Most people want to go to heaven someday. But many people, even those who attend church regularly, have never considered what it takes to get there. If you are one of these people, please take a few moments to consider the following information.

How good must I be to get into heaven?

The answer can be found in the words of Jesus where he said, “Be perfect even as my Father in heaven is perfect.” Since God is perfect and the heaven He created to live in is perfect, it should be obvious that it would ruin his perfect heaven if he let imperfect people in. But don’t despair. There is hope. God loves us and wants us to have eternal life and to live with him in heaven. So, he has provided a way to make it possible for us imperfect people to get into his heaven. Which brings up the question:

How can I be perfect?

There are only two ways to be perfect. Either we must live a totally sinless life and never commit a single sin or we must have our sins washed away. Not only is this logical, but in the Bible, God says “Wash yourself and make yourself clean. Put away the evil of your doings from before my eyes.” Think of it this way: If I wanted to have clean hands I would either have to keep them clean or it they did get dirty I would have to wash them. Naturally I would need to wash them with the right substance. For example, I wouldn’t wash them with ketchup. And I certainly wouldn’t pour a bottle of ink over my hands. I couldn’t reasonably expect to get my hands clean that way, could I? The same principle holds true if we want to cleanse our soul from sin. We need to have our sins washed away with the right substance. That brings up the question:

What substance washes away sin?

According to the Bible there is only one substance in the world that has the power to wash away sin. That substance is blood. Yes, the Bible says, “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” And it also says “The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s son, cleanses us from all sin.” Now, if the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin, then it doesn’t matter how many times we have sinned or how bad the sins may be. The blood of Jesus has the power to wash them all away. But this also means that we cannot be cleansed from our sins by doing good deeds such as church attendance, baptism, obeying the ten commandments, prayer, Bible study, being born into a Christian family, etc. Even though these things are all good and beneficial, none of them can wash away our sins - only the blood of Jesus can do that. This brings up the question:

How does the blood of Jesus wash away my sins?

The answer is simply to believe what God has said and to ask Him to do it. Jesus said “Ask, and you shall receive.” Remember that God loves you and He wants to give you the gift of eternal life. All you have to do is to believe that He will do what He has promised and to ask Him to do it for you.

The following is a suggested prayer:

Dear heavenly father, I realize that I have sinned and fall short of your perfection. I believe your word is true where you said that the blood of Jesus Christ will cleanse me from all my sins. I ask you to cleanse me right now. Give me the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Take control of my life. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and give me the power to live the kind of life that would please you. Amen.

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? If it does, take a moment and pray right now.