As a physician for 33 years with a specialty of internal medicine, and a subspecialty in nuclear medicine, I advised my patients to have yearly physical examinations. Many were found to be in excellent health. However, at a later date, I was often called to the hospital emergency room to examine one of my patients with an acute emergency—a possible heart attack, an accident, or some other serious physical problem. Such patients were often fearful and apprehensive, with the thought of death uppermost in their minds.
After dealing with their medical emergency, I often heard them admit to being exposed to Christianity by radio or TV, but seldom read the Bible, prayed, or attended church. They were living good moral lives, performing good deeds, and giving to charities, but did not sense the peace of God.
Frequently I asked the question, "If you were to die unexpectedly, do you know for certain that you would enter heaven?" The typical answer was, "I think so," or "I hope so." However, some patients would answer, "Yes, I know so. I have trusted the Lord Jesus Christ and have peace with God. I am prepared for heaven."
Do you ever wonder how you can know for certain that you have eternal life, peace with God, and be prepared to enter heaven?
All physicians have medical textbooks written by authorities to assist them in making a correct diagnosis and proper treatment. Humanity also has a guidebook, provided by the supreme spiritual authority—God. The Bible shows us how to know God, how to live a meaningful life that pleases him, and how to spend eternity in heaven.
The Bible also declares that we all have a fatal spiritual condition—"all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God....the wages of sin is death" (Romans 3:23; 6:23). Like a critically ill patient must seek medical care to avoid death, we must find a solution to our sinful condition or we will die in our sins without God.
Thankfully, God has provided a cure. He did this by sending his Son, Jesus Christ, to die on a cross to cleanse us from all our sins. "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). The sinless Son of God took judgment, so God can justly forgive your sins and give you eternal life. Three days after his crucifixion, Christ came back to life, proving that he had fully paid the penalty for all our sins.
The Next Step
In order to belong to God's family, you must, by faith, trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior. The Bible describes this step of faith like this: "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved" (Romans 10:9-10).
"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13). If you will call on Jesus Christ in faith as your Savior from the judgment you deserve, you will be saved. No one is excluded. That means you can know now that you are prepared to meet God in heaven. There's no "Maybe" or "I hope so" or "I think so." Only "I Know So!"
What is keeping you from putting your trust in Jesus Christ today? The Bible says, "Now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2). You can tell him in your own words or use the following prayer as a guide.
Dear Jesus,
I freely admit that I am a sinner. I believe you are God's Son who died and rose again so I can be forgiven of all my sins. I'm calling on you in faith today and accepting you as my Savior. Thank you for making peace possible with God the Father, for the gift of eternal life, and for a future home in heaven!
If those words express your faith in Jesus Christ, three positive changes will result:
1. You can say, "I know I have eternal life based on the authority of God's Word."
"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life" (1 John 5:13).
2. You have peace with God.
"Since we have been justified [made right with God] by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1).
3. You have passed from spiritual death into eternal life...that begins now!
"Whoever hears my word and believes in him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life" (John 5:24).
Here are some suggestions to help you reinforce your new relationship with God:
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