Is There Really a Heaven and Hell and Should it Matter to Me?
I was reading up on one of my favorite local sports teams the other day and came across something interesting. I don’t like to read through the comments at the end of online articles because it is nothing but negativity, however, this time something caught my eye. At the top of the comments section, someone posed the question,
“Is there really a heaven and hell?”
Needless to say, there was a lot of interesting reading after that.The explanations/answers people gave were wider than the Nile river, but one comment struck me as weirdly genius; “If Jesus isn’t who he says he is then he’d have to be the biggest and most complex nut case to walk the face of the earth. But if he is what he says he is…there is no excuse not to take everything he said/did and revolve your life around it." That’s an interesting insight from a nonbeliever (in later comments the person claimed to believe the former).I sat back and began to reflect on his statement. Is my life revolving around what Jesus taught? Was everything I said, did, and thought centered around him? If not, what consequence would that be? Would that mean I’m going to hell if my life isn’t centered on him?
Read this interesting post: "23 Minutes in Hell"
The other popular answer I read from the comments section went a little something like this, “I just try to live my life as a good person, do good deeds, and hope the good outweighs the bad in the very end.” Yowzers! Christians are often criticized for placing faith in something they can’t see or explain, yet people put faith in some other higher being they can’t explain or see and hope it finds their good deeds favorable enough to let them into some kind of heaven. This strikes me as very interesting and what I see categorized as a lukewarm Christian.There is only one way into heaven and that is through the one and only Son of God, Jesus Christ. It states that very clearly in the book of John from the bible;
John 14:6 - Jesus answered, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. The only way to the Father is through me. (NCV)
So how do we “get in good” with Jesus so we can get into heaven? I’m glad you asked because It’s super easy and doesn’t rely on anything we can do but acknowledge the following; If you believe Jesus is the son of God, you are a sinner by birth, he died on the cross for your sins, and that you want to live your life according to his will. If you believe or want to believe these things, then you are ready to pray a prayer of salvation!
Dear heavenly Father, I want to take this moment to submit my life to you. I ask that you forgive me of my sins, which such a gracious gift is given only through your anointed blood on the cross. You died for me and I accept your gift of love, mercy, grace, peace, and eternal life. With faith, I declare that Jesus Christ now lives in me forever and ever. Amen!
Welcome to the team friend! The next step is crucial to your salvation; Tell someone the decision you just made. Feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this post, or call/text your family and friends. (Read Romans 1:16)