[00:00:00] Hello everyone, welcome to my podcast, The Gates of Heaven. I'm Ian Mccormack. If you've ever wondered what it really means to be saved by God, I want to tell you plainly. It's not about being a nice person. It's not about religion. And it's definitely not about earning your way into heaven. Jesus said it like this in John 3.3, Unless you are born again, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. Born again, that means something happens in your spirit.
[00:00:28] Your heart opens to Jesus. You realize you can't fix yourself by trying harder because the real problem is your separation from God, your need for a new life. And the Bible shows us this new birth is tied directly to Jesus rising from the dead. 1 Peter 1.3-4 says we are born again through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Not a philosophy, a living Savior. Paul adds, salvation is believing in confession.
[00:00:58] In Romans 10.8-13, he says that if you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and you confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, you will be saved. It's not wages. It's a gift. Now let me address what many people think. If I'm good, if I keep the Ten Commandments, I'll be fine. But Scripture disagrees. Romans 3.10.19-23 says,
[00:01:27] None are righteous. None have fulfilled the law. Only Jesus has. So the doorway into heaven is not your record. It's the new covenant Jesus made through his sacrifice. Romans 5.8-10 says,
[00:01:46] God demonstrated his love while we were still sinners. Christ died for us. That's the gospel. Jesus died for you personally. And Jesus himself said in John 14.6, No one can come to the Father except through me. So repentance isn't just feeling bad for your sins. It's turning. It's coming to Jesus. It's surrender.
[00:02:11] Repentance means you acknowledge you've been living your life your way instead of God's way. You stop hiding from him. You stop sitting on the throne of your own life. And you ask Jesus to forgive you and be Lord of your life because he's the one who earned the right to forgive. What does God do when you come? 1 John 1.5-10 says,
[00:02:32] God is light. If we walk in fellowship with him, we must be cleansed of darkness. And if we confess our sins, God will forgive us. And the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin and unrighteousness.
[00:02:45] Now here's something important. A true Christian is real. A true Christian has faults. We're not perfect, but we're forgiven. We don't pretend we're okay. We return to Jesus again and again. And when God forgives us, he calls us to forgive others too.
[00:03:04] Matthew 6.14-15 is clear. If we won't forgive, we're not receiving forgiveness in the way Jesus teaches. And the end of sin is not just consequences. It's death. Romans 6.23 says, The wages of sin is death. But the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ. So if you're ready, you can pray right now. You can mean it. Prayer. Prayer.
[00:03:30] Lord Jesus, please forgive me of all my sins. I believe you died on the cross for my sins. And I believe you rose again. As you forgive me, I choose to forgive those who have sinned against me.
[00:03:42] I surrender my will and my life to your lordship. Your will be done, not mine. I receive you into my heart by faith. I confess with my mouth that you are my personal Lord and Savior. Help me follow you all the days of my life. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and make me holy in the way you want. In Jesus name. Amen. Thank you for listening. If you prayed that welcome because the gates of heaven aren't shut to the humble and repentant.
[00:04:11] Jesus opened the door. Until next time, keep choosing God over anything that tries to replace him.