Gospel Message

The question requires that one would know what exactly it takes to spend eternity with God at the end of life (the end of life being a 100% certainty).  Thankfully, God Himself gives us an answer to this important question. 

First, though, we are told why there is a requirement to get into Heaven.  It is because He is a pure and holy God, and anything less than His standard of purity and holiness cannot abide with Him.  All of us know of times in our lives in which we have done or thought bad things.   God also knows.  In Romans 3:10 He says, “As it is written, There is none righteous, no not one”.  It is also stated in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”.  Sin means falling short of God’s righteous standards.  It is why people hate, divide, and judge unfairly.  There is also a consequence for sin.  Romans 6:23a says, “For the wages (payment) of sin is death…”.  ‘Death’, in this case, is an eternal separation from God, including the common grace we enjoy in this life. 

The good news, though, is that this is not what God wants for us, and loved us enough to do something about it.  While Romans 6:23a gives a grim view of the consequence of sin, Romans 6:23b gives a hope of freedom from it.  It says, “…but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”.  It means that Jesus Christ offered Himself as the sacrifice to pay the debt for sin (which is death).  But Jesus was no ordinary man.  He was the only begotten Son of God (meaning Jesus had no earthly father), which means that God’s righteousness and purity was part of His nature.  He lived His life without sin, so He was a worthy sacrifice for the sins of men.  John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world (that’s you and I), that He gave His only begotten Son (Jesus), that whosoever believeth in Him (Jesus) shall not perish (earn the wage of sin) but have everlasting life (spend eternity with God).  Essentially, on the cross, Jesus traded His righteousness for our sin.  But because Jesus is the Son of God, when He died for us, He did not stay dead.  Dying satisfied the punishment for sin, which He did.  But after three days, He was resurrected to show that He was indeed the Son of God.  He defeated sin and death, and now is able to usher us into life eternal by the blood He shed on the cross for us. 

Just as it states in John 3:16, you only have to believe in who Jesus is and believe in what He has done for you.  Romans 10:8-10 becomes a bit more specific.  “But what does it say”?  The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim.  If you declare with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”  Romans 10:13 simplifies all of that by saying this: “for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (NIV)”.

You don’t have to live your life with a void in your heart, or one fraught with anxiety about your purpose and future.  Today is a good day to confess our sinful nature and ask Jesus to become the Lord of our lives.  It means living differently, learning of God’s will by reading the Scriptures (the Bible), and establishing a relationship with Him. He gives peace that is beyond understanding and is able to fill your heart with joy and love that has never before been experienced.  “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old is gone, the new is here”!

We welcome you at Capitol City Community Church of God, and we pray to see you soon!