I need a sinless person who is fully
entitled to dwell in heaven to take me in
as His guest, and that person is Jesus. He
paid the price by taking the punishment
for my sin at the Cross. “God made him
who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in
him we might become the righteousness
of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NIV). When
I made the decision to become a follower
of Christ, I walked free of my guilt. So
now when I die, God will not have to
turn me away. Instead I can hold the
hand of Jesus and enter heaven, cleansed
by His sacrifice.
M
Y HUSBAND and daughter had she let me through as my daughter’s guest, Virtuous living—loving my neighbor,
been able to buy first-class air- or would I have to stay outside? giving to charity, raising well-behaved
line seats at a good discount, Smiling, she ushered us all in. I was children—is not sufficient to erase my sin.
but I had only an economy seat. able to enter because my daughter’s ticket Only by believing that Jesus died for my
Before the flight, they were entitled to confirmed that she had paid a high- sin, accepting His sacrifice for me, and
the privileges of the airport club lounge enough price. What a blessing for me committing to obey His Word makes me
with comfortable armchairs and free that I was allowed in for free! acceptable to God, who is perfectly holy.
food. My economy ticket would not get I glimpsed what it might be like to Jesus loved each of us enough to die
me in, but thankfully they were allowed stand before God at the gates of heaven— for our sins. Decide today to take hold of
one guest, so I looked forward to a relax- with no right of entry on my own. As a your free entry into heaven by commit-
ing time with them. sinner, I would be unworthy to enter a ting your life and future to Jesus. He is
Outside the club lounge, staff checked place where there is absolutely no sin. I waiting for you.
people’s tickets for eligibility. A woman am a reasonably good person, but there is
carefully approved my daughter’s first-class still sin in my life. In fact, 1 John 1:8 Emma Peterson lives and writes in Bucking-
ticket but then hesitated when she realized explains, “If we say that we have no sin, hamshire, England, where she is a member of
mine was only economy. I tensed. Would the truth is not in us.” the Elim Pentecostal Church.
THE
Acknowledge you have sinned
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us”
KEYS TO
(1 John 1:8).* “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
ETERNAL
Believe in Jesus
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). “For God so
LIFE
loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him
shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
CHRIST PAID for our Confess and renounce your sin
salvation with His death
“If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that
on the cross, but for us
God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). “If we confess
to accept this gift is as our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
simple as using these
unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
keys to unlock the door: *Scriptures are from the New International Version.
26 EVANGEL • MAR 2009
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