Can I know for sure that I am going to Heaven?

EXPLORING CHRISTIANITY - ASSURANCE

THE BIBLE
Can we trust a book written 2000 years ago?

EYEWITNESS
Did the writers of the New Testament get their picture of Jesus right?

GOD - MAN
Is Jesus really God?

RESURRECTION
Did Jesus really rise from the dead?

RELIGIONS
With so many religions, why Christianity?

SUFFERING
If there is a God, why is there so much suffering?

TRINITY
Understanding the Trinity.

SCIENCE
The complementary nature of Science & Christianity.

FORGIVENESS
What it is and why it matters?

GUIDANCE
How does God guide?

REPENTANCE
What it is and why you can't get to heaven without it.

BORN AGAIN
What does it mean to be converted and born again?

SAVING FAITH
The kind of faith that will get you to heaven

ASSURANCE
Can I know for sure that I am going to heaven?

TRUTH
What is truth and does it matter?

MORALITY
Does it matter how we live? A Christian view of morality.

THE CHURCH
God's vision for his family, the Church. A call to the churches of the new millennium.

PURPOSE
How can I find a great purpose for living?

IDENTITY
Who am I; Finding my true identity as a human being and as a child of God.

SELF-ESTEEM
How can I feel good about my self? The Christian basis for proper sel-esteem.

LIFE AFTER DEATHChristianity's Hope & Challenge.

THE CROSS
Why did Jesus Die? What the Bible says about the Cross.

Grace
The importance of grace in the New Testament.

Foreword

I was about ten years old, I guess, when the challenge of Assurance crossed my path. Our diminutive Sunday School Superintendent asked us all to put our hands up if we were sure we would go to heaven when we died. Apart from the couple leading us, and perhaps a few of the teachers, no one did! Then she declared that she was certain she would, because Jesus had died for her.

My tiny soul was shocked. How could she be so confident that she was good enough to go to heaven and be with God for ever? Much later I came to understand the precious and life-giving truth that it is not by our good deeds but by our knowledge of God's work for us that eternity is guaranteed to us through Jesus Christ.

In a time when the ashes of wealthy dead are being shot into space for a brief spell of star-trecking, the Christian confidence in real eternal life with God is an important living truth. Its relevance is not just for after death. How we see ourselves now in this complex universe can affect how we live, how we enjoy each day, and how we shape our lives.

May this readable explanation help you find that blessed assurance that has given millions of believers grounds for great hope in life's darkest hours and a consistent purpose for each day they have lived on earth.

The Rev. Dr Don Battley B Com, L Th (Hons), D Min
National Coordinator, Anglican Renewal Ministries New Zealand