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My name is Matthew. I try my best to serve the Lord as best I can. I also try to serve my fellow brother and sisters as best I can. Salvation is my goal for you.
advice
I am a Christian, and always have been. I pray at LEAST every other day, I occassionally go to church, I repent, I try to limit how much I sin, and I believe that Jesus is God's son.
I used to be very certain that I would end up in Heaven. But recently, I came across a Bible verse that has been on my mind for a while. It's Matthew 7:13-14.
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a fiew find it."
Now I'm basically VERY worried about not making it to Heaven. The Bible says that it's hard to get in, but it also says that believing in Jesus is the only thing you need in order to get into Heaven. So I don't know what to do. =[
I'm also kind of starting to wonder about other religions. I think "If Christianity isn't the true religion, then I'll go to Hell forever", so I worry even MORE.
Please help. I don't need reassurance. I need answers.
Some of these answers are good, some are not. Let me help you here since I have gone through the same thing. "Wide and broad is the gate to destruction" Think about it. I believe the world is 6000 years old. I can tell you why if you want to know, but going off my time line lets go through this starting at Jesus's death. We wont even count before he was made man. Since his death, there have been tons and tons of religions. Jehovahs witnesses for example. Started in 1859 or something like that has stated "Their 1997 statistics state that their peak membership count tallied in at 5599931" 5.6 million people. Thats just one religion and its only been around about 150 years. Then you have mormon, which has millions, and muslims, which is millions, and sheites, and wiccans, and atheists, and satan worshippers, and so on and so on. That is millions, upon millions, upon billions of people just since jesus's death. More people reject God then they do love God. That is why the gate to Hell is wide, and the one to heaven is narrow.
As for your eternal destination, if you truly believe in your heart that Jesus is God, and that he died for your sins on the cross, and rose again on the 3rd day and acended into heaven then you are all set for a one way ticket to heaven.
We are saved by faith, not works: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from youselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do " (Eph. 2:8,9).
God does not purify us through works but, " he [God] purified their hearts by faith. . . .We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved . . . "(Acts 15:9, 11).
The steps to confession, " If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved " (Romans 10:9, 10). (this entails knowing the True Christ however).
We were dead in our sins as unbelievers, " As for you [believers], you were DEAD in your transgressions and sins [before you became believers], in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air [Satan], the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. . . .We were by nature objects of [God's] wrath. But because of his great love for us, God who is rich in Mercy, MADE US ALIVE with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved " (Ephesians 2:1-5).
So if you truly believe you are set for a glorious life with Christ in Heaven.
"Then they said unto Him, What shall we do that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent." --John 6:28, 29
I hope I helped. ANy questions feel free to talk to me
Strata_XIII@hotmail.com
This goes to anyone
(Rating: 5) wow! thank you INCREDIBLY MUCH. you were probably the most helpful person to answer my question.