Justification Is the First Step Toward Heaven
Justified means to be made righteous. Justification by faith or righteousness by faith is the first step to heaven. It is your title or right to heaven. Sanctified means to be made holy or live a holy life. This is the second step to heaven. This is preparation or fitness for heaven. Imparted righteousness is the process that gets us fitted for heaven or ready to live like the angels and unfallen worlds. YOU NEED BOTH, IMPARTED AND IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS TO BE SAVED!
“The righteousness by which we are justified is imputed. The righteousness by which we are sanctified is imparted. The first is our title to heaven; the second is our fitness for heaven.”- (The Review and Herald, June 4, 1895.)
Again, here is the simplest way to get Christ righteousness IMPUTED to you, the first part of being saved.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
1. Confess all of your known sins to God individually.
2. Believe that He has forgiven you because He said it in 1 John 1:9.
3. He then IMPUTES His perfect, spotless righteousness to you INSTANTLY.
You are now wearing Christ perfect righteousness that matches up with the law.
By following this three step process you have your title, right, or ticket to heaven. You are assured a spot in the kingdom based on His righteousness IMPUTED to you. But you must make sure His righteousness is IMPUTED to you by following the above three step process.
It doesn’t matter how bad your past life was because justification (righteousness and salvation) is not based on WORKS, but based on the faith of Jesus Christ.
"knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the FAITH OF CHRIST, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall NO FLESH BE JUSTIFIED."
(Galatians 2:16)
To justify someone means to make that person righteous. The latin word for righteousness is "justitia" therefore when someone is just is simply means their righteous.
The Bible makes it clear that we are justified or made righteous by the FAITH OF JESUS alone. The law cannot make us righteous. All the law can do is point us to Christ because in Him is found the perfect righteousness which the law demans but cannot give.
When Christ makes you righteous after you exercise His own faith that He gave you, this is the first step to heaven. This is what opens the gates of the holy city to you.
You exercise faith by believing that the word of God will do what it says and depending on that word only to do what it says.
Have you confessed your sins to receive the righteousness of Christ yet? Have you completed the first step to heaven yet? Are you depending on the word of God right now?