Author: jdeutsch

The Bible teaches that there is one way to heaven and that is by believing in Jesus Christ.

This relationship with Jesus is not limited to a few but is available to everyone in all the world. Jesus taught that we must not only believe that he is the Lord but also that we must obey what He commanded.

The Bible teaches that we cannot do good works on our own and earn our entrance into heaven. We cannot get into heaven because of our nationality, our birthright, or our religion. There is no one who is righteous, not one, except for Jesus Christ. When we obey and love Him then we are assured that we will be with Him in heaven for eternity. If we follow any one other than Jesus we can live a good life but we will still far short of God’s glory. We can never attain holiness outside of the love of Jesus Christ.

Some people believe that if God is love then He will just forgive everyone because He will want them to be united with Him in heaven. While it is true that God is love, God is holy, as well. His holiness means that He is perfect and therefore cannot allow anyone imperfect to enter heaven. Jesus Christ lived a sinless life and was perfect. Only He could die for us. As a result, we are forgiven, made holy, and covered by His actions and love. We are then able to go to heaven because of Jesus Christ.

The belief that one can go to heaven without loving Jesus will deny the deity of Jesus. It will reduce Jesus to being just a man. This is not what the Bible teaches. Also, such a belief will deny the holiness of God. If God allowed people into heaven without being cleansed by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ then this will deny His character.

The Bible teaches that Jesus was the Son of God who became humanity so that He could fulfill the mission of God the Father.

While He was on earth, He was fully God and fully man. He was a teacher who spoke with divine authority and who never sinned. He said that He was “the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6) and therefore combined the roles of prophet, priest, and king. To say that Jesus was a prophet only will limit who He was during His time on earth.

Jesus did fulfill the role of a prophet. He spoke with authority as God to show people the way to a proper relationship that honors God. He shared the Good News of His love for them so that they could walk in the light of God’s love instead of walking in spiritual darkness. He led people to turn from their disobedience and to follow Him as their Savior and Lord. Jesus taught people how to live a life that obeys and honors God. He focused on matters of the heart and people’s motivation for serving God instead of limiting their behavior to obedience to a set of rules and regulations.

Jesus fulfilled the role of a priest. He spoke with authority the Truth of God to the people. He alone is worthy to enter into the throne room of heaven for He was obedient to the will of God the Father while he was on earth. He was the perfect sacrifice for the sins of humanity. He intercedes on our behalf before God the Father.

Jesus fulfilled the role as king. The kingdom of Jesus was not of this earth. He lived a sinless life, He died and rose again on the third day, and He conquered sin and death. He rules in heaven as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Jesus taught his disciples that He has all authority in heaven and on earth.

We cannot limit Jesus by saying his was only a prophet, a priest, or a king. He fulfilled all these roles, as only He can, and He is the God the Son.

The Bible teaches that it is appointed that each person will die.

Then, each one of us will experience the consequences of our actions and thoughts while we lived on earth. The Bible says that those who walk in the Light, which are those who follow Jesus wholeheartedly, will go to heaven. Those who do not walk in the Light and choose to walk in the darkness of this world will not go to heaven. These people are what we call “self-condemned”; they reap the consequences of their choices while they were alive on earth.

The Bible teaches that we have one life to live. After this life is over, we will live in eternity based on whether or not we loved and served God. This means that we get one opportunity to live a righteous life that honors God. While we are alive, we have opportunity to hear that God loves us and to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. When we do this, we are freed from our past sins and freed to live a righteous life that honors God. It is as if we are born again. This is a tremendous opportunity! But once we die, our eternal destiny is determined based on our actions while we were alive.

Loving and serving Jesus will grant you eternal life with God in heaven. The rewards for living a life that honors God will be that you will live today in freedom that only He provides and you are assured that you will live with Him forever in heaven.

The universe and everything in it are creations of Almighty God. As we are captivated by the beauty of God’s creation, we are limited by our senses. Our impression of what heaven will be like is limited by our experiences and present knowledge. But we do know that God created a heaven that far exceeds our ability to comprehend its beauty and magnitude. What we do know is that we will be in the presence of God for eternity. There will be no more temptation, sin, and death. We will live with God and will experience the wonder of worshipping Him forever.

You become a follower of Jesus Christ based solely on your personal relationship with Him.

You are not born into Christianity nor do you go automatically to heaven because of your family’s religious beliefs. You cannot go to heaven because you were born in a nation that considers itself to be “Christian.” You cannot go to heaven because you consider yourself to be a “good” person. The only way to heaven is for you to be in right relationship with Jesus Christ.

God gives each individual a free will. We decided if we will follow God or if we will follow someone else or another philosophy. Since we each have a free will, we will each be responsible for the consequences of our actions. We can please God by obeying Him and loving others. We know that we will go to heaven. If we choose not to please God and are unwilling to love others then we will not go to heaven.

The book of Deuteronomy in the Old Testament portion of the Bible we read the following: “Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin” (Deuteronomy 24:16, NIV).

In Ezekiel, also in the Old Testament, expands this thought. We learn that a righteous person can live a life that honors God. But if the child of that person commits sins against God then the parent’s righteousness will not save the child. Each one is accountable for actions before God. In the same way, if the parent was unrighteous and dishonored God but the child was righteous then the child will be saved. Again, each one is accountable before God. You can read this in Ezekiel chapter eighteen.

God wants to be in a person relationship with you. While your family, your education, your friends, and your nationality may influence you positively or negatively, it is your personal relationship with God that decides if you are a believer.

Jesus and the devil are not equals and they are not brothers.

Jesus is the Son of God. He is omniscient (all-knowing), omnipotent (all powerful), and omnipresent (present everywhere). The devil is a created being. He disobeyed God and fell from heaven. He is not omniscient, omnipotent, nor omnipresent for he is not God. The devil has authority on this earth for a time but one day he will be judged and punished.

The devil is referenced as Lucifer or Satan. He is not the equal of Jesus. Some believe that the power of the devil is equal to the power of Jesus. This is not true and it is not taught in the Bible. Jesus is God. The devil is an angel who was thrown from heaven because of his sin. As an angelic being, he has power on earth but only for a time allotted by God.

Some believe that the sacrifice that Jesus paid for the sins of humanity was paid to Satan and not to God the Father. This is truth as it is not taught in the Bible. The payment that Jesus Christ paid for us was for our debt that we have to God the Father. God is holy. Our disobedience was a sin against God. The payment of our sins was made by Jesus and was given to God.

In the book of Matthew chapter four we read of the true account of Jesus being tempted by Satan in the wilderness. Jesus fasted for forty days and forty night and then the devil appeared to him. The devil waited until Jesus was at his weakest in body. The devil tempted Jesus with the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. Jesus resisted the temptation by quoting the Truth of God’s Word. The devil was rendered powerless and left Jesus. The angels came and attended to Jesus.

The story of the temptation of Jesus by the devil shows us that Jesus has power over the devil. When we follow the example of Jesus then we can overcome the devil. We fix our heart on Jesus, stand on the Truth of God’s Word, and we resist the devil. He will then flee.

Jesus Christ brings enlightenment to us in many ways.

When you ask God to forgive you for not living a life that honors Him (this is called, “sin”) and then you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, you will discover that you have a new identity. You are now cleansed from your past and are freed to start a right relationship with God. This relationship will enlighten you to be who God created you to be.

A result of your new relationship is that you will show your love for God by living each day a life that honors Him. The goal is not to attain a long and impressive list of good works alone because you are saved by your faith in Jesus. Yet, your works are an expression of your love for God. You are bound no longer to the things of this world because your life is dedicated to Jesus Christ.

Your new goals each day are to love God and to love others. In your daily routines, your goal is to be like Jesus. So, you pray and worship God, you ensure that your heart and motives honor Him, you read your Bible, and you live a life that is based on biblical principles. This will help you to imitate the life of Jesus and in doing so, you will be enlightened to discover truth love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

When you following the teachings of Jesus you are enlighten as to how to navigate the issues and relationships of daily life. For example, believers in Jesus are no longer given a spirit of fear. Instead, they are enabled with the spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. Another example is that when people treat believers badly then believers are not bound to seek revenge or to hurt their offenders. Instead, they are empowered by Jesus to love their enemies and to pray for those who persecute them. This enlightenment draws believers closer to God and strengths their spiritual maturity.

Jesus is your salvation while you are on this earth.

You are freed from living a self-indulgent life, hatred, being tossed by circumstances like the waves in the ocean, anxieties, depression, fear, and life-controlling issues.

When you dedicate your life to Jesus Christ you become a new creation. You live now by the rules detailed in the Bible rather than by the rules of your culture, religion, or family of origin. For example, you will learn the freedom that forgiveness brings! You are no longer bound by holding grudges, seeking revenge, hatred, anxiety, and fear. You can ask Jesus to forgive your offender and you allow Jesus to deal with the issue and balance the scales of justice. This will free you from a heavy weight and replace this burden with peace and even joy.

When you face issues in life, you will realize that Jesus will journey with you. When you pattern your life after His example and His teachings, you will find true freedom. You will discover how to deal with life in a righteous manner and in a way that honors God.

You are freed from what this world can offer because Jesus taught us that this earth is not our home. When we die, we know that our faith in Jesus Christ will allow us to be with God in heaven for eternity. Our eternal home is heaven. Our time on this earth is temporary.

When we understand that heaven is our home, we realize that the best action and behavior that we can do is to live a life that honors Christ. We love God and we love others. We learned that we can be content in all circumstances. We can be content in financial wealth or in financial poverty. We can be content in seasons of ill health and in season of good health. The reason is that our happiness, our true joy, is not reliant on the circumstances around us but is determined by aligning our heart with Jesus.