How Does One Gain Eternal Life In Heaven Bible Verses

This post is all about how one gains eternal life in heaven, with Bible verses as your guide. What happens after we die, and is there any way to be sure of where we go?

It does not matter where you are from, what race you are, or how much money you have; there is one important question we all ask ourselves at some point.

What happens after we die, and is there any way to be sure of where we go?

Eternity is a real place. After you leave this life, you will go somewhere. The choice of where that is completely up to you; it will either be heaven or hell. Because the choice is yours, this question is one of the most important questions you will ever ask yourself.

The good news is that you and I were left a handbook for life, God's Word, the Holy Bible. It is historically accurate, it has integrity, and it is the living, breathing Word of God. It does not leave that question unanswered. It speaks to ordinary people like you and me who genuinely want to know. The promises are not conditional on perfection. To have eternal life and be heaven-bound is one prayer and one promise.

My prayer is that when you are finished reading this post, you will have a full understanding of the question (What happens after we die, and is there any way to be sure of where we go?) and you will have 100% certainty of your eternity.

Together, let's look at Bible verses and ask: How does one gain eternal life in heaven?

how does one gain eternal life bible verses

To gain a deeper understanding, let's begin by answering some questions you might have.

What eternal life actually means according to the Bible.

John 17:3

John 17:3 (NIV), Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

This is defined as a relationship. Eternal life is knowing God personally, and that relationship begins now, not after death. This is important to understand because it will shift your eternal perspective to an intimate relationship with Jesus beginning here on earth.

The beauty of eternal life is that it is an ongoing connection with the living God, Jesus Christ, from now and forever! It begins the moment you believe.

John 5:24

John 5:24 (NIV), “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.

Understanding that it is about a personal relationship, and not just a ticket to heaven, will transform the life you are living now. You are invited to have a personal relationship with the Creator! Wow!

The most important and well-known verse on eternal life.

Read this verse slowly. It is easy to skim past when it is familiar. One sentence that changes everything.

John 3:16

John 3:16 (NIV), 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.

John 3:16 (NKJV), For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

If you are a Christian or not a believer, you have probably heard one of these translations.

The word ‘whoever' means just that. It does not matter what your life is or was; you can come as you are! Do not wait. It is an invitation for YOU.

God loved YOU so much that He gave for YOU PERSONALLY.

He gave His Son Jesus Christ, who shed His blood on the cross for YOUR sins. He made a way for YOU.

The price was paid on the cross. It is all about God's love.

All He asks is for you to believe in Jesus Christ.

It is not a hope. It is a PROMISE.

God loved. He gave. You believe. You have eternal life. It is a free gift of God.

What it means to believe in Jesus Christ.

James 2:19

James 2:19 (NLT), You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.

Believing does not mean that you believe that He existed. There is historical evidence that Jesus existed.

It is not head knowledge.

Romans 10:9

Romans 10:9 (NIV), If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

To believe in Jesus Christ means you believe from your heart and you verbally declare that Jesus is Lord. You put your trust in Him alone for forgiveness and eternal life.

It is simple faith, available to everyone, including YOU.

You might ask, why do I need a Savior?

Romans 3:23

Romans 3:23 (ESV), for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 6:23 (ESV), For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

All have sinned. The only one who has walked this earth without sin is Jesus Christ. So we all fall short. That is why you and I need a Savior. Sin separates us from a Holy God. Not just now, but for eternity.

God loves you so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to make a way on the cross and take the punishment for our sins.

Eternal life is a free gift, not something that can be bought; good deeds can not get you to heaven or good works. You can not buy or earn a gift.

The only way to have eternal life in heaven is to believe and have faith.

Some people believe that if you serve and do good works, then you will go to heaven since you are a good person.

This debate is made clear in God's word.

Ephesians 2:8-9

Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV), For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

It is very clear with three key words. Grace. Faith. Gift.

If people could earn their way to God, there would be no reason for Jesus to be crucified on the cross.

What Jesus said about eternal life in His own words.

John 14:6

John 14:6 (NIV), Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 10:27-28

John 10:27-28 (NIV), My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.

John 11:25-26

John 11:25-26 (NIV), Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Matthew 11:28

Matthew 11:28 (NLT), Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

Jesus personally offers to you an open invitation to come to Him, to believe, and to receive.

How do you respond to the invitation to have eternal life and to invite Jesus to be your Savior?

Reading about eternal life and receiving eternal life is completely different. The difference is in your heart.

Revelation 3:20

Revelation 3:20 (NIV), Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

The door is your heart. Opening the door and inviting Jesus into your heart is a deliberate and personal decision.

Romans 10:13

Romans 10:13 (NLT), For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'”

This includes EVERYONE, NO EXCEPTIONS!

It is never too late to come as you are and invite Jesus into your heart.

A good illustration of this is when Jesus told one of the thieves hanging on the cross next to him that he would be with him in paradise.

Luke 23:39-4

Luke 23:39-43 (NIV), “One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Jesus, who lived a blameless life, shed His blood for our sins to finish what He came to earth to do. Make a way for us to have eternal life.

One thief made fun of Jesus. While the other thief understood that Jesus was Christ and believed with his heart. He asked Jesus to remember him. Jesus responded with, ‘Today you will be with me in paradise.'

Jesus bridged the gap and made a way for you and me to God the Father.

As the thief on the cross shows us, it is not by works that you are saved, but by God's grace and faith in Jesus. It is a free gift of God.

What would be the steps to invite Jesus into your heart?

1. You have to believe and acknowledge that you are a sinner.

2. Believe in Jesus. Put your trust in the fact that Jesus died in your place and rose from the dead, making forgiveness and eternal life possible for you.

3. Accept by faith what God is offering, the free gift of eternal life.

4. Confess that you are a sinner and declare that you want Jesus to be your Lord and Savior. You do this by talking to God in prayer about what you believe from your heart and inviting Him in.

This is a personal relationship that begins in a moment and grows. The moment you believe in your heart and have faith is the moment eternal life begins, and you will never be separated from the one and only true God who loves you!

It does not stop there. When Jesus ascended to heaven, He left a helper called the Holy Spirit who will live inside of you. You will feel the love of God like no other love you have experienced.

John 16:7

John 16:7 (NKJV), Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.

Can you know you have the assurance of Salvation and eternal life with Christ?

1 John 5:13

1 John 5:13 (ESV), I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.

Romans 8:16

Romans 8:16 (NKJV), The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

Salvation is based on what Jesus did on the cross. Not what you do. God's love for you is not conditional.

If you have genuinely placed your faith in Jesus, you do not need to live in fear about your eternity. You can have full assurance that you will be heaven bound and a citizen of heaven. It begins here in our earthly home and continues in eternity in the Kingdom of heaven.

Philippians 3:20

Philippians 3:20 (NIV), But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,

If you would like to have eternal life with Christ, you can invite Him into your heart today.

You can come to Him as you are, even if your life is messy.

A simple prayer from your heart.

Lord God, I know I am a sinner, but I want to invite you into my heart. Please forgive me of my sins. I believe you came to earth, were born from a virgin, lived a blameless life, and were crucified on the cross. You shed your blood for me to wash away my sins. I believe you rose from the grave three days later, and when you ascended to heaven, you left the Holy Spirit to live in my heart and help guide me. Thank you for loving me and forgiving me. Help me, Lord, and guide me as I begin my new life with you. Thank you for the assurance of eternal life with You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

If you just prayed this prayer and invited Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, you just made the most important decision of your life and one that will change your eternity!

We would love to celebrate with you and your decision and pray as you begin your daily life with Christ. You can share on my ROOTED IN PRAYER page, where there is a simple form to fill out to request prayer.

God's plan was not for you to do this on your own.

For your next steps in your new life with Christ, visit my GROW YOUR FAITH page. You will find a 21-day devotional designed to help you understand more fully what your decision to follow Jesus means. Plus, ways to connect with other believers.

I always use the YouVersion Bible. The Holy Bible is free and available to anyone. You can go to a verse, read the entire passage, and choose different translations available to gain a better understanding. It includes Bible plans, videos, a Bible App, and more. I encourage you to check it out.

Welcome to the family and the Kingdom of God!

I pray these Bible verses about how one gains eternal life have been helpful and valuable for you.

Here are a few more how does one gain eternal life Bible verses.

1 John 5:20

1 John 5:20 (ESV), And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

John 6:27

John 6:27 (NLT), But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.”

John 17:1-2

John 17:1-2 (NIV), After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.

Romans 6:23

Romans 6:23 (NIV), For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 John 2:25

1 John 2:25 (NKJV), And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.

Matthew 7:13-14

Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV), “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Matthew 25:46

Matthew 25:46 (NIV), “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

John 3:36

John 3:36 (NIV), Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

John 6:53

John 6:53 (NIV), Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

1 Timothy 6:12

1 Timothy 6:12 (NIV), Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

2 Corinthians 5:10

2 Corinthians 5:10 (NIV), For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

Understanding how one gains eternal life in heaven through Bible verses will not only make an impact on this life, but for eternity.

It is not about becoming good enough, attending the right church, or following the right set of rules.

It is all about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, offered as a gift, secured by grace, received through faith, and guaranteed by the unchanging Word of God!

The most important question now is…Do you know where you will spend eternity if you were to die today?

Music is powerful.

Music has the power to take you back in time, change your day, and encourage you, or even think about eternity. We always have K-Love radio playing in our home day and night. It never fails that the right song will come on at the right time to point us back to Jesus and encourage us in our daily life. Here are some songs I thought you might enjoy.

Washed by Elevation Rhythm

Perfectly by Micah Tyler

I Can Only Imagine by MercyMe

Homesick For Heaven by Phil Wickham