How can you escape hell and get to heaven?
The answer is to receive the payment Jesus Christ made for your soul. This payment is free; you cannot earn it. God has made a merciful payment, but the opportunity for mercy only exists while you are here in this life. After you die, you will be standing before Him in His court of judgment (Hebrews 9:27), either with Christ having substituted for your place… or not! In that day, as with the guilty criminal fruitlessly trying to bargain with the judge, there will be no further opportunity for mercy (Matthew 13:47-50, Matthew 7:24-27).
Jesus said receiving the payment here in this life is a very simple thing to do. He told a parable of a guilty man who He said, "standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified." (Luke 18:13-14.) A humble sinner's prayer is all it takes.
But having said this, please don't be deceived into receiving Jesus' payment lightly. Like the guilty man in that parable, receiving the payment Jesus Christ offered could cost you everything in this life. Jesus gave us an incredible warning of what the costs could potentially be (Luke 14:26-30,33):
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' … So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple."
For your own sake, as you face this decision about accepting God's forgiveness through Jesus Christ, be sure to consider the cost. Many hypocrites have claimed, "I believe in Jesus Christ," but the lack of eternal fruit from their lives (see Mark 4:19) showed otherwise to God, and sometimes to other people. Be sure that the things of this world are not so dear to you that you would choose the eternal fires of hell in exchange for a few decades of living for yourself in this life.
"Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out." (Acts 3:19)
I'm Jay van Achterberg, the owner and president of Solution Innovators. Our company is pleased to share with you whatever is to your benefit. We have been helping our clients evaluate and successfully meet their IT readiness needs for over 18 years, and would count it a privilege to help prepare your business for disasters as well.
If you have technology needs, our company can likely help you. But regardless of what your technology needs might be, I urge you to personally consider the Bible's warning of repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21). My deepest desire is that you are "Completely Ready" for when your life in this world ends and you find yourself standing before God on Judgment Day. If you have any questions about any of this, I welcome the opportunity to talk with you about it.
Thank you for reading, and may God bless you as you reflect on these things.