Is being good, good enough?

What does it take to go to heaven when you die? Is being good, good enough? Is it enough to live a good, moral, ethical life? It is certainly better to live that way than to be an immoral and unethical person. But is it enough?

If you were to die today and God were to ask you why he should let you into his heaven, what would you say? Many would give this answer: “I’ve tried to be a good person. I’ve tried not to treat other people badly. I’ve tried to do good. So my good works would counterbalance the bad ones." What do you think? Are you willing to put your trust in yourself, your good works or your excellent religious activities, rituals and traditions?

Our eternal destination is too important not to have certainty about it. Do we want to risk our salvation by trying it our way, or are we willing to accept God’s terms and receive forgiveness (and heaven) God’s way?

Jesus said in John 10:9, "I am the Door; if anyone enters through me, he shall be saved." In the verse immediately prior to this Jesus said, "All who came before me are thieves and robbers." The implication is that he is the only way. There is one door and Jesus is that door. If you go through that door you will be saved. Any other door does not lead to salvation. This is consistent with what Jesus said in John 14:6: "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father, but through me." But it is not enough to only say that Jesus is the right way. Truth is not truth as you see it. Truth is truth as it really is. Christianity is not what we think it is. Christianity is what it really is.

What Christianity really is, is the Good News that Jesus saves us by grace through faith. (Eph 1 and 2). Jesus is the only way –Jesus is God’s gracious way that leads to us receiving him in faith as our Saviour!

Grace means "the undeserved favour of God." We receive from God in a positive way what we do not deserve. We deserve damnation, yet we receive salvation. This grace by which you have been saved is the gift of God.

Speaking of Jesus, in 1 Peter 2:24 we read, "He himself bore our sins in his body on the Cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by his wounds you were healed." Far from ignoring our sins, Jesus came to this earth to pay the penalty for our sins that we might receive the gift of God, which is salvation by grace . . . through faith.

And faith, a gift from the Holy Spirit, is the willingness to receive Jesus as only Saviour and God’s only way to heaven!! When God gives us the gift of grace, by grace our hardened hearts and unteachable spirits are changed into believing ones that with thanksgiving, praise and worship, in faith, receive, love and follow Jesus!

Being good is not good enough! You have to be much more than good!
You have to be saved. You have to be redeemed! You have to be delivered!
By Jesus – by grace!!!!