The Way to Heaven

The Gospel is Jesus’ instructions about how to get to heaven and avoid the punishment of hell. The purpose of this page is to share in summary what the Gospel is so that you can know for certain if you are going to spend eternity in heaven with God your Savior.

Miss this and it doesn’t matter what else you do in life or become in life. Miss this by an inch and you will miss eternity by a mile.

Jesus said, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). Having and enjoying a fortune with a loving family and good health may seem like the American dream, but in the end when life is over, if we have failed to respond to Jesus’ command to repent of our sins, we will be lost to God’s wrath and punishment for all eternity. So, here is Jesus’ good news we call the gospel.

1. Accept as true that Jesus is God and that His death for us on the cross 2,000 plus years ago was sufficient to placate God’s righteous wrath against us for our rebellious sins. Jesus said: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
2. Repent of your sins. This means that we recognize that we are sinners who have offended God infinitely because He is an infinitely good God who has been infinitely patient with us despite our willful rebellion against Him. We have violated and broken every one of the 10 Commandments and have not loved our neighbor as we are to love ourselves and we have done this countless of times every year of our lives. It also means we are sick of our sinful ways and know that there is nothing good in us to earn our salvation and that we want desperately for Jesus to become our Savior because He is altogether lovely. Peter said: “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38).Repent like this man that Jesus spoke of: “But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’” (Luke 18:13)
3. Trust in Jesus alone to save you and nothing else. Do not trust your good works, your infant baptism, your confirmation certificate or your first communion. Trust in nothing but Jesus who purchased your salvation for you at the cross. Paul said: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
4. Pray that God will give you a spirit of repentance as described above and bring you to a place of conviction of your soul’s need for salvation and to give you a desire to cling to Jesus with all your heart making Him in that moment your Savior and King and Lord. It is not your prayer that saves you, but the Spirit of God who will come upon you and cause you to be born again under His power and might.

Jesus said: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)

And Paul said: “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9).

If you would like to know more about this amazing life-changing gospel please follow the link to learn more about our Heartbeat Bible Studies. These are one-on-one lessons (5 in all) taught in the privacy of your own home by a person or couple close to you in age that explain in detail what this gospel message is all about.