How the Bible says we can be 100% sure we'll go to heaven when we die.
8 August 2025
Most people incorrectly assume that in order to find salvation from hell, we need to earn it by being good people and by doing works such as being nice to people, being charitable and other things like keeping up our church attendance or praying constantly. However, the notion that you can somehow earn your way to heaven is not found anywhere within the Bible. But on the contrary, Christianity as presented in the Bible is the only religion in the world in which salvation is free. Let's start from the top and examine why we need salvation in the first place.
The Bible says in the book of Romans 3:10: As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one. Meaning that nobody is perfect, in fact, it goes on to say in Romans 3:23: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. We're all sinners, all of us have sinned and just one sin is a transgression of God's law. Furthermore, Romans 6:23 says: For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. This means that all sins declare us worthy of hell. You may not have killed someone or comitted adultery, but we've all lied we've or bared false witness or we might have pinched something that didn't seem important. When Romans 6:23 says 'death' it ultimately means hell as described in Revelation 20:14: And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. Furthermore, another verse demonstrates that all of us are deserving of hell and gives a quick list of sins in Revelation 21:8: But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
So the bad news is that we're sinners and we're on our way to hell, but the good news is God doesn't want us to go to hell. The Bible says in Romans 5:8: But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Jesus Christ is the Son of God. The Bible teaches in a verse that when we use the word 'trinity', it's what's described in 1 John 5:7: For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. God came down to earth as a mortal man and lived a perfect sinless life which no human being is ever able to do. Jesus Christ, the son of God, is God. He performed miracles, he walked on water, he fed thousands, but God didn't come to earth as a man specifically to do those things. He really came for what eventually happened at the end of his life where he was tortured, crucified and ultimately died on the cross. This wasn't some unfortunate accident like 'Oh the son of God couldn't evade capture' but really it was all intentional and while he was on that cross he was paying for all of our sins which as sinners we couldn't possibly pay off.
The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:21: For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Jesus was sinless, he was a perfect unblemished lamb so while Jesus was on the cross, he's becoming sin for all of us. He's paying for the world's sins, not just our past and present sins but our future sins as well. The Bible then says that he also tasted death for every man as well. It says in Matthew 12:40: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. He actually descended into hell and the Bible says in Acts 2:31: He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. Because on the third day afterwards he did something no man could ever do but God and rose again. It wasn't just spritiual resurrection like a ghost but a full bodily resurrection. Jesus defeated death.
But does that mean all of humanity no matter what will ultimately go to heaven? The Bible's very clear about one thing you still have to do. In the book of Acts chapter 16 a Philippian man asks the apostle Paul outright, how do I be saved from hell? Acts 16:29-31: Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. The Bible says that all you need to do to go to heaven is believe on Jesus Christ. It's phrased this way famously in the book of John where Jesus said something to Nicodemus. John 3:16: 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 Bible says simply that all you need to do to go to heaven and not hell is believe in/on the Lord Jesus Christ and what that means is to put your faith or your trust in him. To have full faith that Jesus Christ's life, death burial and resurrection is what paid for your sins and that you put your faith/believe in the fact it can take you to heaven when you die.
The problem is many people say things like 'Oh yeah I believe in Jesus, I go to church, I do all this and that but I've got to be a good person, I've got to go to church every week or this and that to go to heaven'. They're not actually believing on Jesus, they're believing in themselves to go to heaven and their good works. And the Bible teaches that there's only once place people who believe in themselves can go once they die as soon as they add themselves into it. John 3:36 says: He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. There's no in or out or hot or cold but by believing on Jesus we can know for sure we're saved. God gave us salvation as a gift and if you have to work for a gift then it isn't really a gift. If someone gives you something as a gift but then asks you to pay for it, it isn't a gift. Ephesians 2:8 & 9 say: 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. Meaning that no one is going to heaven because of how good they are. If you add your own works into your salvation it stops being about Jesus and you make it about yourself. Jesus died a sinless man so we could go to heaven and if we add our sinful selves into our salvation then there's no point in Jesus dying for us. The Bible confirms this in Romans 11:6: And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. The Bible is saying that it's either one or the other, you put your trust only in Jesus and as soon as you add a little bit of yourself into the Gospel its no longer Jesus.
Very simple. I say simple but the Bible teaches most people are on their way to hell. Matthew 7:13 says: Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. This is because most people are trusting in things like avoidign certain sins, their church attendance etc. All of which is ultimately meaningless before God. Isaiah 64:6 says: 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.
But some people have a hard time believing this because 'what about all the thou shalt not and thou shalt not sin'. Well there are a couple of truths to that, the first one is that the Bible says that the law is a schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ. So it does say that we need a saviour and that we've all come short. But the law is also a good way of pleasing our father because once we are saved we become the children of God. Galatians 3:26 says: For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Meaning that the moment we get saved we become a child of God and God deals with us as a loving father should. So he'll punish you when you're bad and reward you when you're good. But being a child of God is based upon faith because as sinful humans there's no way we could possibly earn it which is why Jesus came and died as a sunless man, the son of God. Hebrews 12:5 & 6 say: And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. So the Bible is very clear that as God's children he's going to punish us if we're bad and God's punishment can be scary if you fall into sin but it has nothing to do with the afterlife. The only way we could ever be saved from hell is by Jesus' blood however in this life it's good to please God because getting saved by the blood of Jesus' isn't a ticket to do whatever you want. So if I went and killed someone I would still go to heaven but I would be punished severely here on earth.
Once we're saved the Bible is very clear that it isn't something you can lose. We're saved forever. In John 10:28 it says: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. And in Ephesians 1:13 it says: In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise. The second you're saved you become a child of God and you will never perish because God holds onto you. In fact in John 5:24 it says: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. As the verse says, God gives us eternal life through Jesus, if it's something you could lose, then it isn't eternal life, it's temporal life. So that means if you believed you could lose eternal life then you never got it in the first place. People like to add on things and say that you've got to repent of your sins as well, but you don't, that's another work. The only thing you need to repent of is what you formerly believed was taking you to heaven or whatever else. Mark 1:15 says: And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
So if you want to be saved all you've got to do is believe, it's very simple and 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. You believe in your heart that the gospel, the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus fully paid for your sins. Romans 10:13 says: For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. So if you're a sinner and you'd like to get saved, you believe you're a sinner deserving of hell, you believe that Jesus is the son of God that he died, was bured and rose again to pay for all your sins all you've got to is put your faith and trust in him and once you do there's no way you can lose your salvation. You're saved forever and its eternal life that you've got.
Perhaps you'd like to do that now and you can tell it to the Lord in prayer with something a bit like this:
Dear Lord, I understand I'm a sinner deserving of hell but I believe that you're the son of God, that you died, was buried and rose again to pay for all my sins so I can go to heaven when I die. I place my trust in you and only you. I accept you as my saviour Lord. Amen.
If you've prayed something similar to that, a declaration to God in prayer that you believe in the gospel of Jesus so you can go to heaven when you die and that you accept Jesus as your saviour, you believe it in your heart, then congratulations, you're saved. Once you are saved, it's a good idea to also tell other people about the gospel.
All the verses used in this post are written below:
Romans 3:10: As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.
Romans 3:23: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.
Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Revelation 20:14: And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Revelation 21:8: But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Romans 5:8: But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
1 John 5:7: For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
2 Corinthians 5:21: For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Matthew 12:40: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Acts 2:31: He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
Acts 16:29-31: Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
John 3:16: 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.
John 3:36: He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
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.
Romans 11:6: And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
Matthew 7:13: Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat.
Isaiah 64:6: 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.
Galatians 3:26: For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 12:5 & 6: And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
John 10:28: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Ephesians 1:13: In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.
John 5:24: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
Mark 1:15: And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Romans 10:9: 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.
Romans 10:13: For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Introduction: Why the gospel is different to what you might know
1st paragraph: We're all sinners and deserve hell
2nd paragraph: God doesn't want us to go to hell and Jesus is God
3rd paragraph: Jesus died and rose again
4th paragraph: How do we get salvation
5th paragraph: It's not of works
6th paragraph: Furthermore, it isn't of works
7th paragraph: God's law, it's not a ticket to do whatever
8th paragraph: It's eternal, you can't lose it
9th paragraph: Finally, how to get it
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. 
