The Foolish person will say: “I believe in Jesus. My faith (belief) alone will permit me to go to Heaven, regardless of the sinful life I choose to live. I will not give up my sins.”
When you truly dedicate your life to Jesus, you have decided to quit sinning. If you continue your life and refuse to repent, then you do not really believe in Jesus. Habitual, unrepentant sin indicates that you are not truly a Christian, and your sins are not forgiven.
The Bible says, “Whoever remains in Him [God] doesn’t sin. Whomever sins hasn’t seen him, nor knows Him. Little children, let no one lead you astray. He who does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. To this end, the Son of God was revealed, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever is born of God doesn’t commit sin, because His seed remains in him; and he can’t sin, because he is born of God.” The Apostle John, 1 John 3:6, 9
The scripture makes this clear. Christians who choose to live in sin are not good but are evil. Yet, everyone on earth sins. The difference between a Christian and a non-Christian is that true believers in Christ repent and seek to avoid sin. Read what the Apostle John said about Christians who sometimes fall into sin.
The Apostle John said, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him [God] and walk in the darkness, we lie and don’t tell the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we haven’t sinned, we make Him [God] a liar, and his word is not in us.” The Apostle John, 1 John 1:8–10
Christians who sin only need to confess their sins, and God will forgive. For those people who have not surrendered their lives to Christ, there is no way to receive forgiveness of sins, and Heaven will not be their eternal home.
The Bible says, “Now the deeds of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these; of which I forewarn you, even as I also forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit God’s Kingdom.” Apostle Paul, Galatians 5:19–21
What is Salvation?
Salvation means that you will go to heaven because your sins have been forgiven.
Will an earnest prayer, asking that Jesus be my Lord (Boss), actually save me from God’s wrath?
The answer is YES, but you must be serious and genuinely receive Jesus as your Lord and Master (Boss). And when Jesus is your Boss, you must obey and make every effort to follow His commandments.
The Bible says, “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works [righteous behavior and good deeds] is dead.” Apostle James 2:26
In other words, if you claim to have faith but do not obey God’s commandments, then your faith is dead and useless. Therefore, if your faith is dead, you will face punishment from God.
But if your faith is genuine and active, you will obey God’s rules and be saved from His wrath.
The Bible says, “But do you want to know, vain man, that faith apart from works [righteous behavior and good deeds] is dead?” Apostle James 2:20
A person’s good deeds and righteous behavior show faith in Jesus Christ. Believing in Jesus is necessary to inherit the Kingdom of God. Without good, godly actions, there is no genuine faith in Jesus and no salvation.
Anyone who claims that you can keep living in sin and still go to heaven is lying. Remember, if you sin again after becoming a Christian, all you need to do is ask God for forgiveness. God will still see you as His child and forgive your sins.
Some preachers believe that saying a simple prayer to invite Jesus into your heart will guarantee a place in Heaven, even if you continue living a sinful life. Don’t trust such confused people. You must repent of your previous sinful life and keep repenting as you progress in the Christian walk.