The Bible tells us that not everyone will go to heaven when they die. In Revelation 20:11-15 we see that there will be a day of judgment when every person will stand before Jesus. Several books will be opened by Jesus and one of those books is called the Book of Life. This book contains the names of every person who has been forgiven of their sins through faith in Jesus. In Revelation 20:15 we read, “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (ESV). This verse tells us with certainty that not everyone will go to heaven when they die. Those who do not trust in Jesus Christ for salvation during their life on earth will not have their name in the Book of Life. Those people will be judged for their sin against God, they will not be allowed into heaven, and their eternity will be in the lake of fire, which is commonly referred to as hell. If everyone was destined for heaven when they die there would be no need for this day of judgment to take place. Because the Bible tells us this day is to come, and because the Bible tells us about the book of life and what it is, we know those who trust in Jesus will go to heaven when they die and those who do not trust in Jesus will not go to heaven.

Many people think that all religions are basically the same, but those who think this have not done an in depth steady of the major world religions. It is true that there are some similarities between various religions, but that does not mean they are basically the same. Many of the world religions teach similar principles for life, principles such as loving others, being kind, and doing good for others. However, the world religions are distinctly different in their views/beliefs about God and salvation. We cannot address all of the world religions here, but we can make a few comparisons that show world religions are not basically the same. Christians believe and confess that there is one God who exists in three distinct persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Christians also believe and confess that Jesus was crucified as the sacrifice for our sins and that people must trust in the sacrificial work of Jesus to be saved and go to heaven. Hinduism is a polytheistic religion that teaches there is not one god to worship, but multiple deities to worship. Hinduism teaches that people receive karma for their actions in life. When their life comes to an end they will be reincarnated to a higher or lower level of life on earth. They will continue to receive karma and repeat the reincarnation process until they reach liberation and enter into bliss. Buddhism is also a polytheistic religion like Hinduism. Buddhism teaches people to practice right conduct, but does not teach a karma based system like Hinduism. Buddhism does believe people will go through cycles of reincarnation until they attain nirvana. Islam believes and confesses that there is one God, Allah, and that Muhammad is the lone prophet of Allah and the final prophet. Islam teaches that Allah is sovereign and will judge all people. In order for a person to have hope on judgment day, they must believe the teachings of the Qur’an and they must obey what are known as the Five Pillars of Islam. The Five Pillars are: (1) faith in and confession of their creed, (2) praying five times each day, (3) fasting, (4) almsgiving for the poor, and (5) all who are able are required to make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least one time in their life. If one is found to be worthy by Allah on judgment day, they will enter into heaven, or a place of delight. Looking at just four of the major religions in the world we find that are not basically the same. Let’s look at one important and distinct way they are different. In Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam, people have to do a variety of works to earn their way into heaven or reach a place of bliss. Followers of these religions have to make themselves worthy or good enough for their gods. In Christianity, God loves people so much that He gave His Son, Jesus Christ, as the sacrifice for our sins, and He guarantees the hope of heaven to everyone that trusts in the sacrificial work of Jesus. In Christianity, people are not required to make themselves good enough to be accepted by God, because that would be impossible. God chooses to make them good enough or acceptable to Him through faith alone in His Son, Jesus Christ.

In John 14:6 Jesus said to His disciples, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (ESV). Jesus explicitly taught people they must trust in Him in order to have a relationship with God. That means following another religion that denies the existence and teaching of Jesus will not give you a relationship with God. You must trust in Jesus Christ in order to have a relationship with God.

Sin is anything we do that is disobedient to God’s instruction in the Bible. Sin is also anything we think, speak, say or do that is contrary to God’s moral standard. The first sin was committed by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. In Genesis 2:16-17 God commanded Adam, “…You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (ESV). In Genesis 3:1-7, the serpent twisted what God had commanded Adam and tempted Eve to eat fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Eve ate some of the fruit and gave some to Adam, who was with her when she was being tempted and knew they should not eat the fruit from that tree. Yet Adam ate the fruit, and committed the first sin by disobeying what God had commanded.

When Adam disobeyed the command of God and ate fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, sin entered into the world. In Romans 5:12 we learn that sin and death spread to all people through Adam. Simply put, all people have inherited a sinful nature through Adam, because we are all descendants of Adam. This sinful nature leads all people to sin against God and that is why the apostle Paul says in Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (ESV). That is why the Bible calls people sinners. We have all disobeyed God’s commands and morally perfect standard in our thoughts, through our words, and through our actions.

Jesus is the Son of God, the second person of the Triune God, and the Savior of the World who will come again in glory to establish His righteous kingdom on earth. God the Father, out of His love for humanity, willingly sent His Son Jesus into the world. Jesus is God in the flesh, He revealed God to all people in the flesh, and willingly gave His life as the once for all sacrifice for our sin on the cross. Jesus is the King of Kings who is currently seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven, and He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

Jesus was crucified on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, so that all who trust in Him and His sacrificial work alone, will have their sins forgiven and the hope of heaven. Because we are sinful people we could never offer a sacrifice good enough to cover our sins once and for all. We are also unable to do enough good things or live a moral life that is good enough to outweigh our sin and earn us a place in heaven. Simply put, Jesus was crucified on the cross to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. We cannot save ourselves from the penalty for our sin, but God freely offers forgiveness and eternal life to all who trust in Jesus and what He has done for them on the cross.

No, Jesus is not dead. Jesus died on the cross and was buried in a tomb, but He was raised from the dead three days later (John 19:28-42, 20:1-29, Acts 1:3-5). Jesus presented Himself to His disciples, alive in the flesh, over a period of forty days after His resurrection from the dead (Acts 1:3-5). At the conclusion of this forty day period after the resurrection, Jesus, fully alive in the flesh, ascended to God the Father in heaven where He is fully alive in the flesh today (Acts 1:6-11).

We know from Acts 1:9-11 that Jesus ascended into heaven, fully alive in the flesh, forty days after He was raised from the dead. In Colossians 3:1, the apostle Paul infers that Jesus is above, meaning He is in heaven, and that He is currently seated at the right hand of God. In Hebrews 8:1, the author of Hebrews was speaking about Jesus when they referred to the Christian’s high priest who is “seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven” (ESV). Therefore, we can say with confidence from God’s word that Jesus is alive in heaven and currently seated at the right hand of God the Father.

This is a very honest question and a concern for many. Some people think they have done things in life that God could never forgive them for. They may be in prison for killing someone. Maybe they have abused people. They may have a lifelong addiction that has hurt them and others. Whatever sin you may have committed, please know with confidence that you are not beyond God’s reach and forgiveness. The apostle Paul is a prime example. In the early days of Christianity and the Church, the apostle Paul, who was known as Saul at the time, routinely had followers of Jesus arrested and persecuted. He held the coats of Pharisees who stoned Stephen to death for believing in Jesus and teaching others to believe in Jesus, and he did not object to them killing him for his faith. Then one day on his way to a town to arrest Christians, Paul came face to face with Jesus, he put his trust in Jesus, and received forgiveness for his sins (Acts 9:1-31). This will hopefully give you hope and assurance that you are not beyond God’s reach of forgiveness. If you’re still not sure, listen to the words of Jesus in Matthew 12:31-32, “Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come” (ESV). The only sin that God does not forgive is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. To blaspheme the Holy Spirit is to reject the Spirit’s testimony that Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior of the world, and reject salvation through faith in Jesus. If you are worried that you have blasphemed the Holy Spirit, you have not. If you had blasphemed the Holy Spirit, you would not be worried about it or asking if you had. You also wouldn’t wonder if you have sinned beyond a point of forgiveness if you had blasphemed the Holy Spirit. People who blaspheme the Holy Spirit do not care that they have and they are not worried about or wondering if they can be saved. So be encouraged today. If you are worried you have sinned beyond a point of forgiveness, the answer is no. God is willing to embrace you and forgive you today. All you have to do is come to Him, believing that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins, and tell God you are sorry for your sins against Him, that you want to turn from following sin to follow Him, and that you are trusting in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. If you genuinely believe and trust in Jesus and want to follow Him, God will hear your prayer, He will forgive and you will be saved.

This is another good question that many people have asked. First, it is always important to remind ourselves that our salvation is not based on feelings. When you first trusted in Jesus and were saved, you may have felt alive, energized and excited to follow Jesus. Today, the struggles of life may have you feeling down, not feeling like you did when you first trusted Jesus, and not feeling like you’re a Christian anymore. That’s understandable, but remember, your salvation is not based upon a feeling. Feelings come and go, they change continually. So we should not look for assurance of our salvation in our feelings. Second, we should not put our assurance in our actions. People who are not Christians can do good things for others and live with good morals. So actions are not a good assurance of our salvation. So where can we find assurance? First, we have to remember that God does not lie and His word is true. He has said that those who come to Jesus and trust in Him will be saved (John 3:16, 6:37). We can take that to the bank because God has said so. Second, we can ask ourselves do I truly believe that Jesus has done everything on the cross so that I can be saved? If we honestly answer yes, we can be assured that we are saved. Third, the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives gives us certain assurance that are truly saved. In 1 John 3:24b we read, “And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us” (ESV). How do we know the Holy Spirit is present in our lives? We feel convicted when we sin against God. The Holy Spirit helps us rightly understand the Bible and how to apply it in our lives. The Holy Spirit also produces the desire to be obedient to God out of genuine love for Him, which creates lasting change in our lives and how we live. As Christians we will never live perfect lives. We are going to sin and the Holy Spirit will make it known to us when we do. The Holy Spirit will also help us grow in our obedience to God and others will see these growing changes in our lives. We may go through times when we do not feel we are saved and doubt our salvation. It is in these moments that we need to remember what God has said in His word. We need to remember what we genuinely believe and who we trust for our salvation. Then we need to see that the Holy Spirit is present in our lives and at work. Doing so will reassure you that you are saved in those times when you feel you are not.

“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, therefore I will hope in him.” Lamentations 3:24 “Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.” Psalm 33:22 “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” Psalm 42:11 “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.” Psalm 62:5 “You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.” Psalm 119:114 “The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.” Psalm 121:7-8 “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.” Psalm 130:5 “But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.” Micah 7:7 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Romans 15:4 “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57 “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” 1 Peter 1:3

“Make your face shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love!” Psalm 31:16 “As for you, O LORD, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me!” Psalm 40:11 “For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.” Psalm 57:10 “For you, O LORD, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.” Psalm 86:5 “When I thought, “My foot slips,” your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up.” Psalm 94:18 “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” Psalm 103:8 “Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.” Psalm 143:8 “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Matthew 5:44 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” John 15:12 “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:5 “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” Romans 12:10 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.” Ephesians 2:4-5 “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8 “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 1 John 4:9-10 “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” 1 John 4:16 “We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19 “If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” 1 John 4:20

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“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.” Isaiah 53:3-4 “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17 “He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:15-16 “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” Luke 5:32 “Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.” Luke 23:46 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. John 3:16-17 “Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” John 6:29 “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36 “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” John 10:9 “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” John 17:3 “Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.” Acts 13:38-39 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.” Romans 3:23-24 “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” Romans 5:6 “But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.” Romans 5:15 “For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:17 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:1-4 “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” Romans 10:9-11 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.” Ephesians 2:4-5 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Ephesians 2:13 “Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Philippians 2:6-8 “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” Philippians 2:9-10 “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 2:5 “No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.” 1 John 2:23 “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 1 John 4:9-10 “Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” 1 John 5:5 “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” 1 John 5:11-12