Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 7:21 KJV
Heaven will be a glorious place, filled with the presence of God, the light of our Savior, and God’s magnificent glory. It will be beautiful and peaceful. Can anything on Earth compare to the wonders of God’s home in Heaven where His children will live with Him for all eternity?
I John 5:11 says, “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.”
So then, God promises us eternal life through His Son, Jesus. And all you must do is confess and believe.
Romans 10:9 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
However, simply making a profession of faith does not automatically usher one into the Kingdom of Heaven. You must also believe in your heart, and a heart belief stirs one to action.
If you’re sitting in a movie theater and during the most suspenseful part of the film someone yells, “Fire! Fire!” what do you do? Regardless of what’s happening on the screen, if you truly believe there’s a fire in the theater, you take action and evacuate your family.
That’s saving faith – a faith that stirs you to action.
But if you think, There’s no fire. It’s some prankster sounding a false alarm, you won’t evacuate your family, look around for smoke, or leave the theater. You heard the warning. You know someone sounded it. You know that someone thinks there might be a fire, but that knowledge doesn’t move you to take action. Why not? Because you don’t really believe it.
The same is true with salvation. A lot of people have knowledge about Jesus. They acknowledge that the Bible calls Him Lord of Heaven and Earth. They may even be active in church. But they have no heart knowledge.
In Luke 6:46, Jesus said, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” So then, what does He say?
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (II Timothy 2:15 ) If you study God’s Word, you’ll know and understand what He wants you to do.
“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” (James 1:22) If you hear God’s Word, but don’t obey it, you’re only fooling yourself.
- God expects us to obey His Word. Psalm 119:11 “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
- God expects us to keep His commandments. Matthew 22:37-39 “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
- God expects us to do His will. I John 2:17 “And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”
Those who don’t do the will of God will pass away with the world and the lust of the world. Only those who do God’s will shall inherit eternal life; that’s why they’ll abide forever. Genuine faith moves you to action.