I'm a good person, isn't that all I need?

I'm a good person, isn't that all I need?

Trying to live a good life is admirable and worth doing, but it isn't enough to get you into Heaven - at least according to Christianity.
Other religions may well say something different.

So let me ask:

how good do you have to be?
how do you know when you've been good enough?
what happens if you're just one good deed short of the entry requirements
- a bit unfair isn't it ?
what's the scoring system for doing various good deeds and the bad ones
- does giving 10% of my earnings earn me more points than giving £10 to charity once a month ?
who decides on all of this anyway?

Simply being good can be fraught with all sorts of concerns about whether you will actually get in or not.
Wouldn't it be a lot nicer if you knew what the entry requirements were, and how to measure what you do?

Well, I have some bad news and some really bad news for you. (See Romans 3:20)
The bad news is that you aren't good enough to get into Heaven, and the really bad news is that you'll never be good enough !
Don't blame me, it's God who said that, besides it is His Heaven and He makes the rules.

Only those people who are perfect, who have no sinful blemishes are allowed into Heaven.
Which excludes me, because even being a Christian doesn't stop me from sinning !

Let's just clarify what SIN is. Sin is not merely the breaking of law. Sin is also the breaking of God's heart. This is what makes sin so serious. The law can be satisfied by serving ones sentence. How easy is it to satisfy a broken heart?
God made us to have a relationship based in love with Him, and it is through His love that we can be reconciled to Him and enjoy the relationship that we were originally created for.

Q. So if you aren't perfect then you aren't going to Heaven, and yet you call yourself a Christian. There must be something I'm missing here !

PAID

that you admitted your guilt

Q. So what would be the result of paying the fine myself?

See Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Q. So I need someone to pay my fine for me - right?

ONLY

Q. So what do I have to do to get Jesus on my side?

See Romans 3:21-26, 5:6-10

Acknowledge your guilt, your sin.
Ask for Jesus to forgive you.
Thank Jesus that he has already paid the price by dying on the cross.
Receive His forgiveness and ask him to take hold of your life.

Q. That's it? I say it and I'm on my way to Heaven?

Q. Too easy!

Q. Aha, I knew there was a catch !

See Romans 5:5, 8:12-17, 8:26-27

Wow!

My thanks to:
The Just for Starters Study book for the example of the speeding fine,
and The Y Course for the prayer.

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