© 2009 Good News Publishers. Printed in U.S.A. Cover im

age: © iStockphoto. Inside im

age: © Shutterstock.Taken from

One Minute After You Die ©

1997 by Erwin W. Lutzer. Used by perm

ission of Moody Publishers.

the Bible says that everyone—every person, from every race, and every walk of life—who calls on his name will be saved (Romans 10:13). Saved from a life that does not please God and saved from eternal punishment for our sins.

WHAT WE MUST DO

How can we receive this free gift of eternal life? The answer is to admit our helplessness and to acknowledge that we are dependent on God’s mercy. Then we must transfer all of our trust to Jesus as our sin-bearer. We must believe in Jesus as the One who did all that we will ever need in order to enter Heaven and stand in God’s holy presence someday. To believe in Christ means that as best we know, we trust him for all that we need in this life and in the life to come.

If you desire to transfer your trust to Christ alone for your eternal salvation, here is a prayer that can help express that heart-felt desire. If you pray in faith, God will receive you.

Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and there is nothing that I can do to save myself. I confess my complete helplessness to work my way to heaven. At this moment, I trust Christ alone as the One who bore my sin when he died on the cross. I believe that he did all that will ever be necessary for me to stand in your holy pres-ence. I thank you that Christ was raised from the dead as a guarantee of your promise. As best I can, I now transfer my trust to him. I am grateful that he has promised to receive me, de-spite my many sins and failures. I thank you for your grace and mercy. I thank you for hearing this prayer. In Jesus’ name, amen.– Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer

Good News Publishers1300 Crescent Street Wheaton, IL 60187

For helpful Christian literature, please write to the address above or visit our web site at www.goodnewstracts.org. Bible references: ESV.

PASSPORT TO HEAVEN

If you have ever traveled in foreign countries, you know the importance of a passport. Re-gardless of your status or charisma, that docu-ment is what qualifies you for entry and ac-ceptance in a different country.

We also need a “passport” to get into heav-en, if that is where we wish to go. Those who have such a travel document can rejoice in their citizenship long before their arrival. Paul wrote that for those who are children of God, their citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20).

But don’t imagine for a moment that you will get to heaven without the right credentials. You will not be there because your husband or wife is able to enter; you will not be there be-

cause you have a child or parent who is already there. No, this is an individual matter, and only those with the right documentation will be al-lowed entry.

This is another way of saying that not one per-son can enter heaven without God’s specific ap-proval. We cannot come to heaven’s gates hoping for leniency. We cannot come pleading for special favors or exceptions. Passports are not available on the other side of the border.

WHAT GOD REQUIRES

How perfect do you have to be to enter heaven?

The answer: As perfect as God!

The question then is: How can we be as perfect as God?

The answer: We can never be perfect on our own.

The Bible says that we “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Since we all have sinned, that means that no one is per-fect. But God chose to credit the perfection of his Son, Jesus, to our account so that we can enter

heaven…on Jesus’ merit, since we have noth-ing to qualify us! How did God do this? The answer: God allowed his perfect Son, Jesus Christ, to be a sacrifice for sinners, which God legally accepted.

Though Christ is perfect, God made him legally guilty of all of our sins. Jesus literally took our place and accepted the punishment we deserved for our sins. In exchange, when we believe in him as our Savior—our substi-tute—we receive his righteousness—his per-fection—in the sight of God. “For our sake he [God] made him [Christ] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him [Jesus] we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). This was accomplished by Jesus Christ being crucified on a cross, dying, and then being resurrected from the dead as Scriptures foretold. With his resurrection, he conquered sin and death—and now offers us eternal life in heaven!

Perhaps you think that you have sinned too much to receive such a gift. But

Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and there is nothing that I can do to save myself. I confess my complete helplessness to work my way to heaven. At this moment, I trust Christ alone as the One who bore my sin when he died on the cross. I believe that he did all that will ever be necessary for me to stand in your holy pres-ence. I thank you that Christ was raised from the dead as a guarantee of your promise. As best I can, I now transfer my trust to him. I am grateful that he has promised to receive me, de-spite my many sins and failures. I thank you for your grace and mercy. I thank you for hearing this prayer. In Jesus’ name, amen.– Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer

Good News PublishersPassport to Heaven

Just as a passport is required to enter into a foreign land, there are

requirements for entering into heaven. But Christ fulfills all requirements on

our behalf.

Bible references: ESV.Package contains 25 tracts.

GENERAL GOSPEL