What Gets You Into Heaven, by Michael Patrick Bowen

Behavioral changes and/or lifestyle changes won’t get you into heaven. Committing your life to Jesus or trying to stop sinning will not get you there, either. No amount of repenting of sins or quitting bad habits will help get you one inch closer to heaven–period. God said so. GOOD NEWS! The instant you believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose again from the dead in order to pay for your sins, He saves you forever–you will never go to hell; instead, you will live with Him in heaven for eternity. Here is your guarantee: “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him” (1 Thessalonians 4:14). God loves you “so much” that He will give you everlasting life regardless of whether you live for Him or not. In this book, I use His own words–not mine.

Hello! My name is Michael Patrick Bowen, and I’m the author of the book entitled “I NEVER KNEW YOU: The Horror Of The Great White Throne Judgement And How You Can Avoid It.” I wrote this book so that people may know what Jesus Christ, Himself, said to us concerning how to be born again (or in the Greek, anothen, which means to be “born of God”). Jesus told Nicodemus in John chapter 3 of the Bible that he had to be born again. He then later told him that He (Jesus) would be “lifted up” (on a cross to die and rise again to pay for the sins of the world). Here is the most amazing thing of all: anybody who believes (or in the Greek, pisteuo, which means to trust) that Jesus (the Son of God; the Messiah) died and rose again from the dead–to pay for your sins and to give you a home in heaven when you die–is saved (born again) the very instant that he/she believes that He did this for him/her. THAT is His gift to you for trusting in Jesus Christ (specifically in what He accomplished for you by His death, burial and resurrection from the dead). 

The gift of everlasting life is just that–it’s a gift. Numerous people say that getting born again is “too easy,” or “there must be more to it than just trusting that Jesus died and rose again.” To them I say this: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast”(Ephesians 2:8-9). Notice how God (through Paul) tells us that everlasting life is a “gift,” and that it is NOT of works, deeds, discipleship, or behavioral changes. If any of those things were required to be saved, then none of us would be able to get born again. We sin every day, either by acts of commission or omission–we can’t help it; we’re all sinners who are in need of a “Savior.” Jesus Christ IS THAT SAVIOR. Isaiah 64:6 tells us that even our best righteous deeds are as “filthy rags” in God’s eyes; therefore, God will not recognize our works, our discipleship, or any other self-efforts when it comes to imputing (crediting) His righteousness to our accounts. 

Did you know that we must be “as righteous as” God is in order to enter His heaven? In heaven, there is no sin; likewise, there is no death, no crime, etc.; it is a perfect place where God lives. How can we be seen by God as being “as righteous as” He is? Would turning from your sins (or being willing to or trying your best to quit them) make you as righteous as He is? No, it won’t work. Even if you could avoid sinning for the rest of your life, what about the sins you’ve already committed? “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). You see, all the sins you’ve committed in your lifetime are still in His books; therefore, turning from sin, asking Him into your heart or life, or becoming a disciple would never “erase your criminal records.” You must have your criminal records ERASED in order to enter into His heaven. Jesus, the Son of God (i.e., literally God in human flesh) paid for ALL of our sins (past/present/future) when He died on the cross. His dead body was buried. After three days in the grave, Jesus arose from the dead. 

THE INSTANT you trust that He did this for “you”–to erase your sin record and to give you a home in heaven, that is EXACTLY what He does. You have His guarantee! “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). THERE is His “guarantee.” You have His good name, word, and reputation on this guarantee. If any additional steps were involved, such as quitting your bad habits and promising to forsake all and becoming a disciple, then Jesus Christ would have listed those “extra things” in John 3:16 (where He was telling Nicodemus specifically how to be born again); else, Jesus Christ lied to us–or He made a very horrible mistake of omission; however, we know from Titus 1:2 that He cannot lie; therefore, Jesus is not capable of lying or of making mistakes–He is “God,” after all, and He is not capable of any error (or sin). 

When I tell my readers that they must trust Jesus Christ as their Savior–as their only hope of ever reaching heaven–I’m simply telling you the exact same thing that God the Father says in His Bible. I’m telling you what Jesus Christ said, as well as what He said through all of the human beings He chose to write His Word through. The gift of everlasting life is FREE to all who trust that Jesus Christ died and rose again for their sins. Period. 

It’s so easy to understand that small children can grasp it; however, because Satan specializes in perverting God’s Word and the minds of human beings, he does his best to convince all of humanity to live the “Christian Lifestyle” without ever getting born again in the first place. How cruel, and how sad, that he does this, yet when I or others like me stand up and tell the world what Jesus says in terms of how to be born again, we are ridiculed, harassed, given bad reviews, and are spoken ill of. So be it. I’ve done my duty. Your duty now, if you’re reading this, is to decide whether or not you will put your trust in what a man or a woman tells you, or whether or not you’ll put your trust in what Jesus Christ (God Himself) says to you concerning how to be born again. Either they are right and Jesus is wrong, or they are wrong and Jesus is right. Think about it, please. All men and women are capable of making mistakes, and many fall for erroneous teachings based upon satanically inspired lies; however, Jesus Christ is not capable of lying or of making mistakes. 

Why not trust the “One” who never told a lie and who never made a mistake–the “One” who shed His blood, died, and rose again for “you.” Why not trust Him? You have His guarantee, but you have no guarantee, at all, if you put your faith in what men or women say. Trust only in what Jesus says–never trust what people say. 

“For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him” (1 Thessalonians 4:14). THE INSTANT THAT YOU BELIEVE THAT JESUS DIED AND ROSE AGAIN TO PAY FOR YOUR SINS AND TO GIVE YOU A HOME IN HEAVEN WHEN YOU DIE, HE SAVES YOU.

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