Most of us will ask ourselves this one important question at least once in life,

"Am I good enough to go to Heaven?"

     The way to find this out is to ask yourself if you have obeyed the Ten Commandments (listed below).  Most would answer the question, "Well, I've broken one or two, but nothing too serious, like murder, etc."

So, let's go through them and see how you do:

The First Commandment!

     Is God first in your life?  Do you love God above all else?  Does he come before your job or family?  Does he come before anything else in your life?  The Bible says that we should so love God that our love for Mom and Dad and brother and sister should seem like hatred compared to the love we have for the God who gave those loved ones to us.

Matthew 10:37 "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me:  and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."

     Have you loved God with all your heart?  Is He first in your life?  You be the judge.  Will you be innocent or guilty on Judgment Day of breaking that Commandment?  I'm not judging you -- I'm asking you to judge yourself before the Day of Judgment.  The sentence for breaking this Commandment is death.


The Second Commandment. 'You shall not make for yourself any graven image.'

     This means that we shouldn't make a god to suit ourselves, either with our hands or our mind.  I was guilty of this.  I made a god to suit myself.  My god didn't mind a "white" lie or a fib here and there -- in fact, he didn't exist.  He was a figment of my imagination, an "image" which I shaped to suit myself.  Is your God the One revealed in Holy Scripture?  If not, then you have made your own god to suit yourself -- you have committed the oldest sin in the Book.  Scripture warns that no idolater will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.


The Third Commandment. 'You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.'

     Have you ever taken God's name in vain -- instead of using a four-letter word to express disgust, you've used His name?  Hitler's name wasn't despised enough to use as a curse word.  If you have used His holy name in that manner, you are a blasphemer and will not enter the Kingdom of God.


The Fourth Commandment. 'Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy.'

     I ignored this command for many, many years.  Even though God gave me the gift of life, never once did I ask what He required of me.  I was guilty of breaking this Commandment, were you?


The Fifth Commandment. 'Honor your father and your mother.'

     Have you always honored your parents in a way that's pleasing in the sight of God?  Ask Him to remind you of the sins of your youth.  You may have forgotten them, but God hasn't.


The Sixth Commandment. 'You shall not murder.'

     Jesus warned that if we get angry without cause we are in danger of judgment.  If we hate our brother, God calls us a murderer.  We can violate God's Law by attitude and intent.


The Seventh Commandment. You shall not commit adultery.

Who of us can say that we are pure of heart?  Jesus warned in Matthew:

Matthew 5:28 "But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman (or a man) to lust after her (or him) committed adultery with her (or him) already in his (or her) heart."


     Remember that this goes both way, that is whether you are a man or a woman.  Remember also that God has seen every thought you have had and every sin you have ever committed.  The day will come when you have to face His Law, and we are told that the impure, fornicators (those who have sex before marriage) and adulterers will not enter the Kingdom of God.  Punishment for transgression of this Commandment is the death penalty.


The Eighth Commandment. 'You shall not steal.'

     Have you ever taken something that belonged to someone else (irrespective of its value) such as a pen from work?  Then you are a thief -- you cannot enter God's Kingdom.


The Ninth Commandment. 'You shall not bear false witness.'

     Have you ever told a lie?  Then you are a liar.  How many lies do you have to tell to be a liar?  Just one.  The Bible warns that all liars will have their part in the Lake of Fire.  You may not think deceitfulness is a serious sin.  God does!


The Tenth Commandment. 'You shall not covet.'

     That means we shouldn't desire anything that belongs to another person.  The covetous will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

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Who of us can say we are not guilty of breaking these Commandments?

     "All" of us have sinned, and just as with civil law, you don't have to break ten laws to be a lawbreaker, so the Bible warns:

James 2:10 "For whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all"

     When we compare ourselves to man's standard we look pretty clean, but when we compare ourselves to the pure snow-white righteousness of God's standard -- His Law, we can see ourselves in truth, that we are unclean in His sight.  That Law is the holy standard by which humanity will be judged on Judgment Day.

     This may sound strange, but the worst thing you could do at this point in time is to try and clean up your lifestyle

     You realize that you have sinned, so from now on you will keep the Ten commandments, do good deeds, say the right things and think only pure thoughts.  But should a judge let a murderer go because he says he will now live a good life?  No, he's in debt to justice and therefore must be punished.

      The Law of God is merely like a mirror -- all a mirror does is show you the truth.  If you see egg on your face, you don't try and wash yourself with the mirror, it's purpose should be to send you to water for cleansing.  Neither should you try and wash yourself with the mirror of God's Law ... that's not its purpose.

     The sight in the mirror is not a pretty one, but if you don't face it and acknowledge that you are unclean, then all that "dirt" will be presented on Judgment Day as evidence of your guilt, and then it will be too late to be cleansed.

     Perhaps you think that God is good and will therefore overlook your sins.  But if you were guilty of terrible crimes in a civil court and said to the judge, "Judge, I am guilty, but I believe that you are a good man and will therefore overlook my crimes," the judge would probably respond by saying, "You are right about one thing;  I am a good man, and it's 'because of my goodness' that I am going to see that justice is done, that you are punished for your crimes."

     The very thing that many are hoping will save them on Judgment Day, God's "goodness," will be the very thing that will condemn them.  If God is good, He "should" punish murderers. liars, thieves, etc., and Hell will be their dreadful fate.

     What a terrible place Hell must be.  If you read in the newspaper that a man received a $5 fine for a crime, you could conclude that his crime was insignificant.  But if a man received "multiple" life sentences, you could conclude that his crime was heinous.  In the same way, we can catch a glimpse of how terrible sin must be in the sight of God by looking to the punishment given for it -- "eternal" punishment.

     Ungrateful humanity never bothers to thank God for His wonderful blessings of color, light, food, joy, beauty, love, and laughter, so He will take those blessings away from them.  Instead of proving their gratitude by obedience to His will, they use His name to curse.  Their punishment will be just, but severe to the uttermost.

     Take the time to read what Jesus said Hell was like in Mark 9:43-48.

     I am afraid for you if you don't understand this... please, look honestly into the mirror of the Law, then seek the "water" that cleanses every sin.  If you don't believe what I am saying about the reality of Hell, it means you think God is corrupt (that He hasn't the moral backbone to seek justice), that Jesus was a liar, that the Apostles were false witnesses, that God's promises are nothing but prefabricated lies, and there is no greater insult to God than to call Him a liar.

     By doing so, you are adding to your transgressions.

     Does the fact that you have sinned against God scare you?  It should!  You have actually "angered" Him by your sin.  The Bible says His wrath abides on you, that you are an "enemy of God in your mind through wicked works."  But let fear work for your good, in the same way that a fear of jumping out of a plane at a great height would make you put on a parachute.  Let your will to live open your heart to the Gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ.

     To make clear what an incredible thing He has done for you in the Gospel, let's look again to civil law:

     Imagine that you are standing in front of a judge, guilty of "very" serious crimes.  All the evidence has been presented and there is no doubt about your guilt.  The fine for your crime is $250,000 or imprisonment, but you haven't two pennies to rub together.  The judge is about to pass sentence ... he lifts his gavel, "when someone you don't even know steps in and pays the fine for you".  The moment you accept that payment, you are free to go.  Justice has been served, the law has been satisfied, and what's more, the stranger who paid your fine showed how much he cares for you.  His payment was evidence of his love.

     That's what God did for you, in the person of Jesus Christ.  You are guilty.  He paid the fine 2,000 years ago.  "It is that simple".  The Bible puts it this way:   "he was bruised for our iniquities ... Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us ... God commended His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

     It was no small thing for Jesus to die for us.  The only thing that would satisfy the demands of Eternal Law was the "suffering" death of the sinless "Son of God".  "What love God must have for you!"  He "suffered unspeakable agony", so that you wouldn't have to be punished for your sins.  His sacrificial death and "resurrection" mean that you need no longer be in debt to the Law, and God can now grant you "everlasting life" if you obey Him -- death no longer has a legal hold upon those who belong to Jesus Christ.

     Finally, there is only one way out and that is through the Savior, Jesus Christ!  Jesus said in the bible:

John 3:17 "For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world: but that the world through him might be saved."

May God Bless You


     If you have not already done so, please consider trusting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. For more information on Salvation Click Here to view "How can I get to Heaven?"


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Last modified: 12/25/2008