So the answer to the question is FAITH and can be illustrated as an acronym F.A.I.T.H.

F
F is for Forgiveness. We cannot have eternal life and go to heaven without God's forgiveness. Another place in Paul's letter to the Ephesians reads like this,
"In Him (meaning Jesus) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins". Ephesians 1:7
So, through the blood of Jesus do we find forgiveness of our sins.
The next letter is...

A

A is for Available. Forgiveness is available. It is available for all.  The most popular verse in the whole Bible reads like this,
"For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" John 3:16
The "Him" in that verse is Jesus, and the "whoever" is everybody, all of us. Forgiveness is available for everybody.
But there's a small problem. Not everybody who hears this message understands it. Jesus is found teaching His disciples in the Gospel of Matthew like this, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven" . Matthew 7:21
Well, the obvious question is; What's up with that? That leads us to the letter I.

I

I is for Impossible. It is impossible for God to allow a person who has never really repented of their sin into heaven. Although our God is a God who loves us unconditionally, remember in John 3:16 where it reads, "God so loved the world..." God is also a Just God or you might say a Just Judge. The Bible teaches us,
"For judgment is without mercy" James 2:13
  Judgment on what? Our sin! Although you might think that you are really a pretty well behaved person (performance again), the Bible teaches us,
"For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23
When I think about that word "all", I think about my Pastor, my parents, myself and all of the good people I have ever known.  So, how can a sinful person enter heaven, where God allows no sin?

T

T is for Turn. In the Bible the word repent means to turn or turn around. Repent in the Bible means to turn from your sinful lifestyle. Jesus is found teaching His disciples, "But unless you repent you will all likewise perish". Luke 13:3
Repent also means not only to turn from your sin but to someone and that someone is Jesus and Jesus alone.  The Bible teaches us,
"Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures" I Corinthians 15:3-4
also
"if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" Romans 10:9

H

And H is for Heaven or often called "eternal life". Jesus taught His disciples about Heaven as both in the 'here and now' and in the 'here after'. He spoke about here and now in the Gospel of John 10:10 where He says,
"I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly"
This means that when a person repents and believes in Jesus they receive eternal life at that very moment.  I call it "Heaven on Earth". Jesus taught His disciples about the here after in John 14:3 where He says,
"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am you may be also".
H is also for HOW. How can a sinful person have God's forgiveness, heaven and eternal life, and Jesus as Savior and Lord? 

 I'm not taking about joining a church or finding religion. I'm taking about developing a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and developing a desire to know Him better. If this is something you would like to do you begin by praying a prayer like this;

Dear God,
I recognize that I have sinned against you. I ask you to forgive me of my sins because I trust in the work that your son Jesus did on the Cross for me. I now repent of or turn from my sin and turn my life over to you. Dear Jesus come into my life right now. I receive you as my Savior and Lord. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer from your heart and really meant it, you are now "Born Again!".  This is just the Beginning!! Now that you're born again you are sort of a baby Christian and you need to grow. To grow as a new Christian there are a few suggested things you need to take in as a spiritual food formula.

One thing to do is to Read the Bible daily.  Not only do we need physical food to live, we also need spiritual food. Reading your Bible is spiritual food. If you don't know where to begin, I suggest the Gospel of John is a good start for the new believer.

Next is Prayer. You don't have to learn some weird language to talk to God and you don't need to go see a Priest.  Just talk to him as you might speak to a best friend that you highly respect.  I like to wake before anybody else in my house and spend some time in the morning in prayer and reading through my Bible. This is sort of my daily phone call to God. As for myself, it has made me spiritually stronger. Sometimes it might only be for 15 to 20 minutes.

You need to get plugged into a group of other Christians. I recommend any church or fellowship that teaches from the Bible. 
Watch out for a church that has  "Devine Scripture" in addition to the Bible.

And finally, you need to take a stand and tell others about your decision to follow Christ. He wants you to tell others.  Right now, who do you think you could call to share your decision with? Your mother, father, brother, sister, best friend......you need to share it with others. Share it with me. Email me at kd5om@korel.com,  I would like to hear from you.

Jerry Karlovich

Somebody has asked me where I call Church. Well, for those who want to know, my wife and I attend Prestonwood in Plano.