HOW I KNOW I'M GOING TO HEAVEN
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THE PROCLAMATION OF GOD'S WORD "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." (I Jn. 5:13) ". . . . I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day." (II Tim. 1:12) Are you going to Heaven or Hell? Do you know the answer right now, or are you waiting to find out after you die? Unfortunately, most people do NOT know the answer and are waiting to see how things turn out. People are living as though the Bible had never been written. People are living their lives in uncertainty, not considering the fact that God has spoken very clearly about their eternal destiny. What about you? Are you going to ignore God's word, or are you willing to take a few moments to see for yourself that God says it IS possible to KNOW your eternal destiny? THE POWER OF GOD'S PRESERVATION "Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." (I Pet. 1:5) "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:" (Philip. 1:6) I know that I'm going to Heaven because GOD is preserving me. I'm not preserving my own Salvation. I wasn't saved by my good works (Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 4:5), so I do not STAY saved by my good works. I am KEPT by the POWER OF GOD, not by my own power! God is able to keep me from falling (Jude 24), because I'm HIS child and I'm in the palm of HIS hand (Jn. 10:28-29). Ephesians 4:30 says that I have been SEALED by the Holy Spirit of God until the day of redemption! I'm not worried about losing my Salvation. I KNOW I'm going to Heaven because I'm being preserved by God's power. THE PROMISE OF ETERNAL SECURITY "I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." (Jn. 10:28) "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." (Jn. 3:16) I know I'm going to Heaven because God has PROMISED eternal security to all who BELIEVE on His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. To "believe" on Christ is to "receive" Christ, according to John 1:12. During the spring of 1979, I repented of my sins and received Jesus Christ as my Savior. I had been lost in my sins, condemned to Hell forever (Jn. 3:18, 36). Then a man told me how I could be saved from my sins and from Hell by RECEIVING the Lord Jesus Christ. I received Christ, believing that HE ALONE could save me. I trusted in Him totally, for I knew that He was my only hope. I called upon Him to save me and He did (Rom. 10:13, 9-10). He brought me into God's family as a "son of God" (Jn. 1:12; I Jn. 3:2-3). I was a child of the devil, a child of wrath (Jn. 8:44; Eph. 2:2-3), but now I'm eternally secure as a child of God. If I sin as a child of God, then my Heavenly Father will rebuke and chasten me , just as any good father would (Rev. 3:10; Heb. 12:4-8), but He will not condemn me with the world (I Cor. 11:32). God has promised His children ETERNAL SECURITY. THE POSSESSION GOD HAS GIVEN HIS SAINTS "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (Jn. 5:24) "He that hath the Son hath life; he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (I Jn. 5:12) I know I'm going to Heaven because God has already given me ETERNAL LIFE . I'm not waiting to receive eternal life-I ALREADY HAVE it as a present possession. Read the above verses carefully and see for yourself that eternal life is IN Jesus Christ, and that you can receive eternal life RIGHT NOW by receiving Christ right now! When I received the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior, God placed His Eternal Spirit within me and gave me Eternal Life. As a child of God, I'm still waiting to see Jesus, to enter Heaven, and to receive my new glorified body, but I'm NOT waiting to be saved. My soul IS saved, and I know I'm going to Heaven because God has given me Eternal Life. THE PERFECTION OF GOD'S SAINTS "For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." (Heb. 10:14) "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin." (Rom. 4:5-8) Have you ever heard the expression "Nobody's perfect?" That isn't true. In God's eyes, the SOULS of all His saints ARE perfect, because they have placed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for Salvation. Jesus shed His sinless blood to pay for my sins. He OFFERED Himself as a PAYMENT for my sin. He paid my sin debt because I couldn't. By receiving Him as my Savior, I am also receiving the fact that He has PAID for my sins and that I can now REST in His finished work, because my sins are GONE! My soul (not my flesh) has been made PERFECT through the completed Blood Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, and I KNOW I'm going to Heaven! What about you? Why not forsake your own self-righteousness right now and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior? Why live a life of uncertainty when you can KNOW your eternal destiny? Why not get it settled right now? Receive Christ today. Romans 10:9 says, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Why not call upon the Lord to save you right now? You've seen the promises of scripture. Are you willing to CLAIM those promises by receiving the Lord Jesus Christ today? Tomorrow may be too late. |
Copyright © 1994 James L. Melton
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