Am I good enough for heaven?

Many people believe that trying to be a decent human being is enough to get them into heaven.

If I avoid the biggest sins most of the time, they say, that will do.

I’ll throw in a few good deeds and donate to charity – then God will turn a blind eye to all the rest.

Wrong! His standards are higher than that.

Much higher.

The Bible tells us that God gave ten famous instructions to help define the way we should relate to him and to each other. You can find them in Exodus 20.

THE 10 COMMANDMENTS

I am the LORD your God. You must not have any other god but me.
You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind.
You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God.
Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
Honour your father and mother.
You must not murder.
You must not commit adultery.
You must not steal.
You must not lie.
You must not crave what other people have.

Ouch!

ALL HAVE SINNED

Ever looked at someone else and wanted their gadget, their car, their designer clothes, their family? Their life?

Ever lied about someone, or spread a malicious rumour? Do you sometimes embroider the truth a bit so it sounds better?

How many times a day do you say, ‘Oh my God’?

As the Bible puts it, we all fall short. We’re all sinners.

But it gets worse.

Jesus took these even further. He said it’s not about what we do (or manage not to do) on the outside, but about what we’re thinking on the inside.

So hating anyone is as bad as murder. Lusting after someone is as bad as adultery.

God isn’t fooled by our behaviour. He reads our minds. He knows our hearts.

It’s always a good idea to want to obey God’s laws. If humanity had done that from the start, our world wouldn’t be in the mess it's in now.

Yet being ‘a good person’ will only take us so far, because we’re fallible and soon make a mess of things.

If we could do it on our own, there would be no need for a Saviour! But no matter how hard we try to obey the commandments, we’re going to fail.

Good intentions are not enough.

And big sins or little sins are the same to holy God. They all carry a severe penalty.

THE TIGHTROPE WALKER

The truth is, no one can get to heaven in their own strength – there’s a great chasm between us and God. He is holy and immortal; we are not.

Imagine you decided to cross this chasm on a tightrope.

You’ve never walked a tightrope before and the drop is so deep you can’t see the bottom, or even the other side. What’s more, you suffer from vertigo.

Yet for some reason you confidently set off, putting all your trust in your special superpower: wishful thinking. Hoping for the best.

How far do you think you’d get before you fell?

We will never make it on our own, no matter how much we try.

Fortunately God has the perfect solution to get us across the chasm that separates us from him. He provided a bridge – a bridge in the shape of an old wooden cross.

TOO LITTLE, BUT NOT TOO LATE

God's solution isn't a parachute or a safety net to catch us when we fall, a kind of supplement to our own efforts.

This bridge is the only way to get across.

Forget the tightrope. That was never going to work. It was far too little - but it's not too late!

Jesus died on that cross to wipe away our criminal record of sin and selfishness with his free gift of forgiveness.

Whatever we’ve done, we only have to tell him how sorry we are – and really mean it.

Turn away from the past and start again with his help.

Nothing is too bad for him to deal with, and it’s never too late in life to be reborn.

Jesus said: I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me.

John 14:6