The Bible tells us that not everyone will go to heaven when they die. In Revelation 20:11-15 we see that there will be a day of judgment when every person will stand before Jesus. Several books will be opened by Jesus and one of those books is called the Book of Life. This book contains the names of every person who has been forgiven of their sins through faith in Jesus.

In Revelation 20:15 we read, “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (ESV). This verse tells us with certainty that not everyone will go to heaven when they die. Those who do not trust in Jesus Christ for salvation during their life on earth will not have their name in the Book of Life. Those people will be judged for their sin against God, they will not be allowed into heaven, and their eternity will be in the lake of fire, which is commonly referred to as hell.

If everyone was destined for heaven when they die there would be no need for this day of judgment to take place. Because the Bible tells us this day is to come, and because the Bible tells us about the book of life and what it is, we know those who trust in Jesus will go to heaven when they die and those who do not trust in Jesus will not go to heaven.

Many people think that all religions are basically the same, but those who think this have not done an in depth steady of the major world religions. It is true that there are some similarities between various religions, but that does not mean they are basically the same.

Many of the world religions teach similar principles for life, principles such as loving others, being kind, and doing good for others. However, the world religions are distinctly different in their views/beliefs about God and salvation. We cannot address all of the world religions here, but we can make a few comparisons that show world religions are not basically the same.

Christians believe and confess that there is one God who exists in three distinct persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Christians also believe and confess that Jesus was crucified as the sacrifice for our sins and that people must trust in the sacrificial work of Jesus to be saved and go to heaven.

Hinduism is a polytheistic religion that teaches there is not one god to worship, but multiple deities to worship. Hinduism teaches that people receive karma for their actions in life. When their life comes to an end they will be reincarnated to a higher or lower level of life on earth. They will continue to receive karma and repeat the reincarnation process until they reach liberation and enter into bliss.

Buddhism is also a polytheistic religion like Hinduism. Buddhism teaches people to practice right conduct, but does not teach a karma based system like Hinduism. Buddhism does believe people will go through cycles of reincarnation until they attain nirvana.

Islam believes and confesses that there is one God, Allah, and that Muhammad is the lone prophet of Allah and the final prophet. Islam teaches that Allah is sovereign and will judge all people. In order for a person to have hope on judgment day, they must believe the teachings of the Qur’an and they must obey what are known as the Five Pillars of Islam. The Five Pillars are: (1) faith in and confession of their creed, (2) praying five times each day, (3) fasting, (4) almsgiving for the poor, and (5) all who are able are required to make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least one time in their life. If one is found to be worthy by Allah on judgment day, they will enter into heaven, or a place of delight.

Looking at just four of the major religions in the world we find that are not basically the same. Let’s look at one important and distinct way they are different. In Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam, people have to do a variety of works to earn their way into heaven or reach a place of bliss. Followers of these religions have to make themselves worthy or good enough for their gods.

In Christianity, God loves people so much that He gave His Son, Jesus Christ, as the sacrifice for our sins, and He guarantees the hope of heaven to everyone that trusts in the sacrificial work of Jesus. In Christianity, people are not required to make themselves good enough to be accepted by God, because that would be impossible. God chooses to make them good enough or acceptable to Him through faith alone in His Son, Jesus Christ.

In John 14:6 Jesus said to His disciples, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (ESV). Jesus explicitly taught people they must trust in Him in order to have a relationship with God. That means following another religion that denies the existence and teaching of Jesus will not give you a relationship with God. You must trust in Jesus Christ in order to have a relationship with God.

Sin is anything we do that is disobedient to God’s instruction in the Bible. Sin is also anything we think, speak, say or do that is contrary to God’s moral standard. The first sin was committed by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. In Genesis 2:16-17 God commanded Adam, “…You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (ESV).

In Genesis 3:1-7, the serpent twisted what God had commanded Adam and tempted Eve to eat fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Eve ate some of the fruit and gave some to Adam, who was with her when she was being tempted and knew they should not eat the fruit from that tree. Yet Adam ate the fruit, and committed the first sin by disobeying what God had commanded.

When Adam disobeyed the command of God and ate fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, sin entered into the world. In Romans 5:12 we learn that sin and death spread to all people through Adam. Simply put, all people have inherited a sinful nature through Adam, because we are all descendants of Adam. This sinful nature leads all people to sin against God and that is why the apostle Paul says in Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (ESV). That is why the Bible calls people sinners. We have all disobeyed God’s commands and morally perfect standard in our thoughts, through our words, and through our actions.

Jesus is the Son of God, the second person of the Triune God, and the Savior of the World who will come again in glory to establish His righteous kingdom on earth. God the Father, out of His love for humanity, willingly sent His Son Jesus into the world. Jesus is God in the flesh, He revealed God to all people in the flesh, and willingly gave His life as the once for all sacrifice for our sin on the cross. Jesus is the King of Kings who is currently seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven, and He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

Jesus was crucified on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, so that all who trust in Him and His sacrificial work alone, will have their sins forgiven and the hope of heaven. Because we are sinful people we could never offer a sacrifice good enough to cover our sins once and for all. We are also unable to do enough good things or live a moral life that is good enough to outweigh our sin and earn us a place in heaven.

Simply put, Jesus was crucified on the cross to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. We cannot save ourselves from the penalty for our sin, but God freely offers forgiveness and eternal life to all who trust in Jesus and what He has done for them on the cross.

No, Jesus is not dead. Jesus died on the cross and was buried in a tomb, but He was raised from the dead three days later (John 19:28-42, 20:1-29, Acts 1:3-5). Jesus presented Himself to His disciples, alive in the flesh, over a period of forty days after His resurrection from the dead (Acts 1:3-5). At the conclusion of this forty day period after the resurrection, Jesus, fully alive in the flesh, ascended to God the Father in heaven where He is fully alive in the flesh today (Acts 1:6-11).

We know from Acts 1:9-11 that Jesus ascended into heaven, fully alive in the flesh, forty days after He was raised from the dead. In Colossians 3:1, the apostle Paul infers that Jesus is above, meaning He is in heaven, and that He is currently seated at the right hand of God. In Hebrews 8:1, the author of Hebrews was speaking about Jesus when they referred to the Christian’s high priest who is “seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven” (ESV).

Therefore, we can say with confidence from God’s word that Jesus is alive in heaven and currently seated at the right hand of God the Father.

This is a very honest question and a concern for many. Some people think they have done things in life that God could never forgive them for. They may be in prison for killing someone. Maybe they have abused people. They may have a lifelong addiction that has hurt them and others. Whatever sin you may have committed, please know with confidence that you are not beyond God’s reach and forgiveness.

The apostle Paul is a prime example. In the early days of Christianity and the Church, the apostle Paul, who was known as Saul at the time, routinely had followers of Jesus arrested and persecuted. He held the coats of Pharisees who stoned Stephen to death for believing in Jesus and teaching others to believe in Jesus, and he did not object to them killing him for his faith. Then one day on his way to a town to arrest Christians, Paul came face to face with Jesus, he put his trust in Jesus, and received forgiveness for his sins (Acts 9:1-31).

This will hopefully give you hope and assurance that you are not beyond God’s reach of forgiveness. If you’re still not sure, listen to the words of Jesus in Matthew 12:31-32, “Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come” (ESV).

The only sin that God does not forgive is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. To blaspheme the Holy Spirit is to reject the Spirit’s testimony that Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior of the world, and reject salvation through faith in Jesus. If you are worried that you have blasphemed the Holy Spirit, you have not. If you had blasphemed the Holy Spirit, you would not be worried about it or asking if you had.

You also wouldn’t wonder if you have sinned beyond a point of forgiveness if you had blasphemed the Holy Spirit. People who blaspheme the Holy Spirit do not care that they have and they are not worried about or wondering if they can be saved.

So be encouraged today. If you are worried you have sinned beyond a point of forgiveness, the answer is no. God is willing to embrace you and forgive you today. All you have to do is come to Him, believing that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins, and tell God you are sorry for your sins against Him, that you want to turn from following sin to follow Him, and that you are trusting in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior.

If you genuinely believe and trust in Jesus and want to follow Him, God will hear your prayer, He will forgive and you will be saved.

This is another good question that many people have asked. First, it is always important to remind ourselves that our salvation is not based on feelings. When you first trusted in Jesus and were saved, you may have felt alive, energized and excited to follow Jesus.

Today, the struggles of life may have you feeling down, not feeling like you did when you first trusted Jesus, and not feeling like you’re a Christian anymore. That’s understandable, but remember, your salvation is not based upon a feeling. Feelings come and go, they change continually. So we should not look for assurance of our salvation in our feelings.

Second, we should not put our assurance in our actions. People who are not Christians can do good things for others and live with good morals. So actions are not a good assurance of our salvation.

So where can we find assurance? First, we have to remember that God does not lie and His word is true. He has said that those who come to Jesus and trust in Him will be saved (John 3:16, 6:37). We can take that to the bank because God has said so. Second, we can ask ourselves do I truly believe that Jesus has done everything on the cross so that I can be saved? If we honestly answer yes, we can be assured that we are saved.

Third, the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives gives us certain assurance that are truly saved. In 1 John 3:24b we read, “And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us” (ESV). How do we know the Holy Spirit is present in our lives? We feel convicted when we sin against God. The Holy Spirit helps us rightly understand the Bible and how to apply it in our lives. The Holy Spirit also produces the desire to be obedient to God out of genuine love for Him, which creates lasting change in our lives and how we live.

As Christians we will never live perfect lives. We are going to sin and the Holy Spirit will make it known to us when we do. The Holy Spirit will also help us grow in our obedience to God and others will see these growing changes in our lives.

We may go through times when we do not feel we are saved and doubt our salvation. It is in these moments that we need to remember what God has said in His word. We need to remember what we genuinely believe and who we trust for our salvation. Then we need to see that the Holy Spirit is present in our lives and at work. Doing so will reassure you that you are saved in those times when you feel you are not.