What Exactly Must I Do to Go to Heaven? (Part 3)

#1 · April 24, 2005, 3:15 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on April 24, 2005, 3:15 pm
Posted by: biblenotes <biblenotes@...>
What Exactly Must I Do to Go to Heaven? (Part 3)

".. 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)

Please remember that this mini-series of Bible Notes is basically the reproduction of a letter written to answer a stranger's question, "What exactly must I do to go to Heaven?". Last time, I covered three points dealing with the concept of repentance: A. Sorrow for Sin, B. Confession of Sin, and C. Turning from Sin. If you missed the first two parts of this series, you may following the links at the end of this Bible Note.

Now, we will continue with three more points dealing with repentance: Correcting Past Sins, Forgiving Other's Sins, and Committing One's Life. Then we will begin to deal with the second very important instruction Jesus gave, "Believe the gospel". (One brief note I insert here: Whether the earnest seeker after God understands all these aspects of repentance is not nearly as important as the fact that he or she actually obeys God in everything as He speaks to their heart. God will lead the earnest, honest seeker step by step with great patience and mercy and will not hold a lack of understanding against them; but, understanding more about repentance and faith will most certainly help the seeker to make progress in getting closer to God and in finding God's grace and peace to satisfy their heart's desire.)

A. Correcting Past Sins

While it is true that sin is primarily against God (Psalm 51:4), sin is of such a nature that it injures others around us. Therefore, in order for your repentance to be thorough, you must make things right with your fellow man, as far as it is possible to do so (see Luke 19:1-10). This is called "restitution". This is a much neglected subject, but it is every bit as necessary as telling God how sorry you are. Would you believe that someone was really sorry for stealing your belongings, if he did not return those which he still possessed? Of course not! Neither will God, Who sees your heart, believe for a moment that you are really sorry for the wrongs you may have done to others while you are not willing and ready to make right any such thing when you remember it.

Here are some of the things you should do as God speaks to your heart about them: Any stolen items must be returned or paid for as soon as possible; any lies will have to be confessed to and the truth told as it should have been done the first time; any troubles you caused others must be rectified to the best of your ability; and, sincere apologies must be given, whether or not the offended parties are willing to forgive. In order to be at peace with God, you will have to do everything within your power to be at peace with your fellow man.

You are responsible to make these things right as soon as possible. Yet, you may not remember many of them until even after God forgives you and saves your soul. Or, you may not be able to straighten out some things until a later time. If you intend to do so, and say that you will from your heart, God will take you at your word. Of course, you wouldn't dare try to fool Him Who knows all things. Also, some things may be impossible to repair, such as in the case of murder (We cannot bring back the dead, only God can do that, but rarely does.). But, God will still forgive, if you are truly sorry.

(See also, Repentance (Part 7), RESTITUTION)

B. Forgiving Other's Sins

You must also forgive everyone who has done you wrong. Imagine asking God to forgive you for all you have done against Him, while you will not forgive the wrongs others have done against you, though they are so little in comparison to the sum total of your sins against God. In Matthew 6:14, 15, we read the words of Jesus, "If ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

(For more about forgiving others see, Repentance (Part 6), A FORGIVING SPIRIT)

C. Committing One's Life

Jesus said, "Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." (Mark 8:34). Tell the Lord, while praying with an attitude of deep repentance, that whatever is left of your life belongs to Him. Promise Him that you will serve Him from now on. Surrender your self and your life into His hands and ask Him to make you a brand new person inside and out, so that you can live right and please Him.

"If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Corinthians 5:18)

While you are thus praying and doing your very best to repent of all your sins and to turn your life and heart over to the Savior, you will come to the next very necessary condition, upon which the gift of eternal life will be granted to you.

(The following is the beginning of the next Bible Note, part 4 in this mini-series, in which we will cover "What the Gospel Is" and "How We Are to Believe It".)

II. Believe the Gospel

Now that we have thoroughly dealt with what it means to repent, we need to deal with the subject of faith. I want you to understand what the "gospel" is, and how you are to believe it in order to be saved from sin and Hell, and thus become ready to go to Heaven.

Yours In Christ,
Martin Overfield

Left-click/double-click on the following links to read the early parts of this series (must be connected to the Internet to work):

What Exactly Must I Do to Go to Heaven? (Part 1)

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

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]  

Posted by: biblenotes <biblenotes@...>

What Exactly Must I Do to Go to Heaven? (Part 3)

".. 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)

Please remember that this mini-series of Bible Notes is basically the reproduction of a letter written to answer a stranger's question, "What exactly must I do to go to Heaven?". Last time, I covered three points dealing with the concept of repentance: A. Sorrow for Sin, B. Confession of Sin, and C. Turning from Sin. If you missed the first two parts of this series, you may following the links at the end of this Bible Note.

Now, we will continue with three more points dealing with repentance: Correcting Past Sins, Forgiving Other's Sins, and Committing One's Life. Then we will begin to deal with the second very important instruction Jesus gave, "Believe the gospel". (One brief note I insert here: Whether the earnest seeker after God understands all these aspects of repentance is not nearly as important as the fact that he or she actually obeys God in everything as He speaks to their heart. God will lead the earnest, honest seeker step by step with great patience and mercy and will not hold a lack of understanding against them; but, understanding more about repentance and faith will most certainly help the seeker to make progress in getting closer to God and in finding God's grace and peace to satisfy their heart's desire.)

A. Correcting Past Sins

While it is true that sin is primarily against God (Psalm 51:4), sin is of such a nature that it injures others around us. Therefore, in order for your repentance to be thorough, you must make things right with your fellow man, as far as it is possible to do so (see Luke 19:1-10). This is called "restitution". This is a much neglected subject, but it is every bit as necessary as telling God how sorry you are. Would you believe that someone was really sorry for stealing your belongings, if he did not return those which he still possessed? Of course not! Neither will God, Who sees your heart, believe for a moment that you are really sorry for the wrongs you may have done to others while you are not willing and ready to make right any such thing when you remember it.

Here are some of the things you should do as God speaks to your heart about them: Any stolen items must be returned or paid for as soon as possible; any lies will have to be confessed to and the truth told as it should have been done the first time; any troubles you caused others must be rectified to the best of your ability; and, sincere apologies must be given, whether or not the offended parties are willing to forgive. In order to be at peace with God, you will have to do everything within your power to be at peace with your fellow man.

You are responsible to make these things right as soon as possible. Yet, you may not remember many of them until even after God forgives you and saves your soul. Or, you may not be able to straighten out some things until a later time. If you intend to do so, and say that you will from your heart, God will take you at your word. Of course, you wouldn't dare try to fool Him Who knows all things. Also, some things may be impossible to repair, such as in the case of murder (We cannot bring back the dead, only God can do that, but rarely does.). But, God will still forgive, if you are truly sorry.

B. Forgiving Other's Sins

You must also forgive everyone who has done you wrong. Imagine asking God to forgive you for all you have done against Him, while you will not forgive the wrongs others have done against you, though they are so little in comparison to the sum total of your sins against God. In Matthew 6:14, 15, we read the words of Jesus, "If ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

(For more about forgiving others see, Repentance (Part 6), A FORGIVING SPIRIT)

C. Committing One's Life

Jesus said, "Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." (Mark 8:34). Tell the Lord, while praying with an attitude of deep repentance, that whatever is left of your life belongs to Him. Promise Him that you will serve Him from now on. Surrender your self and your life into His hands and ask Him to make you a brand new person inside and out, so that you can live right and please Him.

"If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Corinthians 5:18)

While you are thus praying and doing your very best to repent of all your sins and to turn your life and heart over to the Savior, you will come to the next very necessary condition, upon which the gift of eternal life will be granted to you.

(The following is the beginning of the next Bible Note, part 4 in this mini-series, in which we will cover "What the Gospel Is" and "How We Are to Believe It".)

II. Believe the Gospel

Now that we have thoroughly dealt with what it means to repent, we need to deal with the subject of faith. I want you to understand what the "gospel" is, and how you are to believe it in order to be saved from sin and Hell, and thus become ready to go to Heaven.

Yours In Christ,
Martin Overfield

Left-click/double-click on the following links to read the early parts of this series (must be connected to the Internet to work):

What Exactly Must I Do to Go to Heaven? (Part 1)

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

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]