Accept Jesus to Go to Heaven
A person has to accept Jesus as a personal Savior in order to go to heaven (John 1:12). As for those that didn’t have the chance to know Jesus, the Lord will certainly judge them fairly and justly (Psalm 98:8-9). The Lord created everyone and knows their background, life opportunities and can read their hearts. So, He will take all of that into consideration at the day of Judgement.
After the fall of man, the Lord in His infinite mercy planned a way of salvation by offering His Son to redeem the human race. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” And, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life” (verse 36).
So, when a sinner accepts by faith the death of Christ on his behalf, he receives both forgiveness and grace to transform his life into God’s likeness (John 1:12; Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9). Thus, without faith in Jesus Christ, a person can’t receive the pardon and change of character that will fit him for heaven.
In the ancient days, people that didn’t have the chance to know God and the plan of salvation, the Lord will judge these with what has been revealed to them through His handiwork in creation. The Bible says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork…” (Psalm 19:1–4). Today, in our modern world with the explosion of knowledge through the internet, every person can certainly learn about Jesus and the plan of redemption so people are without excuse.
The Lord will certainly not judge a person for a truth he never had the chance to know and learn (Acts 17:30). But he who refuses to search for the truth, God will judge. “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17). Sadly, hearing the truth may not always guarantee that a person will obey it. The New Testament says that people may get to know God, yet they will choose to reject Him (Romans 1:18-20).
God speaks to every human heart through different means but it is up to everyone to respond to His voice or reject it. So, judgement depends on the choices of men and their responses to whatever light they receive about God. But we can rest in the fact that if God was willing to offer His only begotten Son to suffer and die for those that did not know Him (John 3:16), then, He will surely judge all of His children fairly and “with righteousness” (Psalms 72:2). For He declares, “I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies…Therefore turn and live” (Ezekiel 18:32).
Check out our Bible Answers page for more information on a variety of topics.
In His service,
BibleAsk Team
