Our God wrote in His word that He wants us to believe in Him and we will go to heaven. Romans 10:9 – Because, 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.
First! Be careful of the service you are doing if it is stealing your devotion to Jesus.
Secondly! (This one caught me off guard and had me thinking for months) Be careful of the service you are doing if you are doing it for YOU. For YOU to look good, for YOU to be praised. –“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!” Matthew 7:21-23
So, what does that mean when it comes to getting into heaven? Is it just believing that Jesus is our savior or is it two fold? I’m not claiming to be an expert, I am asking this question to learn. Does it also mean that we need to do the will of our father in heaven so that we are able to walk through the narrow gate? My entire life, I believed all that I needed to do was to confess that Jesus is Lord.
Count it all joy 
Good questions! I believe that salvation comes by believing and confessing that Jesus is the Son of God, was born of a virgin, He lived a sinless life, He died for our sins and was raised from the dead. Romans 10:9-10 Jesus’ resurrection signifies that his sacrifice was acceptable by God as the ransom payment for our sins. Romans 3: 21-26 So salvation is belief. Sanctification (becoming more Christ-like) is the walking out/journey because of our salvation. It’s the change God makes in us as we choose to obey Him because of the mercy and grace he’s given us. It’s a relationship with Jesus and our Heavenly Father. The Pharisees we’re religious people in Jesus’ day who “obeyed” the law but didn’t recognize they’re need for salvation – they didn’t recognize they were sinners and it would ultimately be Jesus’ work on the cross that made them righteous before the Father. They thought they could get themselves in to Heaven by they’re own righteousness/good deeds. So I think their example in the Bible shows it is possible to be “religious” (call out Lord, Lord) but it is just lip service. If you are relying on your own works/good deeds for entry into Heaven, then the Lord “doesn’t know” you. But if you rely on the work Jesus did on the cross, then yes, you are a child of God.
LikeLiked by 5 people
Well said!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m more interested in our time on this planet and how we interact with our neighbors than thinking about Heaven. You lend a helping hand to someone who needs it and then step away if you are being taken advantage of. I also believe that we should all try to create a little bit of Heaven around us…..in our homes, work place etc. I guess in today’s jargon it’s doing something because you see a genuine need rather than ” virtue signaling”.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We do need confess that He is Lord, that He died and rose again for our sins, but anyone can say that and then live a horrible life. I think we have to follow His example of love each and every day. We have to show our love for Him, and that is by following His commandments. “If you love Me, keep My commandments. John 14:15
LikeLiked by 7 people
Yes!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Funny you should ask. I recently wrote something about this passage in Matthew right here https://hubpages.com/religion-philosophy/The-Will-of-the-Father-in-Matthew-721 In summary, doing the will if the Father is believing in Jesus.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you for pointing me to your article in this very topic. And I completely agree with what you said. I’m glad that people are paying attention tho this very important Message from God.
Loved what you had to say “According to the Lord, those who were following him while hypocritically calling him “Lord, lord” just to fit in with the rest of his followers would not enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:21); neither will those who practice religion and work in the ministry enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:22); but only those who do the will of the Father will enter the kingdom of heaven.
What then is the will of the Father? The will of the Father is the point of the Lord’s sayings (Matthew 7:24), the point of the Lord’s instructions in the sermon on the mount: that we would genuinely repent and believe in Jesus Christ (see John 6:28-29).”
LikeLiked by 2 people
Also… thank you for your wisdom. I love learning more about His truths. There is so much I have yet to understand. I guess we all do our best and in time we get there. Peace!
LikeLiked by 1 person
“How do we get to heaven?” is a good question, but I think there’s a question before that – What is heaven? 🙂 I think, what @lensdailydiary mentioned is interesting – how we think about heaven may affect how we live on earth, whether we live ‘for heaven’ or not (and whether we want to go to heaven or not!).. The idea of heaven as sitting on a cloud all day and playing the harp, might not be so desirable. But I don’t think that this image is biblical. So, what is ‘heaven’, according to the Bible?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree… the idea of sitting in a cloud is not desirable and is false. I turn to the Bible to see what God says heaven is. There is so much more, but here is a little of what the Bible says about heaven.
God’s dwelling place (Psalms 33:13).
Where Christ is today (Acts 1:11).
Where Christians go when they die (Philippians 1:21-23).
The Father’s house (John 14:2).
A city designed and built by God (Hebrews 11:10).
A better country (Hebrews 11:16).
Paradise (Luke 23:43).
Acts 1:11″In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2-3).
John 14:1-3 says that Jesus is in heaven preparing a place for us to live. In heaven, those saved by God will have new bodies without the curse of sin! There will be no one who is blind, deaf or lame in heaven
Isaiah 35:5, 6 and Philippians 3:21, Isaiah 65:21. God will be in heaven and He wants to be your friend. He wants to dwell with you and wipe away all your tears (Revelation 21:1-4).
Made new
“Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:1, 2).
No Pain
“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).
Peace
“‘The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust [shall be] the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,’ says the LORD” (Isaiah 65:25).
Houses
“They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit” Isaiah 65:21
Gardens
“The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose” (Isaiah 35:1).
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for taking the time to respond. I appreciate the Bible references. My grandmother recently passed away – she was a believer and it is gladdening to know she is in a place where her suffering is no more, and her joy endless.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Our God wrote in His word that He wants to believe in Him and we will go to heaven.
Romans 10:9 Because, 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.”
This is so true. Our faith (trust) in Christ makes heaven our home: Philippians 3:20 Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. But citizenship of heaven is the not the whole picture when it comes to salvation.
Hebrews 10:14 “For by a single offering he (Jesus) has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” We are made righteous in Christ by our faith in his one-time sacrifice and, at the same time, we are saved to become more and more holy, “transformed… from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18). No wonder Paul writes “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure”. (Philippians 2:12-13). We have to work out how in practice we allow “Christ in us” (Colossians 1:27) to lead us into more holiness. And more than this, we are “created in Christ Jesus” (an aspect of salvation, see 2 Corinthians 5:17) “for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)
So, as you allude to in your blog, the question is: are the good works my good works, done for me, or God’s good works? We shall need a close walk with the Lord to see which works the Father is doing so that we do the same. See John 5:19.
However we should not despair and fear that we shall miss the mark provided we are sincere. The writer to the Hebrews, who warns against drifting away from or neglecting the gospel of salvation (Hebrews 2:1-3), also wrote “For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.”(Hebrews 6:10) We should be much reassured.
LikeLike
The Bible says that Jesus suffered and we are to arm ourselves likewise. I think the will of God encompasses that we die to ourselves. Recently I heard a song on the radio by Jordan St Cyr called Lay it Down.
Hallelujah, I am broken
I’m broken wide open
Hallelujah, I am emptied out, yeah-eah-eahh
Hallelujah, I am nothing
Thank You for being my everything
I’m ready now
Maybe this will look different for some. Pride might be an issue that needs to be conquered for some. We understand that no murderer will enter the kingdom of heaven, etc. etc. God’s Holy Spirit is not mocked. I think we have been told that our behavior does not matter. And yet we see in Scripture admonitions that we must die so that Christ arises in us.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve always understood the clincher to be not the open display (it means ostentatious) of belief but the actual practises.
There are so very many making the gesture but so few doing the work.
LikeLiked by 1 person
hello Argus. I think we have to look at what is the work of God. The people asked John the Baptist what this was. His reply was to be content, to be responsive to needs of others. I think when the church does this as a representative the people are getting removed from participation and decision making in these works. So much goes on that the congregation knows little about. Many churches prefer it this way to avoid conflicts. Therefore many people have no investment in what ends up being the plans and aspirations of a few in the church. Just some thoughts that I have had lately 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
A relationship with God should be on a personal level, one-to-One … without intermediaries.
There are so many religions, so many creeds within those religions, so very many cults/schools/churches/practises … some genuine, some out to milk the sheep for all they can get (providing they put on a better show than the other brands) and some still in the game out of sheer inertia.
But if God judges, He judges on what you actually do and actually believe, not by what you profess. Face values are meaningless in such a camp.
I think that the narcissistic could be in for a wee bit of a shock …
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think that people are changing as the generations go by. The composition of people in our day contains (I believe about 1 in 5) narcissistic personality disordered individuals. I am assuming this because of my recent job change and the number of people that I am able to identify as narcissist in my workplace. I am able to do this because I spent 30+ years living in abusive mental and emotional abuse by a narcissist. It has taken me nearly 15 years to gradually learn about what happened over my married years and I’m still learning about this personality disorder of narcissism. I largely did this through Internet research. The point I am making is that we assume that people are like ourselves, that they have the same emotions and feelings, the same relative thinking etc. and this is many times not the case. I believe that the current makeup is no exception.
LikeLiked by 1 person
In the first place, the good old Golden Rule—to the effect of ‘do as you would be done unto’.
As an atheist myself I do my very best to live within the parameters of the Golden Rule—but have the freedom to change it at a moment’s notice to “Do unto them as they do unto me”.
I extend to every person my goodwill until they demonstrate themselves unworthy—I really wish others would do the same. Peace …
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nice blog.
Do visit to my blog and follow it if you like…
LikeLike