Yes, you can 100% know!

That absolute assurance is completely unique to Christianity. An assurance of God’s unconditional love is the only way we would ever truly want a relationship with Him. A truly loving and wise parent wants their child to know they are loved and accepted, regardless of whether they are “basically a good person” on any given day.

• Understanding the two most common misconceptions about Heaven
  It has NOTHING to do with being a “basically good person.” We might give rewards or consequences to our children based on their actions, but our love for them is completely independent of their performance. Furthermore, everyone builds a personal framework for what “good” means—usually centered around self. With 8 billion different frameworks in this world, we get the conflict and pain we see all around us.  God is perfect in His love and wisdom and has provided a far better framework for those that seek it.
• It has NOTHING to do with “religion” or rituals. Going through religious rituals or associating with a specific church are what the Bible calls “works.” You may do those things in response to God’s love, but they have nothing to do with actually earning your way to Heaven.

How You Can Know for Sure
The Bible makes it clear that this time on earth is not about earning God’s love or a spot in Heaven. It is a classroom where we learn that we are not perfect, and learn to trust our loving and wise Heavenly Father.

Abraham, David, and Peter all messed up massively, yet they are in Heaven. Even someone in a remote jungle who has never heard of Jesus can recognize their imperfection and seek God’s mercy.  Jesus is the gateway, and it is easier to understand once you hear of what He did for us, but many have to grasp their need and seek mercy with less information about God’s free gift.

God makes the path clear:

• Acknowledge your imperfection: Every single one of us does wrong things. Any rejection of God’s love or wisdom is what He calls sin. Recognizing this is vital. Otherwise, Heaven would just become a repeat of the mess we see on earth.
• Accept His grace: Believe that Jesus took on the consequences for all your imperfections (past, present, and future). You do nothing to earn it; it is entirely about Him accepting you by grace.

A Quick Reality Check
People don’t go to Heaven based on being good: If you think you’re going because you’re a good person, you’ve missed the point. You must ask God to accept you 100% because of His love, not your deeds.

The fruit of a true Christian: If you really are a Christian, you will want to spend time with God. If you have zero desire to spend time with Him over a long period, you may be a very nice or religious person, but you are likely not a Christian. Only God truly knows the heart, but a lack of desire for Him is a warning sign.

Deepen Your Understanding
Want to explore specific aspects of this assurance? Check out our related guides:
Read “Once saved – Always saved”
Read “What is sin”
Read “People that have never heard of Jesus”
Read “Why did someone have to die”
Read “The unpardonable sin”
Read “Perfect love casts out fear”
Read “Heaven – Greatly Misunderstood”
Back to FAQs 

Never rely on just what people say—see what God says:

Bible references: 

• Romans 10:9 says that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
• John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  …Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already…
• 1 John 5:12-13 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 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.