How TO GO TO Heaven
As humans, there’s one thing we all have in common—death is inevitable. While people may debate many things, no one can deny the certainty of death. It's a 100% guarantee for every person. The real question is, where will you go after you die? Will it be heaven or hell? In this article, I’ll explain how you can secure your place in heaven and spend eternity with the Lord Jesus Christ. The first thing you need to know is that there are only two types of people who go to heaven: perfect people and forgiven people. Many believe they’ll go to heaven because they consider themselves good people, but I’ll explain why forgiveness is key to eternal life.
To be honest, "good" people don’t go to heaven—only perfect people do. The reason no one is truly good is that no human being on this planet is morally perfect. At some point, we’ve all sinned and broken God’s law. That’s what sin is: lawlessness. Let me explain. God designed the world with laws that govern every aspect of life, and if creation follows these laws, life would flourish beautifully. For example, God created human beings and gave them moral laws, like "Do not steal." When we obey these laws, we live in alignment with God’s will. But when we steal, we deviate from His perfect law, committing sin, which is lawlessness or transgression. That’s when life begins to become ugly. And the truth is, we’ve all sinned.
The word of God says in (Romans 3:23) For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
In fact the verses before go ahead to say in detail (Romans 3:10-13)“There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless, there is no one who does good, not even one.”
Now that we’ve established the fact that everyone has sinned, what happens next? Let’s consider an earthly example: what typically happens to someone who breaks the law, like committing murder? Well, they are usually sent to prison for a long time to pay for their crimes. I want to emphasize the word “paying” here. On the other hand, what happens to someone who breaks God's law? God has a way of justly punishing sin, and that punishment is called death. (Romans 6:23) says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
This death has two parts. First, there’s physical death, the death of the body. And then, there’s spiritual death.We all face physical death, but thanks to Jesus, who has conquered this kind of death, He will one day resurrect all those He has saved, completely defeating it. But there’s a far worse kind of death—spiritual death. This is total and eternal separation from God, experienced in a place called the lake of fire, where one endures the full judgment of God eternally. (Revelation 20:14-15) says
The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
This is very serious. And I'm not going to sugar coat it or tone it down, I'll tell you the truth. But the most beautiful news that you’ll ever hear is this: No one has to go there. No one has to pay the price for their crimes against God. It is written in the word of God that (2 Peter 3:9) The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,[a] not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
God has provided a way out of death in the lake of fire. God has done something about the issue of our sin and IT’S JUST punishment. God Has provided the SOLUTION to escape hades, the current hell and eventually the lake of fire– final. So that one can go to heaven. I want you to pay attention here people, this is so important. The way out of hell, more positively the ONLY way to heaven is thru the Lord Jesus Christ alone. John 14:6 says; Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
The famous verse John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Jesus is the Son of God, and He is also fully divine, united with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. In His immense love, God the Father sent Jesus to sacrifice His life on the cross, offering Himself as an atonement for our sins.
The Bible describes Jesus as "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). This title reflects His role as a sacrificial offering, cleansing humanity of sin. As stated in 1 Peter 2:24, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds, you have been healed.”
Jesus' selfless act of giving Himself for our sins is further affirmed in Galatians 1:4: "Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever."
Hebrews 9:28 also reminds us, "So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many," emphasizing His unique and sufficient sacrifice.
As summarized in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, the core of the Christian faith is this: "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried, and rose on the third day."
In essence, Jesus is the one who reconciles us to God. Through His sacrifice, He paid the debt we owed for our sins, freeing us from the penalty of sin. His blood, shed on the cross, purifies us completely. Hebrews 9:22 confirms this, stating that "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." Jesus' sacrifice makes that forgiveness possible for all who believe. Jesus’ shed blood on the cross purifies us from all sin.
Hebrews 13:12 says And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.
Ephesians 1:7 says, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”
The big question is this: How do we receive the spiritual blessing of having our sins atoned for? Atonement means a "covering"—covering our sins so they can no longer be counted against us.
We receive the spiritual blessing of atonement through faith in Jesus Christ. Romans 3:22 explains, "This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe." The "righteousness" here refers to a right standing with God, achieved when our sins are washed away. A few verses later, Romans 3:24 adds, "And all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."
Ephesians 2:8-9 further explains how we are saved: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast." This means salvation is a gift from God, received through faith, not something we can earn by our own efforts.
No amount of good works can save us apart from Jesus. Earlier, I mentioned that only perfect or forgiven people can enter heaven. This is a biblical truth, as none of us are perfect. The only way we can inherit heaven is by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. This means not relying on our own efforts or good deeds, but trusting completely in Him.
So how does this work? You and I cannot achieve the righteousness God requires on our own. What God asks us to do is place our trust in Jesus, who gave Himself up for our sins as the perfect sacrifice. Jesus' righteousness is then "imputed" to us—credited to our account. When we put our faith in Jesus alone for our salvation, something extraordinary happens.
At that moment, through our faith, God responds by crediting righteousness to the person who has chosen to trust in Jesus. An exchange takes place: Jesus, who is perfectly righteous, takes on our unrighteousness, and we receive His righteousness in return. By trusting in the finished work of Jesus on the cross, God justifies us, making us righteous in His sight.
Romans 4:5 tells us, "However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness." This describes the process of Justification, which is the first of three key stages in salvation. However, the most important thing someone coming to Jesus must do is repent and believe in Him.
Repentance, according to the Bible, involves a change of mind that leads to a transformed life. It means turning away from a Christless life and turning fully to Jesus. Repentance has two parts: (1) Repentance of sin for salvation, where you recognize your sinfulness and your need for forgiveness, and (2) Repentance of a life without Christ, where you turn to Jesus and fully commit to following Him. When you repent, you are changing your mind about sin, acknowledging that you've broken God's laws, and recognizing your need for Jesus' forgiveness. From there, you turn to Him, asking for His forgiveness and His help to live a new life in Him.
But repentance doesn't stop with the forgiveness of sins. The second part of repentance involves committing your life to Jesus as Lord. This means making Him the ruler of your life, not just your Savior who forgives sins. When Jesus is your Lord, it produces right living, because true repentance always results in a changed life.
When someone says, "Jesus is my Lord and Savior," this is what it means."Savior" means He saves you from your sin and its consequences. "Lord" means He becomes the ruler of your life, guiding and directing you in all you do. Below are the phsases/processes of salvation you ought to know.
The Three Stages of Salvation
Justification: This happens the moment you receive Jesus as your Savior. At justification, you are set free from the penalty of sin through faith in Jesus. At this point, you are "born again" (John 3:3), filled with the Holy Spirit, and adopted into the family of God. The Holy Spirit identifies you as belonging to Jesus and gives you a new nature, making you a new creation. Radical change occurs when someone is justified before God. This is when you can boldly say, "Jesus is my Savior."
Sanctification: This is the ongoing process that begins after salvation. It is a continuous journey where God sets you free from the power of sin. Sanctification is about becoming holy, meaning becoming more like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24 describes this process: "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, to be made new in the attitude of your minds, and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." As you grow in faith, God will help you live a holy life, and this process includes discipleship—becoming a committed follower of Jesus.
During sanctification, you also make Jesus your Lord. This means Jesus is the master of your life, guiding every decision and action. Jesus says in Luke 6:46 , "But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?" This highlights the need for obedience. Living as Jesus as is YOUR Lord means submitting to His will and letting Him direct your life. Jesus being Lord means HE is the Sole ruler over your life. HE is your master. That means you don’t get to live however you want to like before, but instead you live however He wants you to in complete surrender to him. When Jesus becomes your Lord, he takes the position of the PILOT and the DIRECTOR of your life. No longer will YOU say, I want my will to be done, but in perfect submission you’ll say, “Jesus not my will but yours be done.” Your life will shift radically to the point where whether you feel like it or not, You will do what He wants, not what you want.
Glorification: This final stage happens when you die and go to heaven. At glorification, you are set free from the presence of sin and more positively THE POWER of IT. Not only that, you will be in the presence of God forever. This will also happen to those who are resurrected when Jesus returns. At this stage, believers will be like Jesus (1 John 3:2) and will enjoy a blissful eternity without sorrow, death, or pain.
Faith Alone in Jesus Saves
Throughout all these stages, it is faith alone in Jesus that saves. At justification, you trust in the finished work of Jesus on the cross. During sanctification, you continue to live by faith, trusting and obeying Jesus daily. Faith always results in obedience. Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11 tell us that "the righteous shall live by faith," meaning we start and continue our journey of salvation by faith in Jesus.
As you walk in faith, Jesus will help you produce fruit (good works). John 15:5 reminds us, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." True faith will always result in obedience and good works, as explained in James 2:18: "Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works."
Jesus, being faithful, will complete the work He started in you (Philippians 1:6). He will bring your faith journey to completion, but it requires your faithfulness in return. The question is: Will you remain faithful to God, allowing Him to lead you to bear abundant fruit and finish the race of faith victoriously? And because Jesus is faithful; he will not fail. He will not fail to finish the work he has started in you. He will see to it that he brings it to completion. In the scriptures it is written that If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.(2 Timothy 2:13)
The question on your part IS will you be faithful as God is faithful so that this corporation with God may help you finish this race victoriously ? I want you to get to heaven and hear the words, “well done my good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21)
Spiritual Disciplines
Once you are saved, it is crucial to develop spiritual disciplines such as prayer, reading the Bible, worship, and fellowship with other believers. These practices keep your relationship with God strong. If you want to maintain a close, on-fire relationship with God, you must continually fuel that fire with spiritual disciplines. They help you stay close to God and grow in your faith.
In summary, salvation is a lifelong journey that begins with repentance and faith in Jesus. Justification, sanctification, and glorification are all part of God's plan to bring you into eternal fellowship with Him. As you trust in Jesus and live by faith, He will transform your life, making you more like Him and leading you into the fullness of salvation.
