ARE YOU GOOD ENOUGH TO GET INTO HEAVEN?
Why doesn't everyone look to Christ and accept God's free gift of forgiveness and eternal life? One reason is that many people do not know they have a problem. They do not see their need. It is as if they have received a deadly snakebite but do not realize it.
Another reason people do not look to Christ and accept the free gift of eternal life is that they look elsewhere for salvation, especially to themselves. They believe the idea that "good people go to heaven and bad people go to hell," and then they try to make themselves good enough to get to heaven. Their trust is in themselves.
No One Is Good Enough to Get to Heaven!
Many people delude themselves into thinking that they are right with God. They think they will get to heaven because of their own righteousness. "I'm basically a good person," they say. "I haven't killed anyone. I'm better than most people. I've done more good than bad. I attend church. I... I... I...!"
It's all self-righteousness. If we rely on our own goodness to get us to heaven, we will never get there. Jesus Christ says, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). The Bible tells us what Jesus did for us and why: "Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:18). As far as salvation is concerned, one look at Christ is worth more than a million looks at self!
But self-righteous people are too proud to admit they need a Savior. To them the cross of Christ seems irrelevant. They neglect or refuse God's offer to rescue them from their sins because they think they are just fine on their own. They are trusting in their own righteousness.
Good People Do Not Go to Heaven; Only Forgiven People Do
Jesus wants us to trust in Him because nothing else is capable of bringing us to God. Not good deeds. Not religion. Not anything.
God's two greatest commandments are to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength" and to "love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12:30-31). Who can claim to have kept these commandments perfectly, even for a day?
Many of us do not realize we are in danger, but God's assessment of our situation is summed up in the following verses:
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
The wages of sin is death [eternal separation from God], but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
We can place our trust in Jesus as payment for our sins, or we can trust in ourselves and fall short. Jesus died to pay sin's penalty for us and rose again to make a relationship with God possible. Now God can justly offer forgiveness to those who would otherwise spend eternity in hell. Good people do not go to heaven; only forgiven people do.
It's Your Choice
You are being invited to enter into the most loving relationship you will ever experience. But God gave you free will. He did not make you a puppet who would be forced to love Him back. He gives you the freedom to follow Him or to go your own way.
Reference: This Was Your Life! Rick Howard & Jamie Lash.
