How Many Ways Are There To Go To Heaven?

People say that there are many ways to get to heaven or that all paths lead to God, but what if there is only one way? What if that way is so different than we thought it should be that we miss it?

"Jesus is 'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.'Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved." Acts4:12.

The context of this Bible verse is an apostolic sermon to the Jews explaining to them that the one they rejected was really the one they were seeking.

SALVATION...
To be saved begins with the assumption or awareness that you are lost and need to be saved. We are lost because our sins bring us into condemnation.

God is holy and must condemn sin and all wrongdoing- if God didn't He would be "guilty by association." If He compromised on one sin it would set precedence for all evil to triumph and He would not be the God of Love if He did so.

We have all sinned so we all need salvation.

IS FOUND....
There is hope for the sinner. It is a hope not based on works, effort, self-righteousness, ability or merit. It is not made by man but provided to man.

You cannot find something if you are not looking. If you are looking in only one place you are not really looking. God promises that we will find him if we seek him with all our hearts. Jeremiah 29:13.

NO ONE ELSE...
Salvation is not conferred by being born into a Christian country or household, it is not earned through a ritual or observation of a religious creed or doctrine it is found in a person. But not just any person, this 'no one else' is a phrase that is exclusive, these three words eliminate all others except the one, so we have no doubt that there is only one way.

NO OTHER NAME...
Only through one name is salvation available to mankind. It is not your name or the name of the head of a religious organization.  This is the second time the verse excludes all but the one name. When the Bible repeats something it has the power of the ancient legal requirement that every testimony must be confirmed by a second witness.

JESUS:
Jesus said it himself. "I am the way the truth and the life, No one comes to the Father but by me." John 14:6, I am the door...John 10:9  and "Come to me all you who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28.

It is through Jesus that we are saved. He did what no one else could do; since he had no sin he was qualified to pay for our sins and be our substitute before the justice of God. Our judgment was put on him when he died, and his resurrection demonstrates that his death alone satisfied God's requirements. Since he took our sins before God he gives us his righteousness before God.

WE MUST BE SAVED...
It is imperative and a truth taught over and over in scripture that we are lost because of our actions and are in danger of eternal condemnation. The Bible does not teach that there is another chance after this life but we can choose eternal life now by choosing Jesus.

To learn more about how to have eternal life see the tab above for the Gospel.

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Thank you for visiting this blog. I hope these thoughts are helpful for you.

You can find more like this in the most helpful post list on the left sidebar.

You can contact me through comments or the email link. If you live near Columbia MD I would be glad to meet you and discuss how you can know for sure that you may have eternal life.

Adron

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(c) Adron

Is Just Believing Enough To Give Us Eternal Life?

Every now and then you hear someone say something like, "Just Believe."  Or "just have faith." Is it possible that believing is all we need to gain heaven? Jesus said something that makes you wonder if it is true.

"Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life." John 6:47.

The quote above is from a passage below where Jesus is teaching some difficult truths.

"VERY TRULY"
Jesus is telling something that is the purest truth. These are not only the words of the man who never lies but out of all the words he ever said these are words we should especially pay attention to. It is like he is saying "I am telling you something that is more important than any other thing you will ever hear."

"I TELL YOU"
Consider the source.

"THE ONE WHO BELIEVES"
This belief is not your church's creed, it is not something cultural, it is not your parent's belief or the teachings of society- you must be the one who believes. You personally must accept this as true, it must become your belief because you must be the one.

"HAS"
The word has is not the same as hope. It is a word that means you possess something now. Jesus did not say will have some day in the future, but as of the moment of belief, you will have something.

"ETERNAL LIFE"
Jesus taught eternal life is a reality. This must be more than eternal existence but life and the life implied here must be a life of blessing beyond anything we can understand.

JESUS TELLS US WHAT TO BELIEVE IN
Belief itself is not sufficient, but it is what you believe in that counts. Trusting in the wrong thing will fail us.

Man people are confused about what to believe in but the context of the verse Jesus makes it clear. it was after performing a miracle of feeding thousands with a few morsels Jesus claims to be the Bread of life. Jesus said we have to believe in him; we have to believe in his deity, that he is God expressed in human flesh. And that he is the one who gives life.

" No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever..."

Jesus claims to be the giver of life from heaven. In the language and culture of the day, this was a claim to be God, the people of that time and place understood this was what he was saying.

The Bible teaches that as a sinless man Jesus alone was qualified to pay for our sins and his resurrection proves the sufficiency of his death on our behalf and that only belief in him gives us salvation.

Believing is enough if we believe in the right thing.

If you want to learn more about how to have eternal life see the tab above for the Gospel.
Thank you for visiting this blog. I hope these thoughts are helpful for you.

You can find more like this in the most helpful post list on the left sidebar.

To learn about my books of poems visit my website, A.E. Dozat.com.

 (c)Adron Dozat 5/21/16

What Will Fix The Empty Dryness I Feel Inside?

Many of us feel that our lives are messed up, empty, powerless, and dried up inside.  Can we find something that will not only fill us up with meaning and fix our brokenness but also make our lives a benefit to those around us?

Jesus was all about this very thing.  He promises that we could have "Rivers of living water flowing from out of us."

"On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them." John 7:37-39.

First, it is a promise.
It is a promise based on God's Word in the Old Testament, and Jesus makes the statement strong so that there is no doubt that he is guaranteeing the promise. He promises that if we come to him then blessing (living water), which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, will come out of us.

Second, it is a Metaphor
Jesus described physical things we understand so we can discover spiritual truths; here drinking means taking in, an act of accepting and receiving.  Water is life giving, we die without it; and spiritually Christ is life giving by his offer of eternal life. (John 3:16.)

Third, it is Simple
Drinking is something we all can relate to, and something we all need to do. It is common.  Jesus is saying that anyone can come and anyone can partake of his life.

Fourth, it is an invitation
Jesus is always saying to people, "Come to me..." He said it to the fisherman, to the tax collection, the seekers on the way, and other times. (Mark 1:17, Luke 5:27, John 1).  It was a core to his message that we come to him.

Fifth, it is a call to Faith
The hardest part is faith.  We think we must come and do something.  We think we need to make ourselves better first.  We think salvation and blessing is the result of great deeds of sacrifice and charity.

Jesus only said believe. God is always generous; he gives life, love, the air we breathe, all that sustains us, but we think he stops being generous when it comes to salvation, forgiveness, and blessing.  Jesus paid for our sins in his death and the resurrection ratifies God's acceptance of that payment.  God is generous to give salvation, and a new life to any who will accept and receive it by coming to Jesus.

If you have not yet come to Jesus and want to know more see the tab above for the Gospel or contact me. 

____________________________ 

Thank you for visiting this blog. I hope these thoughts are helpful for you.

You can find more like this in the most helpful post list on the left sidebar.

Adron

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Is Changing My Life Just Some Empty Hope?

Can our hope to get our lives right ever be more than just a hope?

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 1 Peter 1:3.

IN HIS GREAT MERCY

God is full of mercy, and to call it great mercy is an understatement.  He has shown mercy to every living person every day, allowing us all just to live and breathe.  His mercy must be the focus of our hope and not our own efforts.

HE HAS

This is the past tense of what has been done.  When God promises something, you can be assured of it.  So, "In his great mercy, he has given," suggests it is here today.  Salvation, new life, and heaven are not just a future dream but for those who have received it- it is present now.

GIVEN

Something given is not something earned.  This Bible verse says salvation and the new person we become are given away by God.  Salvation and this new birth are not a payment or reward that we earn by anything we can do, or else it would not be a free gift.

NEW BIRTH

God gives us more than heaven. He also gives us a new birth, a new identity; who you are is now ready and able to change.  Because we have a new birth, we can turn from the things that led to death and have success over things that ruined our lives.  We can turn around and be the people God meant for us to be.

INTO A LIVING HOPE

Our hope in Jesus is not some far off, maybe so- maybe not, a vain thing; it is something that is living, current, active, and engaged.  Our hope in Jesus is real.

Jesus did what no one else could do.  He died to pay for our sins.  The resurrection proves he has the power of life and power over death, that the judgment has been paid for, and it proves God is satisfied with what Jesus did on our behalf.  If he can rise from the dead, we can trust absolutely in his promise of eternal life and new birth.

When you come to Jesus, you come to the one who makes us new, and we become who and what we are meant to be.  God has given the gift, but he does not force it on us, he offers it, and each of us must decide to receive it.

If you want to know more about receiving God's offer of free salvation, see the tab above.

(c) Adron 8/17/15

Does Jesus Want To Fill My Life With Boring Rules? Galatians 5:1

So is Jesus all about following rules and commandments to have a life of guilt and no fun?  But that is not what the Bible says.

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1

FREEDOM
Jesus did not come to put us under a set of rules that say do not do this and you must do that in order to go to heaven.  He said, "I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly." (John 10:10). The idea of an abundant life contradicts a life full of rules and regulations.

Once he was asked, "What is the greatest commandment?"  He replied, "To love the Lord your God with all your mind body and soul, and then he added as second love your neighbor as yourself," (Matthew 22:36-40). Jesus valued love above rules.

He did give some commands to his disciples.  He said, "A new command I give to you that you love one another as I have loved you so you must love one another."  Later he explained his love for others when he said: "Greater love has no one that this that someone lays down his life for his friend."  (John 15:13), and then he did just that on the cross.

CHRIST HAS
Christ was sinless, so he was the only one who could take our place in judgment.  The ultimate rule is the rule of judgment, that sin must be judged and condemned.  Christ was sinless so he was the only one who could take our place in judgment.  When he died he fulfilled the rule of judgment on our behalf as our sins were placed on him.

SET US FREE
Until we trust Jesus as Savior we are prisoners to sin and face sin's judgment.  Jesus' resurrection demonstrates he has power over the ultimate consequences of sin- death and hell.  His resurrection shows that God is satisfied with what he did.  Jesus not only sets us free from the judgment of sin but also the power of sin.

Rules do not save a person or get them right with God or guarantee heaven.  Only Jesus can do those things.  When we come to Jesus we come to him- not rules.

When Christ sets us free we can obey those commands out of love, to express devotion and as acts of worship.  Jesus did give commands but his commands to love are not a burden they are liberating.

If you want to know more about coming to Jesus and being set free from your sin see the tab above for the Gospel.

Thank you for visiting this blog. I hope these thoughts are helpful for you.

You can find more like this in the most helpful post list on the left sidebar.

(c) Adron 8/12/15