July 21, 2026 | www.gospelofjesuschrist.blog | River Wilde
(The views expressed here are my personal beliefs, shaped by extensive study of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Bible. I have prayerfully sought God’s guidance throughout my research to remain focused on truth. I do not speak on behalf of any religious organization.)
I would like to make a very bold declaration to all of you right now. It’s important for us to start by considering one thing first. Let me share that statement with you now:
“Making it into heaven, has NOTHING to do with your church!” You can be Mormon, Catholic, Baptist, Jehovah Witness, or not even attend a church in your lifetime. Your relationship to your church is not what God is interested in. He wants to know what your relationship is with Jesus Christ!
This may surprise many people because we have been taught to place great confidence in our religion, denomination, ordinances, or religious performance. Yet when Jesus spoke about eternal life, He continually directed people away from trusting in religious systems and toward trusting in Himself.
Jesus did not say, “Follow a church.” He said:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
(John 14:6, KJV)
Notice that Jesus did not leave room for another path. He did not say that membership in the correct church would bring salvation. He declared that He alone is the way to the Father.
The apostle Peter preached the very same message:
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
(Acts 4:12, KJV)
The question that every person will ultimately face is not, “What church did you belong to?” The question is, “What did you do with Jesus Christ?”
Jesus warned that many deeply religious people would stand before Him one day convinced that their religious works had earned His acceptance. Yet His response is sobering:
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven… Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?… and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me.”
(Matthew 7:21–23, KJV)
Notice what Jesus did not say. He did not say, “You belonged to the wrong denomination.” He did not say, “You failed to attend enough church meetings.” He said,
“I never knew you.”
The issue was never religion. The issue was relationship.
The apostle Paul made it equally clear that salvation is God’s gift—not something earned through religious effort:
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
(Ephesians 2:8–9, KJV)
If salvation cannot be earned by good works, then it cannot be earned by church membership, temple attendance, religious ordinances, or denominational loyalty. These may have value in the life of a believer, but none of them can remove sin. Only Jesus Christ can do that.
Jesus explained that entering God’s kingdom requires something that no church can perform for you. Please study and pray what I’m about to share with you. It is the difference of going to heaven or NOT, and is really this simple:
“Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
(John 3:3, KJV)
Jesus was not speaking about water baptism in John 3:3 because He immediately explained that being “born again” is a spiritual birth, not a religious ceremony. In John 3:6 (KJV), Jesus said, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” He was contrasting physical birth with spiritual birth. Later, John explains how this new birth occurs: “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God… Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God“ (John 1:12–13, KJV). The new birth is God’s work within the believer through faith in Christ, not something accomplished by water baptism or any other outward ordinance.
Being born again is not joining a religion. It is God’s work in the heart of the person who believes in His Son. It is a new spiritual birth that only the Holy Spirit can give.
God is not asking you to first find the perfect church. He is asking you to come to His Son.
Jesus Himself extends this invitation:
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, andI will give you rest.”
(Matthew 11:28, KJV)
Notice He did not say, “Come to a denomination.” He said, “Come unto me.”
One day every church building on earth will be empty, every denomination will cease, and every religious organization will pass away. Regardless of what you have been taught…yes, even temples will be destroyed. But Jesus Christ will remain forever. He is our leader! He is our Savior! We follow Him directly NOT a church.
When you stand before God, your church name will not save you.
Your religious title will not save you.
Your good intentions will not save you.
Only Jesus Christ can save you.
That is why the most important question you will ever answer is not, “Where did you go to church?”
It is,
“Do you know Jesus Christ, and does He know you?”
So, the answer to the question in the title of this writing is there will only be two groups… Those who know Jesus Christ and have a relationship with Him, and those who have rejected Jesus.
All of you who are “born again” and have accepted the atonement through your faith in Him, will go to heaven! Yes… all of them. Some Mormons, some Catholics, Some Jehovah Witnesses, Baptist and even those who don’t have a church at all. If you have been Spiritually reborn as described in the New Testament, you are destined to go to heaven.
If you are in the other group, and have rejected the atonement of Jesus Christ, you are responsible for all of your sins, and can not dwell in heaven with God. It’s the Lake of Fire for you.
According to the King James Version, the lake of fire is the final and eternal place of judgment for all who ultimately reject God. The first to be cast into the lake of fire are the beast (Antichrist) and the false prophet at the Second Coming of Christ (Revelation 19:20).
After Christ’s thousand-year reign, the devil is also cast into the lake of fire, where he joins them to be “tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Revelation 20:10). Then, at the Great White Throne Judgment, death and hell are cast into the lake of fire, signifying the end of death itself (Revelation 20:14).
Finally, all whose names are not found written in the book of life are cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15). The KJV also describes those who persist in unbelief and unrepentant sin as having their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone (Revelation 21:8). In contrast, those who have received eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ are assured, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1), and Jesus declared that those who believe on Him “shall not come into condemnation; but are passed from death unto life” (John 5:24).
Do these results surprise you? I think that they might surprise many people who have not been taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ as He taught and recorded in the bible. Have you ever really stopped to realize that it is really all about your relationship with Jesus Christ?
A church, if any, should be an organization teaching you How to Get to Heaven… “Be Born Again,” and not replace your direct relationship with Jesus Christ.
As in my own personal life, I belonged to a church that was making me dependent on them, and they were a mediator between me and Jesus Christ… No Longer is this the case. Because of a loving Heavenly Father, and a desire to study and know truth for myself, I took back the ownership of my “religious” knowledge and understanding, from my church’s “authority” always stating, “Trust Us!” “We will never lead you astray.” “We’ll tell you what is important when you need to know.” Can I say that this relationship could likely be directing you away from the relationship with the Savior that the New Testament describes?
I found untruths of the church, simply by learning what REAL TRUTH was, as written by Jesus Christ and His apostles while they were on the earth. It is NOT the same doctrine that my church was teaching, and that’s when I realized that I had been had… Just as clear as was written in the scriptures:
Matthew 24:24 (KJV)
“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”
Right there. My church was filled with people who feel that they are indeed the very elect, and we have all been played.
False prophets would come and deceive even the very elect! That false prophet, in my opinion, was my churches leader, and the very elect…that was me, or so I thought at the time!
So, as a former “brother,” as well as a friend to all of you reading this writing, before anything else, PLEASE ensure that you are “born again” as taught in the Bible. There is a very high probability that many of you have had this spiritual rebirth, yet have not framed it in that language. Think if you have done these things, and placed your entire faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ:
Being Born Again – Teachings of Jesus Christ
According to the teachings of Jesus and the apostles in the KJV, being born again is God’s work in a person, received through faith in Jesus Christ. It is not earned by religious works or church membership. Here are the simple biblical steps:
- Believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16, KJV)
- Recognize that you are a sinner in need of a Savior.
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23, KJV)
- Repent—turn your heart toward God.
“I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:3, KJV)
Repentance is between you and God. Your church, again, is not the middle man between you and Jesus Christ. We can repent of our sins directly to God in prayer, through Jesus Christ.
- Receive Jesus Christ by faith.
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” (John 1:12, KJV)
- Confess your faith in Christ.
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9–10, KJV)
- Trust completely in Christ’s finished work, not your own works.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9, KJV)
This one might be difficult for some people, so STUDY and PRAY. The Bible teaches that our confidence for eternal life rests entirely in Jesus Christ. Our hope is not placed in religious ordinances, church membership, or our own good works, but in the finished work of Christ alone. When we place our complete faith in His atoning sacrifice, God gives us the miracle of the new birth. All the glory belongs to Jesus Christ, for He alone accomplished everything necessary for our salvation. As Scripture declares, we are saved by grace through faith—not by works—so that no one may boast (Ephesians 2:8–9, KJV).
What our church teaches is false. Christ’s teachings is not after “ALL that we can do ourselves,” as taught in the BofM, and then then we will receive salvation as a gift. Going to heaven is solely because of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Our JOB, and this is very important, is to accept His gift of salvation by becoming “born again” as described in the New Testament.
- God gives the new birth.
Jesus said:
“Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3, KJV)
Peter explained that this new birth comes through God’s Word:
“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” (1 Peter 1:23, KJV)
The important truth is that being born again is not something a person accomplishes by works, ordinances, or religious performance. A person believes the gospel, repents, and receives Jesus Christ by faith. At that moment, God performs the miracle of the new birth, giving eternal life and making that person His child through the Holy Spirit (John 3:5–8; Titus 3:5).
So simple, but so necessary. Take what I have said to you to God, in prayer and find out for yourself that the teachings in the New Testament are true. We all know that it is through the Holy Spirit that we can learn all truth. Let God be the teacher.
Don’t let your religion keep you out of heaven. =)
Discover more from The Gospel of Jesus Christ
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
