What if you died today? Would you go to heaven or hell?
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Hebrews 9:27-28
What Must I Do To Be Saved?
This is the most important question that anyone could ever ask.
The simple fact is that everyone will die one day. None of us know how much time we have left on this earth. Regardless if you believe in heaven or hell, on judgment day you will stand before a righteous and holy God that will stand in judgment of you. You may not agree with this or even believe it but please read on to get the full explanation.
In the beginning God created a perfect world. There was no death or sickness because there was no sin in His perfect creation. God created man and woman to inhabit the earth, Garden of Eden, and gave them dominion over all things. When Adam and Eve were in the garden they walked and talked with God. They were in perfect relationship with Him. However, they disobeyed God (sinned) and they were cast out of the garden and their penalty was death. As a result of their sin all humanity would never be in perfect relationship with God. This was not just a blame it all on Adam and Eve event...we have sinned as well. The Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God (Romans 3:23). You may think...I don't feel like I have sinned. Let me explain further. God brought forth Ten Commandments that were moral laws and humankind was told to live within these laws. The Ten Commandments are:
1. You shall have no other God before me.
2. You shall not bow down to any graven image.
3. You shall not take the Lord's name in vain.
4. Remember and keep the Sabbath day holy.
5. Honor your mother and father.
6. You shall not kill.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not lie.
10. You shall not covet.
Here is the news....we have broken all of these commandments. You may say, "I have never killed anyone or committed adultery". Jesus said that if you have hated your brother then you have committed murder in your heart. He also said that if you look upon a woman to lust after her then you are guilty of committing adultery in your heart. Jesus clarified the law by making it a matter of the conscience rather than only of deed.
The simple fact is that if you have ever lied, God sees you as a liar. If you have ever stolen anything (regardless of value) God sees you as a thief. If you have ever looked upon anyone in lust then God sees you as an adulterer. On Judgment Day you will be found guilty in the sight of a Righteous, Holy, and Just God and he is fair and just in sending you to hell.
You may think that you will be able to beg for forgiveness on that day. Let's apply what we know about justice to this idea. Suppose you are brought before a judge in a court of law and you are guilty of raping and murdering someone. The evidence against you is rock solid. Somehow you were caught on video tape committing the act and on top of that there is DNA evidence to substantiate the charge. You are guilty. What if you beg the judge for forgiveness? Maybe you could say, "Judge I know I raped and murdered that person but that was a long time ago. Since then I have become a very good person and I donate time and money to charitable causes". Will the judge let you go? No, he will not let you go because he is a just judge and the law must be satisfied. You do the crime, you serve the time. God, the Holy Creator of the universe is infinitely more Just and fair than an earthly judge. Because He is fair and just He must punish sin. Not only must He...He will. God's punishment is Hell.
2000 years ago God sent His Son, Jesus, who lived a perfect and sinless life, to be a sacrifice for you and me. Jesus was the propitiation, the satisfaction if you will, for our sins. Jesus died on a cross and the wrath of God was unleashed upon Him. Jesus died a brutal, shameful, and humiliating death. Three days later Jesus defeated death and rose from the dead and ascended to be seated at the right hand of the Father. If youRepent of your sins and Trust in Jesus as your Savior you will not see the wrath of God on Judgment Day. You are free from the Judgment only if you repent and trust because Jesus' sacrifice delivered you from the law of sin and death. You will have eternal life with God! God will forgive you of your sin and you will become born again. God will place new desires in your heart. You will become a new creation in Christ.
God sacrificed His Son in order to restore the relationship that mankind destroyed with God. You hear all sorts of talk today about God's "purpose" for your life......I have just told you God's purpose and wonderful plan for your life. Repent and trust in Jesus today. You do not know how much time you have left on this earth. The latest statistics report that 150,000 people die every day. What if today is your last day?
If you are not sure exactly how to repent and trust read Psalm 51 and use that as your model. You can also refer to the "Repentance" page HERE for more information.
