{"id":1632,"date":"2021-09-16T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-16T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/as-it-is-in-heaven.com\/?p=1632"},"modified":"2021-09-19T18:44:00","modified_gmt":"2021-09-19T09:44:00","slug":"going-to-heaven-might-not-be-as-easy-as-you-think","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/as-it-is-in-heaven.com\/going-to-heaven-might-not-be-as-easy-as-you-think\/","title":{"rendered":"Going to Heaven Might Not Be As Easy As You Think"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ask any Christian, \u201cWhy do you carry out a life of faith?\u201d To go to heaven<\/em> will probably be at the top of most people\u2019s list. But take those same people and ask, \u201cHow<\/em> do you get to heaven?\u201d and then you might start to get different answers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019m going to heaven? And what do God and Jesus have to say about this in the Bible? We’ll learn that it\u2019s not as easy as some may think. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Going to Heaven Isn\u2019t So Easy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In Matthew 5, 6, and 7, Jesus gathers the Jewish people and speaks to them about many different things. One common topic you\u2019ll notice is that he\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot everyone who says to me, \u2018Lord, Lord,\u2019 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, \u2018Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?\u2019 Then I will tell them plainly, \u2018I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matthew 7:21-23<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yikes. First, we have to determine who this applies to. <\/em><\/strong>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<\/strong>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who Might Get Rejected by Jesus?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Who are those who do things in the name of Jesus today? Wouldn\u2019t that be Christians? Those who teach and lead and prophesy, wouldn\u2019t that be pastors?  People of other religions or nonbelievers don\u2019t call out to Jesus as Lord. They don\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then I will tell them plainly, \u2018I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI never knew you\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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, \u201cAway from me. I never knew you\u201d??? How can this be? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may be going to church regularly, praying diligently, and volunteering–but if you aren\u2019t doing God\u2019s will,<\/em> the door of heaven will be shut to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So where do you think you stand in this scenario? Do you have a life of faith that is clearly following God\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What the Bible Tells Us About Salvation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So what, then, is this standard of salvation if it\u2019s not only believing in Jesus and working in his name? We don\u2019t want to be the people expecting and hoping for heaven but be unable to get in, so let\u2019s find the answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Make a Home with God and Jesus<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf 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. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

John 14:23<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

God and Jesus making their home with us–isn\u2019t that the essence of salvation? Being together with God and Jesus. That\u2019s what we all want as believers. And to make that happen, we must know and obey all of <\/em>Jesus\u2019 teachings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This doesn\u2019t mean doing what I<\/em> think will please God and Jesus,<\/a> 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\u2019t get you into heaven. Because Jesus has commanded us to obey his teachings. Well what are his teachings?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The New Covenant: A Promise of Life and Death<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While the four gospels contain all of Jesus\u2019s 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<\/strong>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A covenant<\/a> is another word for a promise–but a much, much more serious one. Think life or death. Think, the \u2018unbreakable vow\u2019 from the Harry Potter series. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reason why it\u2019s a new <\/em>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<\/a>. So God promised to send Jesus, who would establish a new covenant, a new promise, to be kept by believers (Jeremiah 31:31-33<\/strong>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What We Need to Know<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The content of that covenant was to write God\u2019s words, His law, on the people\u2019s hearts and minds so that they would be able to know and understand Him. And in knowing and understanding God, we won\u2019t be led away or turn away from Him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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,\u201d declares the Lord.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeremiah 31:33-34<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019t know what the Bible has to say about these things and try to live out a life of faith anyway, we won\u2019t be doing what pleases God and Jesus. If we don\u2019t know or keep the promise, then we\u2019ll have the kingdom of heaven shut in our faces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What the Doctor Ordered<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Have you ever injured yourself or not felt good, and so you tried home remedies? Sometimes, they\u2019re great and do the trick–but sometimes just doing what you feel <\/em>is right without full knowledge of your condition could be either ineffective or could make the injury worse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019ll 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<\/em>. I had good intentions and some knowledge–but without full understanding of my problem I could not treat it the right way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we try to live our spiritual lives according to what we<\/em> 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\u2019t going to lead us to heaven. Like me, you\u2019ll try your own home remedies and then be left wondering why it wasn\u2019t enough.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We need a full understanding <\/em>of Jesus\u2019s teachings in order to carry out our life of faith according to God\u2019s will and keep His covenant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Would You Be Welcomed or Rejected Right Now?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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, \u2018just believing,\u2019 or whatever else you <\/em>think pleases God? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I never knew you. Away from me, evildoers. <\/em> Jesus will say he never knew us<\/em> if we don\u2019t meet the standard that was set for entering the kingdom of heaven.<\/em> I can\u2019t think of a bigger blow–especially for those who have spent their whole lives trying to please him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s not have Jesus shut the door of heaven in our faces. If we don\u2019t know about Jesus\u2019 commands or the new covenant he established, the promises God has given us for the second coming <\/a>or how we fit into them, then we need to learn from someone who does<\/em>. It was mentioned earlier that this promise, this covenant is a matter of life and death. So let\u2019s make sure that we choose life by trying our best to know and keep the promise Jesus shed his blood for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s be welcomed into heaven.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Written by Samantha<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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