The Way to Heaven
- Good works
- Follow the 10 Commandments
- Be nice
- Do not hurt anybody
- Avoid committing crimes
- Being better than most people
- Give to charity
- Be religious
- Be sincere
The trouble with all these ways is that they depend on us. But none of us is perfect. We can’t keep all the rules all the time. We all fail and so we can never be sure that we have done enough to earn our place in heaven. In fact the harder we try, the more we realise what our imperfections are.
If you are not sure of your eternal life in heaven then get ready to hear the best news you could ever hear - HEAVEN (ETERNAL LIFE IN GOD'S PRESENCE) IS A FREE GIFT! The Bible says: “..the GIFT of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
God wants us to have a close personal relationship with Him and to experience His ABUNDANT LIFE both now and for all eternity. So He offers it to us as a free gift. Since ETERNAL LIFE is a free gift, like all genuine gifts, IT IS NOT EARNED OR DESERVED, and no amount of personal effort, good works or religious deeds can earn a place in heaven for you. “By grace you have been saved through faith and that NOT OF YOURSELVES; it is the gift of God, NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8,9). No gift can be paid for or be earned or deserved. The same is true for eternal life. It is not earned or deserved. God refuses any payment for it because He offers it to all men as a gift. In fact it is an insult to try and pay for it. It can only be received on a free gift basis.
Why can no one earn their way to heaven? It is because MAN IS A SINNER. The Bible makes it clear that we are all guilty in the sight of God, for: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Our own experience tells us that we often fail to come up to our own standards, let alone God's standard of perfection.
