Our month in Jamaica was spent in Brown’s town, staying at the house of a local pastor and his wife. We served in their church, as well as two others they were connected with.
During our time visiting these churches, and whilst we were out evangelising, something we often heard people say was that they weren’t sure if they were going to heaven. When we speak to people about Jesus, we often begin with this question as many people say that they are Christian, and yet do not seem sure of their salvation. It’s a good way of assessing people’s understanding of Jesus and what He did for us. It’s not only been in Jamaica where believers are uncertain of their salvation, as I had several similar conversations in countries such as Costa Rica and Haiti.
It seems that all over the world, the idea that we are saved by what we do, and not by faith, is still prevalent. However, this is not what we as followers of Jesus believe. When Jesus came to earth and died on the cross, He took on the weight of our sins, so that we in turn could receive forgiveness and eternal life. The consequence of sin is death, but since Jesus took on our sins, we can live free from this punishment, and instead have the promise of eternal life with Him.
In Romans 10:9 it says If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” This is what the Bible says about salvation. We see this example in the Gospels and the book of Acts, as we see people who heard Jesus’ testimony, believed in Him, and were saved as a result. It doesn’t say that they had to earn their way to heaven by what they did or by being a good enough person.
Of course there is that somewhat challenging passage in the book of James. However, I do not believe that it is saying we earn our way to heaven. Rather, I believe it is explaining that when we have a genuine, alive and real faith, the natural result of that is that we will want to serve Jesus and do things for Him. James 2: 21-22 “Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.” Abraham’s faith was alive, and so his actions were an inevitable result. It’s also important to remember to keep this passage in the context of the rest of what the Bible says.
If we had to earn our way to heaven, it would be never ending. How could we ever know that we had done enough? We could go on and on, but when would it ever be enough to wipe out our sin? Jesus did it all. Once and for all. We can be sure where we are going. I know I am. You can be too, all you have to do is say yes to Jesus. Today could be your day…
