Jesus has opened the door of salvation to every person. Thank God, Jesus has opened the door of salvation that no one can shut—unless the person himself refuses to walk through that open door by not receiving Jesus Christ as his Savior.

What does it mean that Jesus is the Door to salvation? Remember, Jesus said, "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved…" (John 10:9). Then in Hebrews 10:20, the Bible says, "By a new and living way, which he [Jesus] hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh."

In other words, by shedding His blood on the Cross at Calvary, Jesus opened the door of salvation to every person who would ever live on this earth.

You see, when Jesus died and shed His blood for the remission of our sins, the curtain that separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy place was rent in two. That partition separated man from the Holy of Holies where the Presence of God dwelt under the Old Covenant.

Therefore, brethren, since we have full freedom and confidence to enter into the [Holy of] Holies [by the power and virtue] in the blood of Jesus, By this fresh (new) and living way which He initiated and dedicated and opened for us through the separating curtain [veil of the Holy of Holies], that is, through his flesh.
(Heb. 10:19-20 AMP)

Once that partition was rent by the sacrifice of Jesus' own body on the Cross of Calvary, the Presence of God was no longer contained in a man-made tabernacle. By the sacrifice of Jesus, the Presence of God came to dwell in every person who would receive Jesus Christ as his Savior (John 14:23).

Jesus Himself Is the Door
That's why Jesus Himself is the Door of salvation, because He made the way for all people to be saved by His sacrificing Himself. And Jesus called Himself the Door. In fact, there is no other door through which we can receive salvation or eternal life (Acts 4:12).

In John chapter 10, we see that Jesus is both the Door and the Good Shepherd. In verse 11, Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. The sheep know His voice and follow Him.

Because Jesus is the Good Shepherd, the porter opens the door to Him. Jesus—the Door to salvation—protects the sheep so that no thief or robber can come through Him to get into the sheepfold. Therefore, Jesus is both the Door of salvation and the Good Shepherd who protects His sheep.

So, you see, Jesus—the Door of salvation—has already made a way for the redemption of every person who would ever live on this earth. But each person must walk through that door of salvation for himself. God puts the responsibility on each person whether or not he will receive Jesus Christ as his Savior.

Salvation Defined
When we talk about the door of salvation, we are talking about Jesus providing us with the new birth and the remission of sin. Because of Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross for us, we can receive eternal life and become new creatures in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17).

But, friend, there is more involved in salvation than just the new birth and the remission of sins. That's part of salvation, but that isn't all of it. You see, much more than the new birth is implied in this word "salvation."

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is THE POWER OF GOD unto SALVATION to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
(Rom. 1:16)

A note in the margin of my Bible points out that the Hebrew and Greek words for salvation imply not only the idea of forgiveness of sin, but also of healing and health. The word "salvation" actually means healing, health, safety, deliverance, soundness, and wholeness.

"Whosoever will" may come through this door of salvation! Each individual person must choose for himself whether he will enter into the blessings and benefits that salvation provides for him. The benefits of salvation include healing, health, safety, deliverance, soundness, and wholeness.

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And WHOSOEVER WILL, let him take the water of life [salvation] freely.
(Rev. 22:17)

Dear friend, that door is still open, but one of these days it will be shut—and then it will be too late (2 Cor. 6:2; Gen. 6:3). You are the one who decides if you will ever walk through the door of salvation; you alone decide where you will spend eternity.

Now some folks seem to think they can decide where other people will spend eternity. In other words, if some folks had anything to do with it, they wouldn't let certain people through the door of salvation! They would shut the door of salvation on them if they could.

And if some folks had anything to do with opening or closing the door of salvation, they would have certain rules, regulations, and requirements others would have to meet before they could enter through the door of salvation.

For example, some people feel that if you don't belong to their particular congregation, you can't be saved. Others believe that you have to be baptized in water by a certain formula before you can be saved. But I'm glad that all such human thinking is in error.

In fact, through the years, I've had several people tell me that I won't go to Heaven when I die because I don't belong to their little group. Those folks tried to shut the door of salvation on me, but Jesus opened that door and no man can shut it!

Thank God, I found the open door to salvation through Jesus, and after I was born again, I knew I was already on the other side of that door! I was saved! I didn't have to ask those folks whether I could get in that door or not—Jesus settled that issue once and for all by the sacrifice of Himself!

The Door Will Eventually Shut
And the door of salvation is still open to this day. It will not always be open, but it is still open now. But there will come a day when the door of salvation will be closed; it will be too late to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Dear friend, just the thought of a soul being eternally separated from God and from his loved ones ought to be enough to encourage every person who isn't sure if he is saved to accept Jesus and get his heart right with God.

Sometimes people say, "Well, I'll just take a chance on it. I'm basically a good person. I go to church, so I think I'll go to Heaven when I die."

But if you know Jesus, you don't have to take a chance on your eternal destiny! You don't have to wonder in your heart whether or not you will make Heaven! When you accept Jesus into your heart as your Lord and Savior, you can know for sure that you will go to Heaven when you die!

As long as you stay in Christ, your salvation is not based on chance—it is based on certainty! Therefore, if you've been a backslider—if you haven't been walking with God—you need to get back into fellowship with Him.

Don't wait until it is too late because there is going to be a great homegoing one day. One day believers are going home to spend eternity with Jesus, and you don't want to miss it.

The Bible also says there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth for those who miss the opportunity to go to Heaven (Matt. 13:42,50; 25:30). May no one reading this miss the opportunity to make Heaven their home!

In the natural realm, neglected opportunities bring regrets. In the spiritual realm, how much more do neglected opportunities bring regret! Missing salvation and Heaven and spending eternity in hell brings a regret and torment that lasts forever.

In the natural realm, I've seen men who let an opportunity slip by them actually become weak and die premature. Their lives were changed and ruined; their very hearts seemed to be broken. Think how much more grief and torment it would be to miss the opportunity to get saved and go to Heaven!

So make sure you are saved. Quit gambling with your salvation. Invite Jesus into your life—make Him your Lord and Savior. Do it today. Your life will never be the same again!


Source: Jesus - The Open Door by Kenneth E. Hagin.
Excerpt permission granted by Faith Library Publications