obey Him in every area of your life. True repentance will bring you a lasting salvation (). Not only do you turn and walk in the opposite direction from sin, but you also correct the wrong things you’ve done towards other people. Return any stolen items to the owner, and repay what you owe so that the matter is completely made right (). Lies told about others will need to be corrected (as much as possible). In every case where you have wronged another person, you must humbly ask their forgiveness and offer a sincere apology (, ). True repentance satisfies God’s primary requirement for salvation (). It changes your heart and direction so deeply that you will resolve never to go back to your previous sinful ways. “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death” (). If you genuinely confess and forsake your sins, you can be sure that God will have mercy and forgive you ().
Believe
Believe that Jesus died on the cross so that your sins could be forgiven (). If you have carefully obeyed God’s requirements, you can trust Him to forgive your sins (). His blood has paid the price for and satisfied God’s requirements for your sins to be forgiven (, ). When you trust Him to forgive you, He will give you the assurance that you are forgiven (, 1 John 1:12; ).
Are you ready now to turn your back on sinful living forever, and agree to obediently follow Christ? Today is the best time to ask Christ’s forgiveness (). Right now, you can confess your sins, forsake sinful actions, and turn to walk in obedience to Christ forever. If you will do your part, Christ will do His part—in forgiveness of your sins, and giving you His free salvation—right now! ()
When God forgives you, you become His child (). The Bible calls this salvation, or being “born again” (). God has broken the power of sin in your life. Although Satan will continue to tempt you to disobey God, God will empower you to always obey Him, and to resist every temptation (; , ). This is called holy living (), which God requires of everyone (, , ).
But this is just the first of two steps. Jesus promised to make you “free indeed.” There is so much more that God wants to do for you! (; )
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.