How Can I Know for Sure That
I Am Going to Heaven?
I believe one of the most important questions I could ever ask you is, “If you died today, are you 100% sure that you would go to Heaven?”
Many people think they will go to Heaven when they die, but sadly, they are not 100% sure of it. The reality of this life is that eternity in Heaven or in Hell is only a heartbeat away for any of us. Every one of us will someday take our last breath. The Bible declares that every person will die, and after that comes the judgment of God (Hebrews 9:27). Don't take your last breath without knowing for sure where you will spend eternity.
The Bible says that you can know for certain that you will go to Heaven when you die. Friend, please take a few moments and read through what the Bible actually teaches while you still have breath in your lungs and the ability to do so.
The Bible teaches that we are all sinners.
Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
God's standard for anyone entering Heaven is perfection. To fall short of the glory of God means that we do not measure up to His perfect standard. Many of us think we are good people, and in many ways, we are. The question, though, is whether we are good enough to earn our way to Heaven.
The Bible says that every person sins. We may not like hearing that, but in our hearts, we know it is true. God gave each of us a conscience that convicts us when we sin (Romans 2:15). That is how we know that things like lying, stealing, and killing are wrong. Those are three of the Ten Commandments, which are part of God's Law. When we break God's commandments, we are sinning.
With God, there are not little sins like misdemeanors that He simply overlooks. All sin is sin, and all sin must be accounted for. Every lie we have ever told is a sin against God. Everything we have ever stolen, regardless of its value, is another sin that we have committed against God. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught that sinful anger makes us accountable before God (Matthew 5:22), and every lustful thought is the same as committing adultery in our hearts (Matthew 5:28). These are more sins that we are responsible for before a holy God. Holy means that God is completely without sin.
Jesus stated that we will all give an account for every idle word we have spoken on the day of judgment (Matthew 12:36). The Bible warns that all unforgiven liars will spend eternity in Hell (Revelation 21:8). We are also warned in the Scriptures not to take the Lord's name in vain. That is yet another one of the Ten Commandments.
Friend, if you are truly honest with yourself, then you know that you, just like I, have a sin problem. We have told lies, taken things that did not belong to us, lusted after people and things that are not ours, and become angry. We have taken the Lord's name in vain. These are sins that we have committed and sins that we must answer for on our day of judgment. We have fallen short of God's perfect standard. None of us are good enough to earn our way to Heaven.
The Bible teaches that all sin must be punished.
Romans 6:23a “For the wages of sin is death…”
When we sin, we earn the wage of death. The Bible teaches that the consequences of sin include physical death and, ultimately, eternal separation from God in Hell. Revelation 20:14–15 describes this eternal judgment as the second death.
The Bible teaches that God does not want anyone to go to Hell.
Romans 6:23b “...but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Our sin earns us an eternity in Hell, but God wants to give us eternal life, which means spending eternity in Heaven with Him. We will talk more about this gift in a moment.
Have you ever heard someone ask, “Why would a God of love send people to Hell?” That question is worth considering in light of what the Bible actually says. First, Jesus tells us that Hell was not originally prepared for man, but for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41). Second, the Bible teaches that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11). Furthermore, God desires that all men would be saved and spend eternity in Heaven with Him rather than reject Jesus Christ and face eternal judgment (1 Timothy 2:3–4; 2 Peter 3:9).
The Bible teaches that God is both loving and just. He must judge sin, but He has also provided a way for us to escape that judgment. Those who reject His free gift of salvation remain responsible for their sins and will face His righteous judgment. We see in the Bible that God wants to give every person the gift of spending all eternity in Heaven.
We have already looked at Romans 6:23. We all deserve Hell because of our sinful nature and the sins we have committed. But God wants to give us eternal life through Jesus Christ. Eternal life is the gift, but Jesus is the One who makes that gift possible.
Let's look at why only Jesus can make this gift possible.
The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ lived a perfect, sinless life.
Hebrews 4:15 “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
Whereas you and I fall short of the glory of God because of our sin, Jesus never sinned. The Bible declares that Jesus is God and that He left Heaven to take upon Himself the flesh of man (John 1:1, 14), being fully God and fully man at the same time.
The Bible also shows us that Jesus fulfilled numerous Old Testament prophecies concerning the promised Messiah, or the Anointed One, who is the Christ. One remarkable example is Psalm 22, written approximately 1,000 years before Christ, which describes suffering that closely resembles crucifixion.
Jesus experienced life as you and I do. He was tempted in every way, but He never sinned (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus willingly allowed Himself to be crucified and put to death. Remember, the wages of sin is death, but Jesus was without sin. For that reason, Jesus was able to pay the price for sin that none of us could pay. The Bible says that Jesus paid the ransom to set us free from our bondage to sin (Mark 10:45). Jesus took your place. He took my place on that cross, and He paid for our sins.
Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead, conquering death and the grave. His resurrection demonstrates His victory over death and confirms that He has made a way for our sins to be forgiven. The Bible summarizes this wonderful truth in 1 Corinthians 15:3–4, which tells us that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day. That is the Gospel. The Good News.
We deserve death and eternity in Hell, but Jesus Christ took our punishment for us. That is the true love of God. Even though we did not deserve it, Jesus died for us (Romans 5:8). When you understand the price that God paid in order to make a way for us to spend eternity in Heaven with Him, then you can truly understand one of the most famous verses in the Bible:
John 3:16 “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.”
The Bible teaches that we must accept God's gift of eternal life.
God does not force Heaven on anyone. We must make the decision to accept or reject God's gift. It is a gift that is free to us but cost Him everything on that cross. The Bible says that people are already under condemnation because of their sin and unbelief (John 3:17–18). Unless they receive Jesus Christ as their Saviour, they will face God's judgment.
Many people believe they can get to Heaven their own way. They think they are good enough because of the good things they have done or because of the religion they practice. But none of that takes care of their sin problem. Think about it for a moment. If we could be good enough to get to Heaven, or if there were any other way to get to Heaven, then why did Jesus have to die such a horrible death on that cross?
In order for us to accept God's free gift of salvation, the Bible says that we must repent of our sins and put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ as our Saviour (Acts 2:38). To repent means to have a change of mind and heart toward God and our sin. It means agreeing with God that our sin is sin, recognizing that we deserve punishment for our sin, and turning to Jesus Christ as our only hope of salvation.
Repentance does not mean that we must stop sinning or clean up our lives before God will save us. Rather, repentance and faith go together as we turn to God and trust Jesus Christ to save us from the punishment of our sin that we deserve.
The Bible teaches that salvation is not something we can earn through good works.
Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (9) Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Jesus stated that He is the only way to Heaven (John 14:6). There is no other religion, no amount of good works a person can do, and no other way to spend eternity in Heaven than through Jesus Christ. We must place our faith in Him as our Lord and Saviour.
The Bible tells us in Romans 10:9 that we must believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead and confess Him as Lord.
Friend, if you believe that you are a sinner who deserves God's judgment, and you believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins and rose again, then I encourage you to place your faith in Him and call upon Him for salvation.
Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
You can call upon the Lord right now, wherever you are. Remember, it is not the words of a prayer that save you. It is Jesus Christ who saves you when you genuinely repent and place your faith in Him. If you would like to express that faith to God in prayer, you could pray something like this:
Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus, I repent of my sins. I know that I am a sinner and that I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for my sins and that He rose again from the dead. I am placing my faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone as my Lord and Saviour. Please forgive me of all my sins and save me. Thank You for loving me and for giving me the gift of eternal life. Amen.
The Bible teaches that if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, then you have a home in Heaven.
1 John 5:13 “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
So, friend, how about you? My prayer for you is that before you lay your head on your pillow to go to sleep tonight, you will have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour and that you will know for sure, 100% sure, that you have a home waiting for you in Heaven.
If you have any questions about this, please reach out to us. We would be glad to speak with you and share what the Bible actually teaches.