“Say with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord.” Believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead. Then you will be saved.” Romans 10:9
This morning I asked my loved ones this question:
If you died today, would you go to Heaven?
I received 6 out of 10 responses. Not bad! I got the answer I hoped to hear from 5 of them. So one of my grandchildren said this (and I will correct grammar and spelling): Because I know and believe that Jesus died for our sins, and I know I can be forgiven of my sins because of that. One was not sure, but then when I asked some probing questions, the answer turned into a yes. One person said they did not want to think about dying.
Of course, it’s not something we would like to think about, but truthfully, it can happen at any time, and we need to be ready. What does it take to be ready? Well, if you want to spend eternity in Heaven, this is what we are told in Romans:
“Say with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord.” Believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead. Then you will be saved.”
Romans 10:9 NIRV
It sounds too easy, doesn’t it? But look closely, it says “Believe in your heart”. To me, that means absolutely no doubt. Then it goes on to say:
“With your heart, you believe and are made right with God. With your mouth, you say what you believe. And so, you are saved.”
Romans 10:10 NIRV
This is grace, my friend. This is how much God loves us. Many think that if they are good that they will go to Heaven. But by whose standards are you good? I look at it this way. I can think that I am a “good” basketball player. But will that get me on the team? That is a bad example…’cause I can’t even imagine playing basketball at this age. But, for the sake of my grandchildren, it’s a great example. No, that will not get me on the team. The coach must believe that I am a “good” basketball player.
That’s how it is with God. God’s standard for spending eternity in Heaven is to be sinless. Is that possible for us? Think about yesterday, were you sinless? Did you gossip? Did you curse? Did you break the speed limit? Did you think of some bad thoughts about someone? So here is the thing. God knew that we are not capable of doing anything to atone for our sins. We do not have to sacrifice lambs anymore. So, He sent Jesus to take the punishment for all our sins. Because of that, we are justified. This means when we are judged, it is as if we never sinned.
Grace.
Listen to me explain the ABCs of Salvation and grab this free printable.