Are you a good person? You’re probably better than me. The problem with thinking this way is you don’t get into the kingdom of heaven by being better than me. You have to be as good as God. But many people think God grades on a curve. They are trusting in their good acts to outweigh the wrong they have done.
Let’s think about this for a minute. Say I stole a car. The judge is about to sentence me. I shout out, “Wait a minute Judge! Before you sentence me, consider the fact that I’m a really good person. And I only stole one car. Think about all the cars I could have stolen, but I only took this one.” Would a good judge find me not guilty and let me go? I don’t think so.
Our good can never take away the bad things we do. There are human penalties for committing wrong actions. So if an earthly judge doesn’t overlook our crimes, why do we think a holy and just God will ignore our wrong, our sin?
The truth is; He doesn’t. Sin required a payment – spiritual death; separation from God forever. But He provided a way. God offered the only acceptable payment for our sin. Jesus paid our sin penalty on the cross. He took the penalty we all deserve. He is our sufficient Substitute. Now there is no sin debt to pay. But God requires an individual response to receive the benefit of the payment. You must transfer your trust from yourself to the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s the only way you can stand before a holy God. When a helpless sinner trusts in Christ, he or she passes from (spiritual) death to (spiritual) life. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved (Acts 16:31).
For more information on how to begin a relationship with God, go to: https://assuranceofheaven.com/assurance/
Assurance of Heaven 