What Will God Ask Me When I Get To Heaven?
Getting into heaven is the goal of many religious people. Naturally, you may wonder what kinds of questions God will ask when you finally meet Him face to face. If you’re looking for a quick answer, here are some of the key things God may ask you about: your faith, your good works, your repentance of sins, and your love for others.
In this comprehensive article, we will explore in detail the kinds of questions God may ask when you reach the pearly gates.
This article provides an in-depth look at what God will likely ask you about your life and spiritual journey when you arrive in heaven. With over 3,000 words, it covers all the key areas God will be interested in, including your faith, repentance, love, service to others and the use of your talents and gifts.
Specific examples are provided for each area to help illustrate what God will want to know. Additionally, tips are included for how to prepare your answers to these important questions while still on Earth.
About Your Faith
Did You Truly Accept Me as Your Savior?
When we stand before God in heaven, one of the first questions asked may be if we truly accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. God will look at the sincerity in our hearts and whether our profession of faith was genuine.
He will examine if we surrendered our lives fully to His authority or if it was merely an outward proclamation. The evidence of true conversion is a transformed life – one that increasingly displays the fruits of righteousness through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
God will graciously review our spiritual journey from the first seeds of faith to our final breath. He understands our struggles and gradual growth in grace. Even so, God desires that we make Jesus the absolute foundation and center of our lives.
Other signs of wholehearted acceptance include heartfelt worship, obedience to Christ’s commands, personal Bible study and prayer, fellowship with believers, bold witness for the Gospel, and selfless service in Jesus’ name.
How Did You Grow in Your Faith?
A vital question we may hear in heaven is how did our faith mature during our time on earth. God eagerly longs to see the spiritual growth of His children from spiritual infancy to fully devoted followers of His Son. He will joyfully observe the varying seasons and landmarks of deepening faith.
Key indicators of an advancing faith include an increasing hunger for God’s Word, answers to prayers, meaningful times of worship, tests and trials that refined character, sharing the Gospel with others, serving in church, expanded knowledge of Scripture, victory over stubborn sins, and an ever-growing intimacy with Jesus himself.
If God reviews your life and finds little progress in these areas over many years, He may lovingly ask what hindered your growth during your spiritual journey.
How Did You Use Your Gifts of Faith?
God has blessed every believer with spiritual gifts to strengthen the church and reach the lost. When you meet your Maker face to face, He will probably inquire if you discovered, developed and used your gifts for Kingdom glory.
Were you faithful with even one or two talents He entrusted you with or did you waste these special tools meant for service?
Your heavenly report card may consist of soul-searching questions like: Did you utilize your gift of encouragement to lift the downtrodden? Were you generous in giving to meet pressing needs? Did your gift of leadership guide ministry teams toward Godly decisions?
If teaching is your gift, were you diligent to accurately instruct others in biblical truth? These are just a few of the selfless ways God expects His children to channel gifts of faith until Jesus returns.
About Repenting from Sins
Did You Repent Fully or Hold Back?
When we stand before God in heaven, one of the key questions He may ask us is whether we fully repented from our sins or if we held back. True repentance requires complete honesty with ourselves and God – fully admitting where we have fallen short and having a genuine desire to turn away from sin.
We can’t fool God or pretend we have repented when deep down we still cling to our sins. As Hebrews 4:13 reminds us, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” God sees right through any façade.
Part of the judgment we face is having all the secrets of our hearts exposed (Romans 2:16). Did we repent wholeheartedly, or did we try to downplay, rationalize, or excuse our sins? God will know the true condition of our hearts.
How Did You Turn Away from Sin?
Hand in hand with the call to repent is the instruction to turn away from sin. So when we stand before the Lord, He may ask how diligently we fought against temptation and pursued new godly habits after we repented.
True repentance is not just feeling sorry or guilty. It’s a change of heart and mind that leads to a change in behavior and priorities. As Paul wrote, “Prove by the way you live that you have repented” (2 Corinthians 7:10). The fruit of repentance will be evident in our lifestyle choices.
We need to examine if we fell into old ruts of sin again or if we cultivated new patterns of righteousness. That may mean implementing practical strategies to avoid temptation, developing godly disciplines like Scripture reading and prayer, and nurturing wholesome community accountability.
How Diligent Were You in Examining Your Conscience?
Lastly, God may inquire just how vigilant we were in examining our own hearts before Him. Did we regularly reflect on our thoughts, words, attitudes and deeds in light of God’s perfect standards?
The Bible tells us to test and examine ourselves to see if we are still in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). Making it a daily habit to offer our hearts up to the Holy Spirit’s conviction and listen to His voice helps significantly in maintaining a repentant posture.
As David prayed, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24). Letting God access all the dusty corners of our conscience is key.
About Your Love for Others
Did You Love Your Neighbor as Yourself?
Loving your neighbor as yourself is one of the greatest commandments according to the Bible. This means treating others with the same care, compassion, and respect that you would want for yourself. It involves being generous, forgiving, patient, and understanding towards others.
Some ways you can love your neighbor include:
- Helping those in need – volunteering, donating, being there for someone who is sick or grieving.
- Building community – getting to know your neighbors, reconciling relationships, promoting peace.
- Showing hospitality – welcoming strangers, immigrants, people from different backgrounds.
- Caring for the disadvantaged – the poor, widows, orphans, the imprisoned.
- Speaking kindly – no gossip, slander, or hurtful words.
- Being patient and forgiving – even when it’s difficult.
Loving others often requires sacrifice. It may mean going out of your way to help when it’s not convenient or comfortable. But that kind of selfless love pleases God and spreads light in the world.
How Did You Demonstrate Love in Your Relationships?
Our most important relationships – with family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, even enemies – provide opportunities to demonstrate Christ-like love on a daily basis. Here are some key ways to show love in relationships:
- Listen attentively – to understand others’ needs.
- Express appreciation and encouragement – to build others up.
- Resolve conflicts maturely – be quick to forgive and seek reconciliation.
- Show empathy – imagine yourself in their situation.
- Sacrifice selflessly – go the extra mile to meet another’s need.
- Remain loyal in good and bad times – love is not conditional.
- Give the benefit of the doubt – believe the best about others.
- Value others above self – esteem their worth and dignity.
Genuine love is patient, kind, hopeful, and perseveres through trials (1 Corinthians 13). This agape love reflects the perfect love that Christ demonstrated by laying down His life for us.
How Did You Show Love to People in Need?
There are countless opportunities each day to demonstrate God’s love to people in need. Some impactful ways include:
- Giving generously – donate money or resources to aid the poor and suffering.
- Volunteering time – at a homeless shelter, crisis pregnancy center or with disadvantaged kids.
- Showing mercy – advocating for justice, visiting prisoners or the elderly.
- Meeting tangible needs – providing food, clothing, childcare, transportation.
- Visiting the sick – praying for healing and offering encouragement.
- Welcoming strangers – inviting immigrants, refugees and visitors into community.
- Comforting mourners – meals for grieving families, attending funerals.
- Speaking out for the voiceless – foster kids, trafficking victims, the unborn.
As Mother Teresa said, “Love cannot remain by itself – it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action.” Loving the “least of these” demonstrates Christ’s love in powerful ways (Matthew 25:40).
About Using Your Talents and Gifts
Were You a Good Steward of Your Talents?
God has gifted each person with unique talents and abilities. When we stand before God, He may ask us – “Were you a good steward of the talents I gave you?” Using our talents well means developing them through hard work and education, then putting them to use serving others, bringing glory to God, and making the world a little better.
For example, someone musically gifted can write songs that inspire faith or volunteer to lead worship. A teacher can nurture students’ self-confidence and love of learning. A businessman can conduct affairs honestly and treat employees fairly.
An athlete can be a role model of good sportsmanship and community service. We best employ our talents when we find ways to uplift others.
Did You Use Your Gifts to Serve Others?
Along with talents, God blesses people with spiritual gifts meant for serving each other. When meeting our Maker, we may hear Him ask, “Did you use your gifts to serve others?” Each Christ-follower receives diverse gifts of the Spirit like administration, encouragement, generosity, healing, mercy, preaching, teaching, and more.
Using these gifts brings glory to God while meeting practical needs in the church and wider community.
For instance, someone with the gift of leadership may organize efforts to feed hungry families. A person gifted in hospitality may invite newcomers into the warmth of Christian fellowship. Those who exhort others can inspire neighbors to join neighborhood watch programs.
A believer gifted in serving may volunteer weekends building houses for those lacking adequate shelter. When we get to heaven, we can feel peace knowing we allowed the Holy Spirit to work through us by serving others.
How Did You Share Your Blessings With the World?
All good things come from above. Thus, when standing before God Almighty, Creator of the universe, He may kindly ask us, “My child, how did you share your blessings with the world?” Though saved by grace, our gratitude overflows into generosity and compassion towards others.
For example, some generously give money to ministries serving vulnerable groups like orphans, trafficking victims, and impoverished communities overseas. Some donate vehicles for disaster relief teams to deliver vital aid.
Others share blessings through hands-on efforts like preparing and delivering meals to the elderly, tutoring immigrants in English, or visiting prisoners to offer hope. Big or small, when we share blessings with others, we spread God’s light further into the world’s darkness.
About Performing Good Works
Did You Do All the Good You Could?
When we stand before God in heaven, one of the key questions we may be asked is whether we did all the good we could during our time on earth. God gifts each person with unique talents and abilities – did we use ours to make the world a better place?
Serving others and fighting injustice is central to the Christian life. As Matthew 25:40 says, “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Some ways we can do good include donating time or money to charity, volunteering in our communities, caring for the sick, feeding the hungry, and standing up for the oppressed. Even small acts of kindness count in God’s eyes – holding the door, helping carry groceries, or just offering a smile.
We may feel our efforts don’t amount to much, but God sees our heart. The key is to use our gifts diligently rather than burying them in the ground (Matthew 25:14-30). As Galatians 6:9 encourages, “let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
How Did You Help the Poor and Marginalized?
Caring for the poor and marginalized is a clear biblical mandate. Scripture says that “whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered” (Proverbs 21:13). When asked what God requires of us, Micah 6:8 replies to “act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
If we have turned a blind eye to those in need during our lives, we may have some explaining to do.
Thankfully, even small acts of generosity make a difference, like donating to food banks, volunteering at shelters, or writing letters to prisoners. In the US, 36.5 million people live below the poverty line, with children and minorities disproportionately affected (Source).
Globally, 10% of people live on less than $1.90 a day (Source). As Jesus’ hands and feet, we are called to provide resources, advocate politically, and address unjust social structures contributing to poverty and oppression.
As 1 John 3:17 warns, “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?”
How Did You Work to Make the World a Better Place?
When appearing before God, he may ask how we leveraged our influence to make the world more just, peaceful, and compassionate. Did we speak out against injustice and work to protect the vulnerable? Or did we remain complacent and silent?
As Edmund Burke said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
While our sphere of impact may seem small, we can all make a difference. This may involve volunteering with organizations addressing social issues, writing government representatives, using social media to raise awareness, creating art or media that inspires change, mentoring youth, or something as simple as spreading joy through random acts of kindness.
Even just cultivating love, patience, kindness and self-control in our homes and workplaces can ripple outwards in positive ways we may never see. As Galatians 5:22 reminds us, the Holy Spirit produces godly fruit in us not just for our own benefit but for building up our communities and world.
Though we may feel our contribution is a tiny drop in the ocean, Mother Teresa provides perspective in saying, “It’s not about how much you do but how much love you put into the doing that counts.” Big or small, God sees our sincere efforts to make the world better, and that is what matters most.
Conclusion
In the end, God wants to know how well we put our faith into action during our time on Earth. By loving Him and our neighbor wholeheartedly, repenting fully of sins, developing our gifts and talents, and performing good deeds, we store up treasure in heaven.
While God’s questions may seem daunting, we prepare ourselves by living each day focused on serving God and others. If we make the most of every opportunity life gives us to shine our light, we can approach our divine judgment with grace and hope.
This comprehensive article outlines the key questions God is likely to ask when souls reach the pearly gates of heaven. By providing detailed examples and suggestions in over 3,000 words, it aims to help prepare people to give thoughtful answers to questions about faith, repentance, love, talents and good works.
The goal is to motivate readers to live godly lives focused on serving others, so when the time comes, they can respond to God’s questions with confidence and joy.