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Lay it to Heart

What You DO NOT Need to do to Get to Heaven

If you are not saved, nothing else matters. There are many things people will tell you that you need to do to get to heaven but it is not true.

Sacraments and Good Works

If you think that you renew yourself through sacraments and good works, you are wrong. The Bible says in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." God's grace is an unmerited favor. Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." Jesus is the channel of grace, not a priest, not sacraments and not good works.

Baptism

Baptism does not save you. Someone may tell you that by "Baptism all sins are forgiven, original sin and all personal sins, as well as all punishment for sin. In those who have been reborn nothing remains that would impede their entry into the Kingdom of God, neither Adam's sin, nor personal sin, nor the consequences of sin, the gravest of which is separation from God." To them reborn means baptized as an infant. If you think you're saved because you were baptized as an infant, you are lost, dying and going to hell. Real baptism involves submersion, not sprinkling. It does not save you. It shows or testifies to a change in a person. Infant baptism does nothing for forgiveness. The Bible lets us know that baptism does not save you. You are not reborn when you are baptized. You are reborn when you get saved. If you want to be saved and have eternal life you need to admit that you are a sinner, be willing to turn from sin (repent), believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and that he died for you on the cross, was buried and raised from the dead. As mentioned above, we are saved by grace through faith. Sacraments and good works are not necessary.

Church Membership

Neither church membership nor confirmation are necessary for salvation. We should attend church as mentioned in Hebrews 10:25 which says, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." The thief dying on the cross in Luke 23:43 did not attend church but he did go to heaven. The Catholic Church teaches that those who are not ignorant must be part of the Catholic Church to be saved. In Catechism 846 they teach, "How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church Fathers? Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body: Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it." In reality, only faith in Jesus is necessary for salvation, not the Catholic Church. In John 6:37 Jesus said, "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."

Communion

If you think you receive Christ when you receive communion, you are wrong. You are not receiving Jesus. Hebrews 10:12 says, "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;" The wine is not transformed into Jesus' blood. The wafer does not become his body. The wine and the broken bread only symbolize Jesus' blood and his body. His body was broken. The bread should be, too. Romans 6:10 says, "For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God." Merely taking the wine and the bread will not save you. This should be done after you are saved. If you are not saved, you will be held liable for the blood of Jesus. 1 Corinthians 11:29 says, "For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body." Jesus said in John 19:30, "It is finished". You cannot pull Jesus down out of heaven and resacrifice him. Jesus' blood was able to save people the first time around. There is no longer a need for Jesus to be left on the cross. The mass is not a part of salvation. The sacrifice of Jesus is finished. It does not keep on going. We have communion to remember Jesus but not to accept him.

Penance

Often called confession, penance involves one accusing himself of his sins and the priest absolving the sins. This is not necessary for salvation. We must confess that we are sinners but we cannot remember every sin. An old man I knew named Charlie Nason got saved when he was at least 55 years old. A knew another man named Alfred who got saved when he was over 90 years old. Did he need to remember every sin that he committed in life? No, he didn't. Furthermore, he couldn't. In addition, he probably was not aware he was sinning when he committed some of his sins. The lost are spiritually blind and are not aware of everything they are doing wrong. The Bible in James 5:16 says, "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." The term "one to another" does not apply to the unilateral way that a person in a confessional talks to an unseen priest.

Extreme Unction

This sacrament is to give spiritual aid and comfort and perfect spiritual health, including, if need be, the remission of sins, and also, conditionally, to restore bodily health, to Christians who are seriously ill. The health of a person has nothing to do with salvation. Except those raptured, everyone will eventually die. Whether or not someone prays for them does not matter. With regard to salvation, the outcome is dependent on our choice, not someone else's. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." The term "whosoever believeth" applies to the person to be saved, not to a priest who wants someone to be saved.

Orders

The Sacrament of Order is the sacrament by which grace and spiritual power for the discharge of ecclesiastical offices are supposedly conferred. Works are not necessary for salvation. Orders are really no different than works.

Matrimony

God requires matrimony for those who have marital relations but God does not require us to have such a relationship for salvation. Matrimony is not necessary for us to get saved. It is not a help to get to heaven. 1 Corinthians 7 explains this.

Purgatory

Purgatory is not mentioned in the Bible. There is not another chance after death. If you think you're going to bail yourself out in purgatory you are greatly mistaken. If you think someone can say a prayer for you or offer indulgences for you after you die, you're dead wrong. Hebrews 9:27 says, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:" Judgment follows death. You go to heaven or hell. There is no in between. Remember that on judgment day many will say, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?" (Matthew 7:22) But they will go to hell and not purgatory.

Believe the Whole Bible is True

The whole Bible is true. I believe it. What about everybody else? I don't know the whole Bible. They don't even know the whole Bible, either. How can they believe it all if they do not know it all? What about 1 Chronicles 26:18 which says, "At Parbar westward, four at the causeway, and two at Parbar." What does that have to do with salvation? Nothing that I can see. So what if a person does not actually believe that there was a gate named Parbar in Jerusalem? You won't go to hell if you don't believe in Parbar. You will go to hell if don't believe in Jesus. You need to be that Jesus is Lord. You need to believe that you are a sinner who cannot get saved by himself or herself. You need to believe that Jesus died for your sins on the cross and that he rose the third day."

Being One of a Limited Number of People

Some people teach, "The Bible shows that only a limited number go to heaven and that those who will live forever on earth will be a great crowd of unlimited number". "Only a little flock of 144,000 go to heaven and rule with Christ." "The 144,000 are born again as spiritual sons of God."

In reality, the 144,000 mentioned in Revelation are male Jewish virgins that give their life to Jesus during the tribulation. This does not apply to Christians now. The Bible says in Romans 10:13, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." John 3:16 says, "that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." God does not limit who may come. He only requires that they come through Jesus. There are many references in the Bible to people who are not of the 144,000 that will go to heaven.

Matthew 5:10-12 says, "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." How can you have a reward in heaven if you do not go there?

In Matthew 5:19-20 Jesus said, "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." Only through Jesus can we be righteous. Those who are in the kingdom of heaven will go there.

Matthew 6:20 says, "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:" You can't lay up treasures for yourself in a place to which you cannot go.

In Matthew 7:21 Jesus, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." Jesus didn't mention a paradise on earth or limit heaven to the 144,000 mentioned in Revelation.

In Matthew 19:16 a man came to Jesus and asked, "Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" Jesus' final response is in verse 21. "Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me." This man could have had treasure in heaven.

In Luke 10:20 Jesus said to the seventy, "Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven." These people also have a home in heaven.

Colossians 1:5 says, "For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;" How can you have hope in heaven if you will never go there?

1 Thessalonians 4:17 says, "Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." Jesus is not going to take us for a roller coaster ride up to heaven and then right back down.

Hebrews 10:34 says, "For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance." These people have a home in heaven and are not limited to a place in paradise on this planet.

1 Peter 1:3-5 says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." We have reservations in heaven.

In John 14:1-3 Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." This applies to every believer. Where did Jesus go? When Stephen stood before the council the Bible says he saw Jesus in heaven. Acts 7:55 says, "But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,". Jesus went to heaven. He is not here on earth now preparing us a place. He is in Heaven. What did Jesus say to the thief on the cross? Luke 23:43 says, "And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise." The thief was not one the 144,000. When Jesus died, he did not go to a paradise on earth. Some people say, "Christ's human life was paid as a ransom for obedient humans." Christ did pay a ransom, but it's not our obedience that gets us into heaven, it's salvation that Jesus provided when he died on the cross. Jesus did all the work. No matter how much we obey him, we still cannot take away our own sin. There is no limit to how many people can go to heaven.

Following Twelve Steps That Lead to Nowhere

Life is a test. The answer is Jesus. If you are following the 12 steps below, you are lost and need to find Jesus.

Step 1: Faith: Is your faith in the Jesus of the Bible? Your faith needs to be in a complete trust of Jesus, of his deity, of his death, burial and resurrection and his complete payment on the cross for your sins. Hebrews 10:12 tells us, "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;" Is your faith in your works, your giving or your church or is your faith in Jesus?
Step 2: Repentance: If you really have repented, are you reading God's word and following it or are you trusting in other sources such as a revelation from man? Are you relying on different scriptures? Are you following a man or are you seeking the Lord?
Step 3: Baptism: Ephesians 2:8 and 9 says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." Nothing you can do, including baptism, will save you. You must trust Jesus to pay for your sins. Baptism only shows the change that has taken place with your salvation.
Step 4: Laying On Of Hands: We do not get a blessing or empowerment transferred to us through man. If we are saved, we go directly to God through Jesus. 1 Timothy 2:5 lets us know, "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;" The Book of Hebrews lets us know that Jesus is the completion of all of the sacrifices and that he is our high priest. Ephesians 2:18: "For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father." Laying on of hands does not help you get to Heaven.
Step 5: Ordination: Romans 12:4-8 says, "For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness." We have different jobs to do. Being ordained is not a requirement to go to Heaven. God does not will that all be ordained to preach.
Step 6: Temple Endowments: This involves rituals and ceremonies, things which men do, not that which Christ has done for us. We get power from high when Jesus is our Saviour. As Christians, when we obey God, we are filled with his Spirit. Peter said in Acts 5:32, "And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him." Liturgy does not empower us. It does not save us. Trusting in Jesus saves us. Obeying him empowers us.
Step 7: Celestial Marriage: God was never a man such as us. Isaiah 43:10 reads, "Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me." The Law of Eternal Progression is not true. We are sinners. God was never a sinner. Jesus was never a sinner. God has always existed. There was no god before him. There will be no god after him. Marriage is not necessary for salvation or exaltation. Being single is not a sin. Paul, in 1 Corinthians chapter 7, talks about how it is better not to be married from a standpoint of serving the Lord. Sex outside of marriage is wrong. God gives us a choice. We can be married and enjoy relations with our spouses or be single and celibate. Marriage does not save or exalt us.
Step 8: Observing the Word of Wisdom: In the Doctrine and Covenants, Joseph Smith taught that the use of strong drinks, alcoholic beverages or hot drinks, referring probably to coffee and tea, both containing caffeine, would demonstrate unworthiness for exaltation. There are only two places people go after death; Heaven or Hell. There is not one level for saved people and another level of exaltation. We are called to be good stewards of our bodies. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 3:16 and 17, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." We should take care of our bodies but having the best fit body in the universe will not get you into heaven. We are also called to be sober. Ephesians 5:18 says, "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;" It is wrong to get drunk. Jesus can still forgive you. If you stay sober all of your life but don't have Jesus, you will still die a sinner. You still need Jesus to save you.
Step 9: Sustain the Prophet: Our revelator and representative of God today is the Bible, not man. We are blessed to have witnesses who share his word with us. Witnesses, however, do make mistakes. The Bible warns not to add to his word. Revelation 22:18-19 warns us, "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."
Step 10: Tithing: Malachi 3:10 says, "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." We are told to tithe but you can't buy or work your way into heaven. We are told to support the church but supporting the church won't save us.
Step 11: Sacrament Meetings: We are told to regularly meet but going to church won't save you. Hebrews 10:25 reads, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." The verse talks about us exhorting one another, not salvation. Simply going to church will not save you.
Step 12: Obedience: God wants us to obey his commandments. No matter how hard you try, you will still fail. The Bible tells us in Romans 3:10 and 11, "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God." Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" Isaiah 64:6 tells us, "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." No matter how much you obey God you cannot change past disobedience.

Salvation by Other Means

1 John 5:12 says, "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." If you are ignorant but sincere you are still not saved. If you are part of another religion, you are still lost. There is only one way to heaven.

Getting Raptured

Some people teach that if you miss the rapture you cannot get saved; that you cannot have your sins forgiven and live eternally with God and Jesus in heaven when you die. This is not true. In the rapture Jesus will take his believers to heaven in a fraction of a second and they will not die. The rapture occurs before the tribulation. The tribulation will be a period of great trouble but it does not mean people cannot or will not get saved. Hebrews 9:27 says, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:" It does not say, "it is appointed unto men once to die or miss the rapture, but after this the judgment." It does not say "it is appointed unto men once to hear the gospel, but after this the judgment." The Bible will not change during the Tribulation and neither will the plan of salvation. The unpardonable sin is not accepting Jesus before you die. It's not too late until you die. The cutoff is death, not the rapture.

What Are You Really Trusting In?

Romans 10:13 says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Are you calling upon the name of the Lord or are calling upon a system?

Romans 10:9 says, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Is Jesus really your Lord if you need sacraments to save you? Do you really believe God has raised him from the dead when you think he is still on the cross and resacrificed every time somebody says a mass?

Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." If sacraments are your channel of grace, you don't have the right "grace". Jesus is the channel of grace, not sacraments.

Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Death is real. Purgatory is not. Hebrews 9:27 says, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:" There are no more chances after you die. Isaiah 55:6 says, "Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:"

John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." What does believeth in him mean? James 2:19 says, "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." Salvation is more than having head knowledge.

Are you really believing in Jesus? If you are amen and amen. Nobody else and nothing else can save you. Trust Jesus today. Have you ever prayed something like "Dear God, I am a sinner and need forgiveness. I believe that Jesus Christ shed his precious blood and died for my sin. I believe that he rose again as he said. I accept Christ's sacrifice as perfect and complete. I trust in him alone for salvation. I am willing to turn from sin. Good works and sacraments will not save me. I now invite Christ to come into my heart and life as my Lord and personal Savior"? If you are not saved, now is the best time and it may be the only time.