What Exactly Must I Do to Go to Heaven? (Part 2)

#1 · April 17, 2005, 5:29 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on April 17, 2005, 5:29 pm
Posted by: biblenotes <biblenotes@...>
What Exactly Must I Do to Go to Heaven? (Part 2)

".. Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, And saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.'" (Mark 1:14, 15)

Last time we left off with the idea that Jesus taught two conditions for entering the kingdom of God: "Repent" and "Believe the Gospel". Now, I will continue to quote from the letter I had written to answer the question, "What exactly must I do to go to Heaven? The reader may left-click (double left-click) on words in blue to check out former Bible Notes on the same or similar subjects.

I. Repent

Repent means to "think differently" or to "think afterwards", to "reconsider"; literally to "change one's mind". This involves a change of attitude concerning something. In God's Word, when this word is used in relation to man, it exclusively refers to the idea of a man's sin(s), and it carries with it the idea of a change in behavior. Please notice different aspects, or particulars, that we find in the Bible, which are necessary to a true concept and proper participation in this condition of salvation. Note: These are not necessarily in chronological order.

A. Sorrow for Sin

Repentance involves a "godly sorrow" for sin (2 Corinthians 7:9, 11). You must be sorry that you have sinned against God, that you have broken His commandments. Joel 2:12 states, "Therefore, .. saith the Lord, turn ye even unto me with all your heart, .. with weeping, and with mourning." YOU must come to God in prayer, with a heart that is truly broken over your own sinfulness.

All the way through, on the way to Heaven, prayer is necessary. You may say, "I don't know how to pray!" I don't think I know how to pray either. Really, you just talk to God like you would to your best friend. Only remember that you are talking to the Almighty God, and not to a mere man.

Tell Him how sorry you are. If you don't feel as sorry as you think you should, ask Him to make you sorry. This sorrow, remember, is a "godly" sorrow. This means that you begin to feel about your sins as God feels about them. HE hates them. HE utterly detests your sins. This is the way you need to feel about them. Also, you should be sorry that you have disobeyed Him, not that you have gotten caught or have been caused trouble because of them. You should be sorry that you have so dishonored God. (See the following Bible Notes for more about "godly sorrow": "Repentance (Part 2)" and "Repentance, A Broken and Contrite Spirit")

B. Confession of Sin

While you are telling God how sorry you are for your sins, tell Him exactly what they are. Yes, tell on yourself to God. Tell Him what kind of sinner you are. "Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God" (Jeremiah 3:13). Confess to Him every sin you've done that comes to your mind. Don't be dishonest or deceitful about any of your sins; don't hide them. You can't hide them from God; He sees them all anyway. "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper." (Proverbs 28:13). You won't get anything much accomplished, in talking to the Lord, unless you are totally honest.

God has promised to forgive (and thus save), if you confess. In this confession you are to say the same thing about your sins as God does. In other words, you must say that God is right about all that HE has to say in His Word (the Bible) about your sins, and that you have been wrong in committing these sins. Here is the promise: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) (For more on confession of sin see Bible Note: "Repentance (Part 4), Confession of Sin".

C. Turning from Sin

IF you are truly as sorry for your sins as you ought to be, and tell on yourself to God as you should, you will naturally come to the reality that you must get out of the sin business. This is an aspect of repentance much overlooked in our day. "Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon." (Isaiah 55:7). "Whoso confesseth and forsaketh them" [sins] "shall have mercy" (Proverbs 28:13)

Jesus told a woman, who had been caught in adultery, "Neither do I condemn thee: go and sin no more." (John 8:11). Even so, for you to get to Heaven, you must quit sinning. With the Lord's help you can do it -- "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Philippians 4:13). For more about turning from sin see "Repentance (Part 5), Forsaking All Sin".)

Look for Parts 3 and 4 in this mini series for three more sub-points about repentance and for the condition on believing the gospel.

Yours in Christ,

Martin Overfield

Please pass this Bible Note to others who may be interested or helped by it. To subscribe to FREE Bible Notes just send an empty e-mail to [email protected]

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Posted by: biblenotes <biblenotes@...>

What Exactly Must I Do to Go to Heaven? (Part 2)

".. Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, And saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.'" (Mark 1:14, 15)

Last time we left off with the idea that Jesus taught two conditions for entering the kingdom of God: "Repent" and "Believe the Gospel". Now, I will continue to quote from the letter I had written to answer the question, "What exactly must I do to go to Heaven? The reader may left-click (double left-click) on words in blue to check out former Bible Notes on the same or similar subjects.

I. Repent

Repent means to "think differently" or to "think afterwards", to "reconsider"; literally to "change one's mind". This involves a change of attitude concerning something. In God's Word, when this word is used in relation to man, it exclusively refers to the idea of a man's sin(s), and it carries with it the idea of a change in behavior. Please notice different aspects, or particulars, that we find in the Bible, which are necessary to a true concept and proper participation in this condition of salvation. Note: These are not necessarily in chronological order.

A. Sorrow for Sin

Repentance involves a "godly sorrow" for sin (2 Corinthians 7:9, 11). You must be sorry that you have sinned against God, that you have broken His commandments. Joel 2:12 states, "Therefore, .. saith the Lord, turn ye even unto me with all your heart, .. with weeping, and with mourning." YOU must come to God in prayer, with a heart that is truly broken over your own sinfulness.

All the way through, on the way to Heaven, prayer is necessary. You may say, "I don't know how to pray!" I don't think I know how to pray either. Really, you just talk to God like you would to your best friend. Only remember that you are talking to the Almighty God, and not to a mere man.

Tell Him how sorry you are. If you don't feel as sorry as you think you should, ask Him to make you sorry. This sorrow, remember, is a "godly" sorrow. This means that you begin to feel about your sins as God feels about them. HE hates them. HE utterly detests your sins. This is the way you need to feel about them. Also, you should be sorry that you have disobeyed Him, not that you have gotten caught or have been caused trouble because of them. You should be sorry that you have so dishonored God. (See the following Bible Notes for more about "godly sorrow": "Repentance (Part 2)" and "Repentance, A Broken and Contrite Spirit")

B. Confession of Sin

While you are telling God how sorry you are for your sins, tell Him exactly what they are. Yes, tell on yourself to God. Tell Him what kind of sinner you are. "Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God" (Jeremiah 3:13). Confess to Him every sin you've done that comes to your mind. Don't be dishonest or deceitful about any of your sins; don't hide them. You can't hide them from God; He sees them all anyway. "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper." (Proverbs 28:13). You won't get anything much accomplished, in talking to the Lord, unless you are totally honest.

God has promised to forgive (and thus save), if you confess. In this confession you are to say the same thing about your sins as God does. In other words, you must say that God is right about all that HE has to say in His Word (the Bible) about your sins, and that you have been wrong in committing these sins. Here is the promise: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) (For more on confession of sin see Bible Note: "Repentance (Part 4), Confession of Sin".

C. Turning from Sin

IF you are truly as sorry for your sins as you ought to be, and tell on yourself to God as you should, you will naturally come to the reality that you must get out of the sin business. This is an aspect of repentance much overlooked in our day. "Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon." (Isaiah 55:7). "Whoso confesseth and forsaketh them" [sins] "shall have mercy" (Proverbs 28:13)

Jesus told a woman, who had been caught in adultery, "Neither do I condemn thee: go and sin no more." (John 8:11). Even so, for you to get to Heaven, you must quit sinning. With the Lord's help you can do it -- "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Philippians 4:13). For more about turning from sin see "Repentance (Part 5), Forsaking All Sin".)

Look for Parts 3 and 4 in this mini series for three more sub-points about repentance and for the condition on believing the gospel.

Yours in Christ,

Martin Overfield

Please pass this Bible Note to others who may be interested or helped by it. To subscribe to FREE Bible Notes just send an empty e-mail to [email protected]

To read Bible Notes on the Internet, go to:
http://welovegod.org/groups/bible_notes/

To contact me by e-mail please send to the following address:
[email protected]

  "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without  which no man shall see the Lord:" (Hebrews 12:14)    --To unsubscribe, send ANY message to <[email protected]