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As Paul noted in Ephesians 2:8-9, salvation is the product of faith alone, rather than works. (That is, it is not possible for any person to be sufficiently "good" to earn salvation -- or "enter heaven", as the question puts it -- apart from faith in Christ.) However, that faith should then be manifested, or witnessed to, by works, for which the redeemed will be proportionally rewarded by God in eternity (1 Corinthians 3:10-15). A believer who has no such works will not lose salvation, but will also not be rewarded.
When we believe the gospel, First Corinthians 15:1-4, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that He was buried and rose again on the third day according to the scriptures, we are sealed by that Holy Spirit of promise and are given eternal life. Ephesians 1:13 We are now a child of God, John 1:12. What happens? Romans 4:6-8: He imputes His righteousness to us, and will no more impute sin to our account. Salvation is a free gift from God not by anything we do or do not do. We can not save ourselves. So Jesus, just because He loved us, came down from heaven a God and man, and lived a perfectly sinless life, went to the Cross and paid the sin debt of everyone in the world, so that anyone who would believe He did it for them would be saved. It happens the instant you believe the gospel. Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, and we all sin, but the GIFT of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Ephesians 2:8-9: For by grace ye are saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, (we did nothing for it) it is the GIFT of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. After we are saved and know we are going to heaven because all our sin debt is paid in full, we still reap what we sow. And if we go off and live in sin, God does chasten His children. But none of us will ever be perfect in this life because even though we are born of the Spirit of God, we still have our old nature. First John 1:8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. IT is our soul/spirit that is saved and made perfect, not our flesh or our old nature. There are rewards in heaven for doing good works and keeping from sin, but that has nothing to do with salvation which is a free gift that we have nothing to boast in. AMAZING GRACE, JESUS PAID IT ALL AND WE PAID 0. IT IS FREE. Romans 11:6 and Romans 4:5. John 6:37, John 6:39, John 10:28-29. No one has ever lost eternal life. If that were possible, it would not be eternal. John 6:47: Verliy, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me HATH EVERLASTING LIFE. Jesus can not lie. So, we only have to do one thing to go to heaven. Believe on Jesus plus nothing to be saved. That it is a free gift from God that no one can earn.
(By Yemlu Napoleon Ngafi, Student evangelist) Many people in the world keep on being skeptical about their going to heaven. Salvation is known by many to be a salary for good works. This is not what the Bible says. Titus.3.5 - He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but because of His own pity and mercy, by [the] cleansing [bath] of the new birth (regeneration) and renewing of the Holy Spirit. No amount of good work will be good enough for God to receive us as his children. Jesus paid the full price for our sins to deliver us, and God accepted the sacrifice. Jesus is the only one who pleases God. Therefore to identify with Jesus by receiving Him into your life as Lord and Saviour is to have salvation. Acts.4.12 - And there is salvation in and through no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by and in which we must be saved. This is not to say that works are not important. But it is to say that we cannot do good works to be saved, but we do it because we are saved. You need to submit to Christ with sincere heart to live as he wants. You, because of your changed nature are supposed to live doing good. But because sin is still present in this world, we can fall into sin. Sin becomes a mistake, not a lifestyle again. And when we do wrong God does not remove our names from the book of life, he still loves you. The only this is to keep on overcoming sin and weights that make us feel bad. But once you are in Christ, he promises to never leave you nor forsake you. (Hebrews 13:5b) So you don't need to work on your own to have salvation, believe in Christ, and walk with a sincere heart with him. See Roman's 5.
You cannot live a good enough to earn salvation, you must obey the Gospel as Jesus said 2 Thessalonians 1:8 " In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:" The plan of salvation as given by the Apostles, Hear-Romans 10:17, Matthew 11:15, Acts 18:8. Believe-Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, Acts 31-33, Acts 18:8. Confess-Romans 10:9-10, 1 John 4:15, Acts 8:35-38. Repent-Matthew 9:13, Luke 13:3, Acts 3:19. Baptized-Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, Acts 16:31-33, Acts 18:8. The God adds you into the Church Acts 2:41, Acts 2:47, Galatians 3:27, Colossians 2:12.
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