What does a person have to do to get into heaven? I've heard people say that all you have to do is believe in Jesus, but what difference does that make? I guess I believe in Jesus, but I'm not sure I'm going to heaven. — S.P.

You've asked the most important question any person can ever ask, because nothing—absolutely nothing—is more important than our eternal salvation. Life is short, and someday our time on this earth will be over. But eternity is forever—something we can barely imagine—and yet, tragically, countless people never stop to prepare for eternity.

The Bible tells us salvation is a gift from God—a gift we receive by putting our faith in Jesus Christ. When the jailer in the town of Philippi asked Paul and Silas how he could be saved, their reply was clear: "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31).

But what does it mean to "believe" in Jesus? It doesn't mean simply to believe He existed, or even that He died on the cross to save us. The word "believe" in the Bible means "to trust." It means to believe that through His death and resurrection Christ paid the penalty for our sins and conquered death—and then to commit our lives to Christ and trust Him alone for our salvation.

Let me illustrate it this way. Suppose you were hiking and came to a bridge. You might believe that bridge would hold you—but you wouldn't really "believe" in it until you actually put your trust in it and walked across it. The same is true with Christ. By faith turn to Him and trust Him alone as your Lord and Savior today.