The essence (the primary purpose) of Christianity is to help men and women to make things right with a Holy God before their appointed time for death. This way, when they stand before Him to give an account of their life, all of their sins (i.e., violations of God's laws) will have been forgiven and removed, and they can enter into God's eternal kingdom.

Let's stop right here and consider the reality of our situation:

1. You and I (and most of us on planet Earth) have violated God's laws and are in need of redemption - through a Savior. And, God has provided one way to make things right with Him before you die.

2. Any person can be GOOD in their own eyes - by not stealing, lying, raping, or killing others. And, they can enhance their own goodness by giving away some of their money, time, talents,or other resources to people in need. And while being a good person and doing good things is good, it does not solve the sin problem everyone of us have with God. He only forgives us when we meet Him on His terms.

3. There has been a day appointed to each one of us where we must die and stand before God to give an account for our lives.

So, we either meet God, on that day, on His terms, or we will be judged by Him by His standards. And, if we are judged on our own terms, we will be found guilty and condemned to eternal separation from God.

Let me say this in another way:Christianity's primary role IS NOT to make the world a better place. Instead, it is to help prepare people to stand before a Holy God and have their lives examined to determine where they will spend eternity!

So, what are His requirement for entrance into Heaven? Perfection.

"Christianity's goal is to prepare you to meet a holy God, face-to-face,through Christ."

How can we become perfect in His sight? We can do so by asking for forgiveness, believing and trusting in Christ and the work He did on the Cross, and turning from our sinful life. When we do these things, Christ's blood and sinless perfection gets applied to our lives — and we therefore get to appear before God, perfect, on the day we are judged! This is why it's called "The Gospel" — The Good News!

No amount of good deeds or clean living will ever make things right between you and God! Therefore, we must:

  1. Verbally confess/admit to God that you've violated His Laws.
  2. Ask Him for forgiveness.
  3. Invite Him into our daily life, first as Savior and then as Lord.

Here's an example of a simple prayer to make Heaven your home:

"Dear Lord, I thank you for all you have done in my life. I admit I have violated Your Laws. I ask You for forgiveness. I trust and thank You for what You did for me on the Cross of Calvary. Please help me make Heaven my home. I invite you into my daily life as Savior and King! In Jesus' Name I ask! Amen."

With this sincere prayer, you've just begun your journey. And if you died tonight, you'd have made things right with God and Heaven is now your home!

I pray this article has been helpful. If you have questions or comments, email me here and let's talk.

In His Name,

Roy