Which way is the right way in life? Generally, it can be said that there are people who think and believe that, in many situations, their way is always the right way or the best way. Remember Frank Sinatra of yesteryear fame of whom it was said, “he did it his way.” We have also heard it said of others, “It is either his way or the high way.” Some of us may have had to deal with this type of person.
When it comes to heaven, how do you hope to get there? Well, you may ask, what that has to do with “God’s way or my way?” The answer is, this question has everything to do with your “spiritual wellbeing.” The Holy Scriptures specifically state, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (Proverbs 14:12). Is there some dilemma here for those in this situation? Note, “it is a way that seems right.” It’s not right, but it ‘seems’ right. And the Scripture continues, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice” (Pro. 14:15). God’s way is the only right way.
The problem with some today is that they feel that there are several ways of getting to God’s heaven and the choice is entirely theirs. They are absolutely wrong. The Lord Jesus Christ declared: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Observe the definite article “the.” I hope that the Church is consistently proclaiming the only right way to heaven is God’s way. The prophet Isaiah said, “Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!” (Isaiah 5:21). People who are “wise in their own eyes” are arrogant and conceited and cannot be told anything.
The God of the Scriptures has divinely provided all that man needs to spend eternity in heaven. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:16,17). Because God is holy and man is unholy, there existed a “distance” between God and man He created. God therefore provided the way and means to remove that distance in the person of His Son Jesus Christ and His shed blood and death on the Cross.
Believing in Jesus Christ means trusting and committing yourself to Him, receiving what God has provided for your salvation. Dr. Charles Stanley writes, “What does it mean to believe in Jesus? Does it mean that intellectually you agree with the fact that He was born in Bethlehem of a virgin and that He is a great teacher? Yes, but there’s even more to it than that. To have faith in Jesus Christ means to believe that He is God (John 1:1; 10:30; 14:9) and that He saves you by His crucifixion (Eph. 2:8,9; 2 Tim1:9; Titus 3:5). If you continue to believe that you can somehow earn your salvation, you have never been truly born again. However, when you truly place your faith in Him, you receive his gift of eternal life (John 6:40; 17:3)” (The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, p. 1258).
God never left us groping in the dark about our “eternal security.” God in His wisdom, love, mercy, and grace has provided the deliverance from sin and spiritual death, which is available through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is therefore the free gift of God to sinful and undeserving mankind. The Bible declares, “For by 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” (Ephesians 2:8,9). God has shown great kindness toward us in Christ Jesus, not on the basis of our merit, but because of His goodness, love and mercy.
Without exception, we all have needs in our lives. However, the greatest need is the need to trust Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord of our lives. The Bible records the story of a man whose name was Naaman, commander of the Syrian king’s army and who was a “mighty man of valor” (2 Kings 5:1). Naaman had a big problem—he was a leper and needed to be healed. So he went to the prophet Elisha seeking help. Elisha instructed Naaman, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times and your flesh shall be restored” (2 Kings 5:10). This was not what Naaman expected to hear, so in anger he went away. However, Naaman subsequently returned and obeyed Elisha’s instructions and was miraculously healed of his leprosy. Now healed, Naaman offered money to “pay” for his healing, but Elisha refused, telling Naaman, “As the LORD lives; before whom I stand, I will receive none” (2 Kings 5:16).
Salvation is a free gift because Jesus paid the price. No one can earn or buy his or her way to God. And there is no “middle way.” By repenting of your sin and receiving Jesus Christ as your Savior you will be saved. You can do that right now.