How Can I Know for Sure I’ll Go to Heaven?
Ask the Pastor with J.D. Greear
J.D. Greear
4.8 • 630 Ratings
🗓️ 25 September 2023
⏱️ 6 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Each week, we’ll be posting a special short version of each 12 Truths and a Lie podcast on Ask Me Anything. To listen to the full version and subscribe, just visit AccessMore at www. accessmore.com/pd/12-Truths–A-Lie-Podcast-by-JD-Greear
Have you ever asked yourself, “How can I know, for sure, that I’m going to heaven when I die?” So many Christians have wrestled with this question for their entire lives, which can lead to anxiety and insecurity about their eternal destination. How can you know, for sure, that you’re going to heaven when you die? Most people feel like knowing for sure they’ll go to heaven has something to do with their behavior-If you are good enough; if you believe enough; go to church enough; give enough.
In this episode of 12 Truths and a Lie, Pastor JD talks about how to experience true assurance of our salvation. Listen as the truths of scripture are explained in regards to knowing for sure that we have been counted as righteous. We get Christ’s perfect record credited to our account. When God looks at J.D. Greear, he sees not how many times I’ve prayed, how sincere I was in my faith, how pure I was… but he sees Jesus’ record credited to mine.
Our prayer is that you can find peace in the fact that when God sees you, he sees the perfect life of Jesus. And so he says to you, “YOU ARE MY beloved child, in whom I am well pleased.”
In the next episode, Pastor J.D. will take a deep dive into discipleship—you don’t want to miss it!
Scripture references found in this episode: Romans 4:1-5; 1 John 5:13; John 14:18; Genesis 15:6; 1 Cor 13:1; John 1:16-18; John 2:20-27; 1 John 3:1; 1 John 4:15; Prov 24:11
Want to ask J.D. a question? Head to our Ask Me Anything hub to submit your question. We’ll pick Ask Me Anything back at the end of the year.
As always, don’t forget to rate and review this podcast!
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, everybody, welcome to Ask Me Anything where Pastor J.D. Greer answers your questions. |
| 0:24.7 | I'm Matt Love, and we have got a bonus episode for you this week. |
| 0:29.8 | So go ahead and check this out. |
| 0:32.8 | Can you actually know for sure beyond any doubt that if you die, it'll spend eternity forever in heaven. |
| 0:39.4 | I'll be really honest with you. I struggled with this question for many, many years, even after |
| 0:43.8 | becoming a pastor. I've really started when I was in high school. Often joke that if there were a |
| 0:48.1 | Guinness Book of World's Records for how many times somebody has said the sinner's prayer, |
| 0:51.2 | I think I'd hold that record. I had literally prayed at all. |
| 0:54.6 | I mean, every time somebody gave an invitation, you know, every head bowed, every I closed, |
| 0:58.6 | I'd raise my hand. And I just didn't want to get it wrong. I'm at because of questions like, |
| 1:03.0 | you know, did I do it right? Was I sorry enough for my sins? Did my life change enough? |
| 1:07.5 | Did I understand enough about theology when I said it? Most people feel like knowing |
| 1:12.4 | for sure they'll go to heaven has something to do with their behavior. They think, you know, |
| 1:17.5 | well, if you're good enough, if you believe enough, if you go to church enough, if you give enough, |
| 1:21.4 | then that tips the scales in your favor. It's like we're always trying to make a deal with God. |
| 1:26.1 | Right? We do that a lot, don't we? Try to make deals with God. |
| 1:28.9 | It's like my high school student that's out really late and prays, Lord, if you'll let |
| 1:32.3 | my parents be asleep before I get home, I'll go to church. |
| 1:34.6 | I promise for a month, for a month, I'll even go to Sunday school. |
| 1:37.2 | Shoot, I'll lead Sunday school if you just let me get out of this one. |
| 1:40.5 | You ever done something like that? Give me this job and I'll be generous. Let her say yes to going out with me and I'll start to read my Bible. When I was in high school, played soccer and I remember we were coming down to, it was a playoff game and we were losing two to one. And I wasn't really a Christian at that point. And I just said to the Lord, I'm like, Lord, if you will let me tie this game up, I promise I'll never cuss again. |
| 2:02.3 | And sure enough, y'all, 30 seconds later, I put one in the back of the net. |
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