Headed For Heaven

God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit. So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:5-6

HOW CAN CHRISTIANS be sure they are headed for heaven? How can they know without question that they will never face hell, judgment, or pain and suffering after departing this world?

There are many assurances God has given us in his Word. The testimony of other believers bolsters us. Preaching and teaching also help. But ultimately, the real guarantee God has given us is the Holy Spirit. He comes to reside in our hearts, and through him, we receive assurances, comfort, guidance, conviction of sin, and many other things. Why does God give us his Spirit? Because it’s the way God becomes personal to us. Without the Spirit, God would remain distant, and he would appear not to care much about us because of that distance.

How do you know you have the Spirit in your heart? This passage reveals one way: confidence. That’s an internal sense of assurance and the ability to “see” beyond this world. Through the Spirit, you sense that God is there, watching, protecting, loving. His promise is to go through every circumstance of life with you.