That's a very good question. And the answer may not be what you think.

Since this is the internet, let's get to the point before you go surfing somewhere else. Jesus Christ made the only way to heaven for you, because you can't do it by yourself.

Now on to the explanation. Remember the Easter story, the one about Jesus being nailed to a cross and rising from the dead? Have you ever wondered why that happened? It certainly wasn't to establish a long weekend, or to bolster the chocolate industry. Jesus came to earth to teach us how to live, and to pay the penalty for the evil deeds of every person.

We have a problem

To understand why this was necessary, you need to know that the universe in its wonderful complexity comes from a creator. Our world full of people comes from a much greater personality, namely God. He lovingly created us "in His image", with a free will that could freely choose to obey or disobey him – to do good or evil. We unfortunately have been choosing to do evil (to sin) right from our beginning. So now our friendship with God has been poisoned. God is holy, perfect, pure, and completely righteous. He cannot tolerate any amount of sin, and the fact is that we have lots of it, and it results in us rejecting the forgiveness that God offers, and therefore God Himself. So our bodies die and our spirits are bound to be separated from Him in eternal agony.

We cannot remedy this problem just by looking for God now or doing "good works". Our works today cannot make payment for yesterday's sin, and they are worthless if not offered to the one who judges them good. These are the good works we should have been doing all along, and even the best of our good works are still mixed with sin. So who will save us from death? This is where Jesus comes in.

What's so great about Jesus?

You might be wondering why the death of one man is so significant. The answer is based in these facts:

1. God allows for a substitute to pay our death penalty.

2. God loves us so much that he provided this substitute – Jesus, his only son.

3. Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life. He had no sin of his own that required payment. Here is what the prophet Isaiah said about our saviour, about 600 years before Jesus' time on Earth:

"But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed. " (Isaiah 53:5)

Jesus died to receive our punishment.

4. Three days after being crucified, Jesus rose to life again in a physical body. Because he resurrected both himself and other people, he has proven that he has the power over death.

5. The apostles who witnessed this testified that God has now exalted Jesus over everything and everyone. They believed that Jesus claimed to be God.

The death and resurrection of Jesus is significant because God himself suffered and died so that your sins could be forgiven. Only he can offer the gift of forgiveness and eternal life, and it is for anyone who will accept it.

What do I do now?

So there it is, the way to heaven! How does one accept this gift? It's not as simple as just saying "Sure God, sign me up for eternal life!" Yes, you must simply believe and receive—but to accept Jesus' gift is to accept the fact that he bought your entire life with his blood. You must accept him as your own lord and king. Jesus compared the people of his kingdom to workers who sign up to work for a boss in his vineyard. All will receive the same wages whether they start working earlier or later. Yet the wages God pays are not just a silver coin, but eternal life. Jesus compared this reward to a treasure or a great pearl for which a person must give up everything in order to receive it. You can come to Jesus just as you are. He doesn't ask for your perfection, only your pledge of allegiance. He promises eternal life, and also to give you the strength to follow and obey him by filling you with himself, the Holy Spirit.

Have you ever told God the deepest desires of your heart? This is an excellent time to start. You can begin eternal life as his adopted child right now, if that is what you truly want. Many people receive God's gift by saying something like this to him:

God in heaven, I admit that I have failed you and that I need your gracious forgiveness. I believe that you sent your son Jesus to pay for my sins, and that you raised him from the dead so that I may have forgiveness and eternal life. I receive your gift, and I accept you as my Lord and Saviour. Please fill me with your Spirit and take control of my life so that I can correct my sinful ways and serve you properly. Thank you.

If you have prayed to God in this way, please tell someone ! You are now part of a family of believers who need to stick together for love, support, education and growth. We need to work together for God's glory. You should look for a Bible-believing group of people near you.

As a final note, this article has made some extraordinary claims about extraordinary events in history. A very strong case can be made for the truth of all of the statements here by studying the evidence of the historical records which have been collected in what we call the Bible. I encourage you to read the Bible to see for yourself. A good place to start reading is the Gospel of John, moving on to Acts and then Paul's letter to the Romans. If you have any questions at all please feel free to contact me. I would be honoured to help you in your quest for truth! May God bless you with an ever-deepening knowledge of Him.

Sincerely,
Allan Dowdeswell