If you asked twenty people what was necessary to go to heaven, you might get twenty different answers. Is there a definite answer? And can we know it? In your own personal opinion, what do you understand it takes for a person to go to heaven? I’d like to share with you how the Bible answers this question. In fact, there is a single word that can be used as our answer and that word is FAITH.

F is for Forgiveness. No one can have eternal life or enter into heaven without God’s forgiveness. The Bible says, “In Him (meaning Jesus) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins”.

A is for Available. The forgiveness every human being needs is available for all. John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”. According to that verse, this forgiveness is available to all, but it’s not automatic. Matthew 7:21 records Jesus saying, “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven”. Why won’t everyone go to heaven, you ask? Because…

I is for Impossible. It is impossible for God to allow sin into heaven. God is love. Remember John 3:16? “God so loved the world…”. But God is also just. James 2:13 states, “for judgement is without mercy”. God does love everyone but He is also just. Every human being is a sinner. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) and for that reason it is impossible for people to go to heaven. So, how can a sinful person enter into heaven, where God allows no sin? That brings us to the next letter…

T is for Turn. If you were driving down the road on Long Island, and someone asked you to turn, what would he or she be asking you to do? They’d be asking you to change directions, right? In the Bible, to turn means to repent. We must all turn from something – sin and self. Jesus warned his listeners in Luke 13:3, “…unless you repent (turn) you will all likewise perish”. But we not only turn from something (sin and self) we must also turn to Someone, Jesus Christ. We must trust Christ only! I Corinthians 15:3 says, “Christ died for our sins” and Romans 10:9 tells us that “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus…you will be saved”. In other words, you can go to heaven. And that’s what the “H” in F-A-I-T-H means.

H is for Heaven. Heaven is eternal life. When the Bible speaks of eternal life, it means life here. Jesus spoke about that in John 10:10 by saying, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly”. Eternal life also means hereafter.

In John 14:3 Jesus promised, “if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there you may be also”. “H” also means, “How”. How can a person have God’s forgiveness, heaven and eternal life, and Jesus as personal Saviour and Lord?

By using the word, F-A-I-T-H the Bible has answered the question of what it takes for a person to go to heaven. We can also use that word to understand how a person can have God’s forgiveness, heaven and eternal life. F-A-I-T-H can also mean, Forsaking All I Trust Him”. By forsaking any other way to heaven and placing your faith in Jesus, you can have forgiveness and eternal life.

Understanding what has been shared, would you like to receive this forgiveness by trusting in Christ as your personal Savior and Lord? Simply pray this prayer,

“Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner. I genuinely repent of my sins and ask for your forgiveness. Lord Jesus, I believe that you died on the cross for my sins. I receive you as my Lord and Savior and make a commitment of my life to you. Thank you for hearing my prayer. Thank you for forgiving me. Thank you for giving me eternal life.”

Since you have asked Jesus to forgive you, you have become a Christian and have eternal life. You are now God’s child. You are also a member of God’s family. Your feelings may change. God’s Word never changes. By faith, believe what God has said. In I John 5:12 the Bible says, “He who has the Son has life…These things have I written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God”. God wants you to believe Him. He wrote the Bible to assure you of His love and forgiveness.

Your new spiritual life needs care just like your physical life. Just as a new baby in a family, you may need help in beginning your Christian life.