Are you absolutely sure that if you die right now, you will go to heaven? If you can answer yes to that question, then you are likely saved, and a true Christian.
Are you afraid to die? If you can answer that question "no", then you are probably ( not always the case ) a Christian.
If you have a doubt what-so-ever, as to the first question, then please continue to read this page, and i will tell you how you can be sure, without any doubt, how to get to Heaven.
First things first.
God does not owe you, or I anything. He is The Creator of the universe, and knows all the trillions of stars each, by name. He is under no obligation to save any of us. We do not deserve salvation.
Bible Ref:
Romans 3:23 (KJV)
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
He did provide a way for us though. We owe him all the praise in Jesus name. We must humble ourselves unto him, and once saved, we must CONFESS him, with our mouths, submit ourselves to him totally. We often ask him to forgive us our sins. This is ok, but He forgave us all our sins, by Jesus's blood, on the Cross. All of man's sin was put upon Jesus, and he was sinless, so you see, that is how he took our sins, to make it posable to be born again through Jesus. ( This is, I think, why he cried out on the cross, just before he died, "Father, why have thou forsaken me" ). He was in agony beyond any thing we can conceive of, with all man kind's sin for all times, from the beginning, till the end. It is not enough to simply be saved. We must do our best to live the humble life he expects us to, and again profess him, and repent our sins to him daily, through prayer. A person saved, or born again, is still a sinner, and thus must repent ( admit to) our sins to God, in Jesus's name. Once saved, we are his children, and he, our Father, and we must listen to him, and learn how to live, through his Word, the Bible. We were born into a world of sin.
Bible Ref:
Psalms 51:5 (KJV)
Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Yes babies do go to heaven, (but this does not excuse women who choose abortion, or the doctors doing it) up to the age of accountability, which is when a child knows right from wrong. (this would apply to people who are mentally incapable of knowing as well, from birth.
Bible Ref:
Luke 18:16 (KJV)
But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
People will be sisters and brothers in heaven. Remember, God is our father.
You must believe with all your heart, mind, and soul, that the Bible is the complete word of God, in so far as what he wants us to know. God did not tell us everything there is to know about all things, for example How did he make the universe?, etc. (There is at least one well known Church, (cult) that believes the Bible is correct, only to the extent, that it was translated correctly, and even believe that men can become Gods of their own worlds. More about them later, as they are a false church, and most of the poor souls in that church, don't know, or will not believe it is false. Remember i said i would speak out against such things, and i will back it up with the Bible, a little further along.
Bible Ref:
Revelation 22:19
And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
Pray to God in the name of Jesus, for understanding, when you read the Bible. If you don't know how to pray, I will teach you, as you read on. You must believe "The Word" by faith, and not proof.
Bible Ref:
Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
It is ok to ask questions, and want to know things. That is to be human, but salvation comes by faith, and the grace of God. Nothing we do, in good works, etc. can save us.
Bible Ref:
Ephesians 2:8
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
You will do good works, after you are saved. You may be saying, "But i go to church every Sunday". Great, but that act by itself, will not save you.
You must believe that the Bible is the complete word of God, no less, or no more, and is complete, by itself, and you need to understand that some (and, I do mean some. They should coincide with what the Bible says.) other books may be good for reference, but they are not the Bible.
Bible Ref:
1 Corinthians 2:5
That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
Was the Bible mans thoughts written down? No, it is not. Man wrote the record, but God told them what to write.
Bible Ref:
John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 Timothy 3:16
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
You must believe in the Trinity. (God in three forms)
Bible ref:
Matthew 28:19
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
You need to understand that God always existed in the Trinity.
Bible Ref:
Genesis 1:26
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
As you see here, God used the words "us", and "our", in reference to himself.
Another good point to take from this piece of scripture, is that man did not crawl down from any tree, but was made (notice the "make man in our image").
This might be a good time to tell you exactly what you must do to be saved, and be absolutely sure of going to Heaven.
First you need to understand that, death is the price we all must pay for sin. Now I am not speaking of the sin of each of us individually, but the original sin of Adam, and Eve, and everyone of us from that time on.
By the way, there is no evidence that the fruit that Satan in the form of a serpent, talked Eve into eating, was an apple, but simply the "fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good, and evil", which is now in Heaven. (we have no idea of what the fruit looked like, as the Bible dosn't say. (he deceived her, by telling her "Surely you will not die, if you eat, of the fruit, but you will be wise, as God is")
There was another tree there called the tree of life, which is also now in Heaven, and the saints (saved people) will be allowed to eat of.
Bible Ref:
Revelation 2:7
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Revelation 22:2
In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Revelation 22:14
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
All the simple points you must meet to be saved, (and they are very simple, compared to what some would have you believe), must all be done with the faith, and belief, that the Bible (and only The Bible) is Gods True Word. You must be saved, while you are still alive, because after death, it is to late. Praying for the dead is against God's word, and so is worrying about genealogy. (take note Mormons)
Bible Ref:
(1 Timothy 1:4 KJV)
Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.
At First, God required the sacrifice of the purest, or best, of what people had, in the Old Testament, (for example, a lamb, without blemish)
Bible Ref:
Genesis 31:54
Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount.
You need to understand, that God foretold of a Savior, through the Old Testament prophets, to come in the future, and that he would be the final sacrifice, and the salvation of mankind, by taking on their sins, through the spilling of his blood. (Jesus)
Bible Ref:
Jeremiah 23:5
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
There are many more scriptures, that speak to this matter, but my point, is not to copy the entire Bible here, but only to give a little example, of what i am saying.
So now, the next point is that the old ways, were not permanent, and that is where Jesus (God The Son) comes in. The perfect, and everlasting sacrifice, would be Jesus, the only begotten son of God.
You see Jesus,(God the Son, also referred to as The Word in Genesis) is the 2nd person of the triune God taking on flesh, and walked among us (also referred to as The Son Of Man, because he was born of the virgin Mary), and begotten by God (The Holy Ghost). This is the form of God that is omnipresent. He is all places at once, and is always with, and within us,(when saved) unseen, but felt. He keeps us right with God in our daily walk.
This may come as a shock to some of you, but in order that you can better understand why Jesus had to be born of a virgin, I will explain it. I don't think I have ever heard a preacher tell his people this medical fact, and you may even have to ask a gynecologist yourself if what I say here is so.
A baby dosn't get its blood from the mother. (we do get genes, chromosomes, etc. from our mothers, but not our blood). Yes the mothers blood does flow through the umbilical cord to the placenta, where the nutrition is passed on to the baby, and take the waste from the baby, sort of like our lungs operate, so Jesus being born of Mary, made him fully man, but The Holy Ghost being the father, (not by sexual means, but rather miraculously) Jesus got his blood from His father, God, and so he was fully God, and his blood was pure, and not tainted with sin. He was born of man, but did not get the tainted blood as we all do, by being kin to the first man Adam, whose blood was tainted with sin. This is why we are all born into the original sin. Jesus was not.
It was necessary for Jesus to take on flesh so that he could feel, experience everything that we do, and be tempted of Satan, but never sinned, so that He (Jesus) was the only perfect man. He used scripture in response to Satan every time Satan tempted Him. (He said "It is written............") as the first man Adam, was. (Jesus was the 2nd Adam) in order that he could be the perfect sacrifice, and then he had to die on the cross, and shed his blood, in order to take on mans sins for all time. You see Satan did own the world, as Adam gave the unwritten deed to Him, when he in effect bowed down to Satan, by eating the fruit. Now He (Jesus) had to arise from the dead, in order to permanently defeat death, and make it posable for man himself to be able to live on after death. Now Jesus ascended into Heaven, as will man also ascend to Heaven, (not in this earthly body), but in our spiritual body, at the moment of death. Our bodies will be made new at the rapture, and our spirit, and new body will be rejoined.
Bible Ref:
2 Corinthians 5:8
We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
So you see, if we believe all this to be true, and are willing to accept it, with faith, and not proof, then we have all the information, that we need to be saved, and assured of spending all of eternity in heaven.
OK NOW, I SAID I WOULD TEACH YOU TO PRAY
Let's use the Lord's Prayer, just as Jesus taught the deciples to pray.
Bible Ref:
Matthew 6:9-13 (KJV)
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever Amen.
Now to understand how all prayer should be done using this model.
Our Father which art in heaven, could be said in general prayer, something like "Our heavenly Father", or "Dear heavenly Father".
Hallowed be thy name, could be said something like "Who's name is above all", or "We humbly ask in your blessed name".
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven, could be said "if it is thy will", or "If it is your will".
Most of the rest could be simply substituted with what you are thanking God for, or asking Him for.
Prayer is simply us talking to God, just as we would any person, other than showing a proper amount of humbleness, and the respect, that we should show the creator of the universe, including us, with only a slight bit of formal ness as follows.
At the end of a prayer, some form of glory, should be given, such as "glory be to God", or something to that effect.
ALL prayer should end with "in Jesus's name we, or i pray". I would suggest, that if we arn't praying in "Jesus name", our prayer is of little effect.
Take another look at the Lord's prayer, and you can see, that we should give thanks for everything, including things, that we may not care so much for, because in God's infinite wisdom, he makes everything for a purpose.
Here is an example of giving thanks at meal time. "Heavenly Father, thanks for this bounty, of which we are about to partake. Bless it, that it might make our bodies stronger, that we can continue in your work. In Jesus Holy name we give thanks."
Prayer for the most part should be right to the point, and not long winded rambling. Prayer is simply us talking to God, and the Bible is Him talking to us. All prayer should be humble, and to the point. It is not nessecery to be long, and repeated. In fact we are told not to ramble, and repeat. "God has real good hearing", in jest here of coarse, but God does hear all prayer. It may not be answered right then, and there, or even answered the way we want it. Remember God is emensly smarter than we are, and he knows what will be best for us in the long run. God sees all things, from the beginning, to the end of time.
That being said, we do have the promise (God can not lie. It's against his nature.) that if we will just ask, he will put our names in the book of life, and it will be found there at judgement day.
OK, NOW IF YOU WANT TO BE SAVED,
and assured of spending eternity with God in Heaven.
1 John 5:13 (KJV)
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. (Jesus)
1. KNOW YOU ARE A SINNER.
Bible Ref:
Romans 3:23 (KJV)
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
2. KNOW THERE IS A PRICE FOR SIN, AND A WAY TO BE SPIRITUALLY REBORN.
Bible Ref:
Romans 6:23 (KJV)
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
3. KNOW THAT JESUS PAID THE PRICE FOR YOU.
Bible Ref:
Romans 5:8-9 (KJV)
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
(wrath being the wrath of the book of Revelation, hell, and separation from God forever)
4. KNOW THAT YOUR SALVATION IS A FREE GIFT FROM GOD, THAT REQUIRES ONLY A HEART FELT, MIND, AND SOUL DECISION FROM YOU.
Bible Ref:
Romans 6:23 (KJV)
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 10:9-10 (KJV) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
5. KNOW THAT YOU MUST NOW CALL ON JESUS TO SAVE YOU FOR ALL TIME.
Bible Ref:
Romans 10:13 (KJV)
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
John 3:16 (KJV)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
IF YOU WANT TO BE SAVED RIGHT NOW, THEN PRAY THIS PRAYER
WARNING
This prayer must come from your heart, and you must mean it. God knows if you mean it, so you must want to be saved, as you pray.
I assure you, that if you pray meaning it, God will hear you, and save you for all time, right now.
Dear Heavenly Father, I know I am a sinner, I believe with all my heart, that Jesus died on the cross, with the sins of the world, including mine, so that through the shedding of his blood, as the only perfect sinless sacrifice, I might have salvation. I believe through faith, that he shed his blood, died, and arose again, that my sins are washed as white as snow through His blood, that i might have life eternal. I confess, and repent of my sins. I ask in the name of Jesus that, You save me right now, and send the Holy Sprit to live in me, and guide me for the rest of my life, and i shall confess the name of Jesus, every chance I get, so that i might do your work, and be seen as a true born again Christian. I pray it in the precious name of Jesus my Lord, and Saviour. AMEN, AND AMEN.
IF YOU PRAYED THE PRAYER, I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. I WON'T BOTHER YOU, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO PRAY FOR YOU, AND REJOICE WITH YOU, AS THE BIBLE SAYS THE ANGELS IN HEAVEN DO, WHEN YOU ARE SAVED, AND I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, THAT THIS SITE IS DOING GOOD WORK FOR OUR LORD. IT WILL BE JUST BETWEEN YOU, ME, AND HEAVEN. (I don't post anything, that identifies you. I will post testimonials, if you ask me to, but I will use initials only).
Dear Brother, or Sister, if you prayed the above prayer, or one saying the same thing, AND YOU MEANT IT WITH ALL YOUR HEART, then YOU ARE NOW SAVED, AND YOUR NAME IS IN THE BOOK OF LIFE. I can now call you brother, or sister, because we are now just that in our Christian lives. Now rejoice in and be thankful for everything from now on. Wait!!, The Spirit of God came over you, when you were saved, and you are a different Person, so as Jesus, said to the women caught in the act of adultery, (which was under the old law, punishable by being stoned to death), "Go, and sin no more".
There are a couple things you should now do, and that is find a good truthful church, that teaches salvation, by the blood of Christ, ( the only way ) and be baptized, as that is the first outward sign to others that a new Christian is supposed to do. Attend as often as you can, and study your Bible. ( I highly suggest, that you stick with the Authorized King James Version, do to the possibility of introduction of new mistakes, and wrong ideas ) The new versions may be ok for cross reference, but may also contain peoples opinion, as to what the meaning is. Each time you read your Bible, pray for understanding.
Bible Ref:
(James 1:5 KJV)
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
(James 1:6 KJV) But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
It will be hard to understand at first, but it will become plain as time passes, and as your faith grows in strength.
(It may appear to the new Christian, that the Bible contradicts itself, but if read from the front to the back, you will notice, that it does not, and in fact, it reinforces itself. The same story is told by several men in the New Testament, but in their own words, which lends more truth to it. Think about it; would ten or more people tell something in the same exact way?)
I am as of this writting, 60+ years old, and have been saved more than forty five years, so I have had a lot of time to study The Word, and experience a little in life. Please find and read about "rightly dividing the word", It's in the Bible. (I could tell you where, but let this be your first Bible study) Also start reading the Bible at the book of John. It's often called God's love letter.
You will most likely stumble, and stray along the way, (or backslide, just pray and ask God to forgive you, and he will) but put God first, and he will guide you. Pray often, and about all things, so that you will be wise in Gods Word, and his will. Confess your sins every day, and God will forgive, and forget your sins. The Bible tells us, that God will forget your sins, as far as the east is from the west.
NOTICE: Go over to the links panel, and download the computer Bible there. e-Sword (A Study Bible) It's about as good as a Bible program gets for your computer, and it is free.
NOTE: Most of the newer versions of the Bible, are pure junk. They leave out many important verses, and the so called modern English even perverts the meaning.
Just a little friendly advice, would be to not pay very much attention to most of those TV preachers, as more are teaching wrong stuff, than not. SIMPLY CHECK THEM AGAINST THE BIBLE. (there are some good ones, but you need to be able to tell which ones are, and which are not). (I will place links to the ones, that preach it, like it is) Some are only in it for the money. (if they offer oil, water, prayer cloths, or other such junk, don't even bother with them). Please understand that being a Christian isn't an easy life. Satan will try the people of God, so if they ask for your money, and tell you how much you will be blessed, they are probably liers.
Don't get me wrong here, you should tithe, which means give 10% of your income (one penny, out of a dime) to where you think, that you receive the truthful understanding of God's Word, or where it will do the most good, and it could even be your time, or something like that, if you can't come up with the money) God understands, that it does cost people to spread his word. An example would be quite simply, that the church you go to, must pay it's bills to continue to exist.
Ladies, i mean no disrespect, but women are not supposed to be church preachers according to the Bible.
Bible Ref:
(1 Timothy 2:11 KJV)
Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.
(1 Timothy 2:12 KJV)
But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
Now that does not mean, that you should not talk to your friends and others you meet about what God has done for you, or even give testimony in church, or elsewhere, when you have an opportunity. Women are certainly, co-equal with men, and God gave them a rightful, and a beautiful part in life, but God did set the rules, not me.
Be sure to keep an eye on the link, way up at the top, about false teachers, as i will post much more to it.
Unfinished, more to follow!