Ask any Christian, “Why do you carry out a life of faith?” To go to heaven will probably be at the top of most people’s list. But take those same people and ask, “How do you get to heaven?” and then you might start to get different answers.
Some people say you just need to believe in Jesus, while others say you need to be a good person and do good things for others, or countless different other answers. Well, which is it? How can I know 100% that I’m going to heaven? And what do God and Jesus have to say about this in the Bible? We’ll learn that it’s not as easy as some may think.
Going to Heaven Isn’t So Easy
In Matthew 5, 6, and 7, Jesus gathers the Jewish people and speaks to them about many different things. One common topic you’ll notice is that he’s giving instructions for how to carry out their lives of faith. As these instructions come to a conclusion in the book of Matthew, however, Jesus says something that should be given extra special attention for those of us who are hoping to go to heaven.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Matthew 7:21-23
Yikes. First, we have to determine who this applies to. If Jesus is speaking of the time when people are trying to enter the kingdom of heaven with him, then he is referring to the time of his return. So the subjects are those who are teaching, prophesying, and leading in the name of Jesus at that time. This is a prophecy for the future when Jesus returns to bring salvation (Hebrews 9:28).
Who Might Get Rejected by Jesus?
Who are those who do things in the name of Jesus today? Wouldn’t that be Christians? Those who teach and lead and prophesy, wouldn’t that be pastors? People of other religions or nonbelievers don’t call out to Jesus as Lord. They don’t work in the name of Jesus. So the people that Jesus is talking about in this scenario are referring to Christians, and especially those who lead or work within Christianity.
Not everyone who calls upon him (believes in him) will be able to enter heaven. Jesus himself said this. He even goes on to say that there are believers who will try to get in, but are tossed aside, rejected and unacknowledged by Jesus.
Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
“I never knew you…”
Is it possible that you can live your entire life of faith doing good deeds in the name of Jesus and still have him say to you, “Away from me. I never knew you”??? How can this be?
You may be going to church regularly, praying diligently, and volunteering–but if you aren’t doing God’s will, the door of heaven will be shut to you.
So where do you think you stand in this scenario? Do you have a life of faith that is clearly following God’s will on the path to heaven? Would Jesus acknowledge you or reject you? From these verses, we start to see that there has actually been a standard set in order to achieve salvation.
What the Bible Tells Us About Salvation
So what, then, is this standard of salvation if it’s not only believing in Jesus and working in his name? We don’t want to be the people expecting and hoping for heaven but be unable to get in, so let’s find the answer.
How to Make a Home with God and Jesus
“If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
John 14:23
God and Jesus making their home with us–isn’t that the essence of salvation? Being together with God and Jesus. That’s what we all want as believers. And to make that happen, we must know and obey all of Jesus’ teachings.
This doesn’t mean doing what I think will please God and Jesus, but doing what they have commanded in the Bible. This is why Jesus said in Matthew 7 that even performing miracles in his name won’t get you into heaven. Because Jesus has commanded us to obey his teachings. Well what are his teachings?
The New Covenant: A Promise of Life and Death
While the four gospels contain all of Jesus’s teachings, there is a key promise that Jesus made that he expects those who believe in him to keep. On the night of Passover, Jesus established a new covenant with believers through his blood (Luke 22:14-20).
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”
A covenant is another word for a promise–but a much, much more serious one. Think life or death. Think, the ‘unbreakable vow’ from the Harry Potter series.
The reason why it’s a new covenant is because God had already established a covenant with the Israelites way back in the time of Moses, but they repeatedly broke it time and time again. So God promised to send Jesus, who would establish a new covenant, a new promise, to be kept by believers (Jeremiah 31:31-33).
What We Need to Know
The content of that covenant was to write God’s words, His law, on the people’s hearts and minds so that they would be able to know and understand Him. And in knowing and understanding God, we won’t be led away or turn away from Him.
This is the covenant I will make…I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people…they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord.
Jeremiah 31:33-34
So if this was the covenant, the promise, that Jesus established on the night before he went to the cross, then we need to know the specifics and expectations of it in order to keep it. But if we don’t know what the Bible has to say about these things and try to live out a life of faith anyway, we won’t be doing what pleases God and Jesus. If we don’t know or keep the promise, then we’ll have the kingdom of heaven shut in our faces.
What the Doctor Ordered
Have you ever injured yourself or not felt good, and so you tried home remedies? Sometimes, they’re great and do the trick–but sometimes just doing what you feel is right without full knowledge of your condition could be either ineffective or could make the injury worse.
Once, I had a foot injury and thought it would be good to leave it uncovered and soak it in warm water. That got rid of the pain at least, but the injury itself evolved–I’ll spare you the details. When I got to the doctor, his treatment was for me to wrap it up and not get it wet for a whole week. The exact opposite of what I was doing. I had good intentions and some knowledge–but without full understanding of my problem I could not treat it the right way.
When we try to live our spiritual lives according to what we think is right, we end up doing more harm than good. Living a life of faith without knowing the new covenant (promise) we have to keep isn’t going to lead us to heaven. Like me, you’ll try your own home remedies and then be left wondering why it wasn’t enough.
We need a full understanding of Jesus’s teachings in order to carry out our life of faith according to God’s will and keep His covenant.
Would You Be Welcomed or Rejected Right Now?
If you were before the gate of heaven right now, do you think Jesus would welcome or reject you? Have you kept his commands and his covenant? Or have you been living your life of faith focusing on good deeds, ‘just believing,’ or whatever else you think pleases God?
I never knew you. Away from me, evildoers. Jesus will say he never knew us if we don’t meet the standard that was set for entering the kingdom of heaven. I can’t think of a bigger blow–especially for those who have spent their whole lives trying to please him.
Let’s not have Jesus shut the door of heaven in our faces. If we don’t know about Jesus’ commands or the new covenant he established, the promises God has given us for the second coming or how we fit into them, then we need to learn from someone who does. It was mentioned earlier that this promise, this covenant is a matter of life and death. So let’s make sure that we choose life by trying our best to know and keep the promise Jesus shed his blood for.
Let’s be welcomed into heaven.
Written by Samantha
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