Do You Really Want To Go To Heaven? Part 2

In this post, we will look at the third question which is "If you believe that you are going to heaven, what are you basing that on?" This question focuses on the cause of your salvation and many people get this wrong as illustrated through statements like these... "I am going to heaven because I was baptized" or "I am going to heaven because I prayed the "sinner's prayer"". If you say "I am going to heaven because I...", then the focus is on yourself and your salvation is not based upon what you did. Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV) — 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. If you are saved, it is because you have been saved by God. If you read the first three verses of Ephesians chapter 2, you will see that you were "dead in the trespasses and sins" (verse 1) and you were "by nature children of wrath" (verse 3). If you read Romans 3:10–12, you will find these words. “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” The Bible is very clear that a lost person will not seek God. In fact, he will try to hide from God. Jesus said in John chapter 3 that "people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed." (verses 19–20) A lost person does not pursue God because he is unable to and unwilling to do so.

That is why Ephesians 2:4 should make you praise God. After seeing the first three verses of Ephesians chapter 2 tell us that we were "dead in the trespasses and sins", verse 4-5 says "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—". God "made us alive together with Christ" and just in case we missed the point, Paul said in Ephesians 2:8–9, "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." We see this again in 1 Peter 1:3 when Peter said "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". Say this phrase out loud... "he has caused us to be born again". We are to forever give God praise for saving us!

So when you are asked "If you believe that you are going to heaven, what are you basing that on?", I hope that you will give the right answer which is "I am going to heaven because God made me alive in Christ."