First and foremost, you have to believe in Jesus. Without Jesus, no one goes to heaven.
So, everything else here, depends on that first. This is an absolute must. No way around this one.
There have been plenty of discussion about what believing in Jesus means here on TalkJesus.
Does it simply mean I believe there was a guy named Jesus who walked around 2,000 years ago?
Or does it mean more, does it mean believing He is the Son of God, that He died and rose again. That He lived a sinless life.
Does it mean following all the teachings that He taught as best you can?
The Bible says doing some things will keep you out of heaven. It doesn't matter if you say you believe in Jesus or not.
If you're doing these things, you need to stop, repent, or you won't enter heaven.. it really is that plain and simple.
You can be forgiven for all of these things if you quit doing them and repent. But you can't keep on doing them. Period.
1Cor 6:9; Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals,
1Cor 6:10; nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
1Cor 6:11; Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
Fornicators - are you sleeping with your girlfriend, but you're not married? That's fornication.
Idolaters - Do you worship something, someone more than you love Jesus? That's idolatry.
Adulterers - Are you sleeping with someone else's spouse? Are you sleeping with someone else besides your spouse? That's adultery.
Effeminate - Do you act like a woman; do you dress like a woman?
Homosexuals - Are you sleeping with someone who is the same sex as yourself? That homosexuality.
Thieves - Are you stealing from people?
Drunkards - Do you get drunk frequently?
Swindlers - Do you take financial advantage of people? Do you con them, and give them useless things?
No one who is practicing these things will enter heaven. It doesn't matter if you believe in Jesus or not.
If you have done them, you can be forgiven. If you're doing them now, 'STOP' REPENT!! It's not too late.
You don't have to be perfect. But you cannot live a sinful lifestyle.
Gal 5:19; Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,
Gal 5:20; idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,
Gal 5:21; envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God
Some things on this second list and the same as the first list. sexual immorality (fornication, adultery, homosexuality) Idolatry, drunkenness.
But there are some other things listed here as well. Sorcery, this doesn't only mean practicing witchcraft, the word most commonly used for sorcery is ...
φαρμακεία
pharmakeia
far-mak-i'-ah
From G5332; medication (“pharmacy”), that is, (by extension) magic (literal or figurative): - sorcery, witchcraft.
This is where we get the word pharmacy. Now taking drugs for medical reasons is probably OK. But taking recreational mind-altering drugs is not.
Arguing, looking for trouble, causing disputes and strife between people. This is a pretty basic thing, how many of us have ever caused an argument or fight
because of something we've told people. Again, it doesn't matter if you believe in Jesus or not, if you're frequently doing these things, it can keep you out of heaven.
Verse 21 abovce says - Those who "practice" these things will not enter heaven. Again, you can be forgiven if you've done them. You can be forgiven if you're doing them now.
But you have to stop. This isn't an option, it isn't a debate, it's an absolute requirement. No excuses can be made.
Matt 5:19; "Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Matt 5:20; "For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus says if you try to bypass the commandments, and teach other's to do so (like the Pharisees) you will not enter heaven. People say the Pharisees were legalistic, and they were, but not because they followed the commandments, it was because they didn't.
Matt 15:3; And He answered and said to them, "Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?
Matt 15:6; he is not to honor his father or his mother.' And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition.
Mark 7:5; The Pharisees and the scribes *asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?"
Mark 7:8; "Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men."
Mark 7:9; He was also saying to them, "You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition.
Mark 7:13; thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that."
Col 2:8; See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.
Jesus says unless you are more righteous than the Pharisees were, you will not enter heaven.
Matt 7:21; "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
Matt 7:22; "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'
Matt 7:23; "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'
Jesus says, not everyone who believes in Jesus will enter heaven. That has to be one of the most sobering verses in the entire BIble.
For those who are practicing sin, iniquity, lawlessness, He is going to send them away, He is going to say, "Depart from me".
There is more. There are other verses I can't include here because this is getting to be a long post.
But the bottom line here is. You have to repent! You can't continue living a sinful lifestyle and expect to go to heaven.
If you stumble and mess up, you can be forgiven. There is love, mercy, grace and forgiveness. But you can't use these things as a license to sin.
Rom 6:1; What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?
Rom 6:2; May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?
Rom 6:12; Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts,
Rom 6:13; and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
Rom 6:16; Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?
Rom 6:17; But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed,
Rom 6:18; and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
Peter says the same thing.
1Pet 4:1; Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,
1Pet 4:2; so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.
1Pet 4:3; For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries.
1Pet 4:4; In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you;
If you're a new Christian, there is grace. If you've known Jesus for a long time. It's time to change. The "time is already past sufficient for you". Your friends may make fun of you because you have quit
doing these things, but even so. You have to stop.
