How to Be Sure of Heaven
The following gives you Bible verses about heaven, about eternal life…
How does a person know they are assured of eternal life, of heaven? Is that even possible? Yes, because the Bible is clear that eternal life is a gift, not earned.
Eternal life is a relationship with Jesus that starts now and continues for all eternity, beyond the death of our physical bodies. It hinges on believing in Jesus. That means believing that Jesus is God, as he clearly stated and wanting a relationship with him, to know him, with a desire to follow him and allow him to guide our lives.
Eternal life does not rest on the purity of our lives or our worthiness. Jesus paid for our sins on the cross and offered us his complete forgiveness for all our sin. We receive his forgiveness when we believe in him.
Jesus clearly said that all who believe in him receive eternal life. When we invite Jesus into our lives we are expressing our faith in him. We begin an eternal relationship with him.
When a person offers you a very valuable gift, it becomes yours not when it is offered, but when you receive it. Because it is a gift, it is not earned. It comes from the gracious heart of the person.
God freely offers us eternal life, because Jesus earned it for us, when he died on the cross for our sin. When we receive Jesus into our lives, we receive eternal life.
Notice what Scripture says we are given (eternal life) and what is required to receive it (believe in Jesus).
The following statements were made by Jesus.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”1
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life…”2
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”3
“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.”4
“For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”5
“I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.”6
“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.”7
“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies.”8
“Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”9
“But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”10
The following statements are from the disciples – Peter, Paul, James, etc.
“…just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”11
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”12
“But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.”13
“…a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time…”14
“For by [God’s] grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”15
“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”16
“And this is what he promised us—even eternal life.”17
“God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”18
If you are unsure that you have a relationship with God, here is how you can: Knowing God Personally.
(1) John 3:16 (2) John 3:36 (3) John 5:24 (4) John 6:27 (5) John 6:40 (6) John 6:47 (7) John 10:28 (8) John 11:25 (9) John 17:2,3 (10) John 20:31 (11) Romans 5:21 (12) Romans 6:23 (13) 1 Timothy 1:16 (14) Titus 1:2 (15) Ephesians 2:8,9 (16) Titus 3:4-7 (17) 1John 2:25 (18) 1John 5:11-13
