Posts Tagged ‘Good Enough’

Is Good Enough, Good Enough to Get into Heaven?

Posted: January 28, 2024 in Heaven Bound
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Over the last year, I have found myself in conversations with different friends discussing Heaven and the different journeys we are taking to get there. What is clear to me is each of them has a very different viewpoint on how to get there and the direction we each are going is also very different. I think the most concerning takeaway I have gleaned from these conversations is the fact that many of them have a diluted idea of what God says in His word about this very topic. They believe strongly in the idea that being Good Enough, is good enough, to get to Heaven. 

You have probably heard this a thousand times but how could God send a good person to Hell?

If you live your life well, meaning you haven’t killed anyone or you haven’t wronged anyone, and although you are apart from Christ, why would living “that kind of life” sentence you to Hell?

Let’s begin this short blog by ensuring we are all on the same page with this one fact. You, me, Billy Graham, even Mother Teresa; there is absolutely no path available for any human being to earn their way into Heaven. With ALL of the amazing things that Mother Teresa did, literally saving thousands of children’s lives through her efforts…those actions were not good enough to get her into Heaven.

Billy Graham preached for over 50 years and I would say millions of people came to know Christ through his many years of ministry. Do you think that punched his ticket into eternity?

Think of it this way…No matter how amazing of a person you are on this Earth, there is NO version of a “better me” or a “better you” where we can achieve something that earns our gift of Heaven. All of us are born into this sinful, unclean world with no way of saving ourselves, and people who rely on “goodness only” as their life plan are going to be disappointed. Trust me.

Paul said, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” He also said, the wages of sin is death” Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23

The bottom line is, that is why Christ came. God knew we couldn’t do this on our own, so He sent Christ to pay the price we couldn’t pay. When we think that just being good enough is enough, there is an arrogance to that mindset which is the opposite of what is needed. God requires humility from us. We need Him, He doesn’t need us. But, He loves us and that is the difference.

If you hear just one thing from me today, please hear this, our human version of “good enough” is NOT good enough. Being just a good person is NOT good enough.

You and I need rescuing from this world but we can’t simply go along in life thinking good enough is good enough, because it isn’t. 

You are probably NOT hearing this from many people but please hear me today-

The key is, recognizing that you can’t get to Heaven on your own and that you need to receive forgiveness from Christ first…if you do, it will help ensure your stay at God’s Heavenly Hilton…and your own eternal life. I know these are hard words, but please know they are the truth.

Until next time Guys-

Is “good enough”, good enough, to get to Heaven?

Posted: November 17, 2012 in Heaven Bound
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I came home from work the other day and my wife and 10-year-old son were discussing a boy in his class at school. The subject of the conversation was this young man was apparently very intelligent to the point of being a prodigy. He leads by a large margin in every fourth grade category that exists. Moreover, he is an excellent little athlete which in our world today, kind of completes the “package”…if you will. My wife was commenting on how he won’t really have any barriers growing up because he is so smart. He will be able to pick and choose what and where he wants to go in his life…my comment back to her was, “you are absolutely right, according to this world’s standards this boy has the opportunity to be very successful and go as far as he can achieve…but will all that intelligence get him into heaven” and the reality is…absolutely not. No matter how smart you are, or how good of a person you are…none of that matters when we finally get to meet God face to face. So the question is, “when is good enough, good enough to get to heaven?”

The easy answer is never and this blog is over…but there is an intelligent answer as to why this is so. You see like the young man I described above, some of us are smarter than others or have more athletic talent than someone else. The fact that science recently confirmed the existence of Higgs boson, or “the God Particle” reinforces the fact that science is expanding at a very rapid rate in our lifetime. In other words, we are getting smarter exponentially everyday. Additionally, the mere existence of every different kind of professional sports today and the rapid advancement of our athletes incredible abilities on the field of play also shows all of the barriers we humans are continually breaking…

But yet through all of these amazing accomplishments my question is, “how do we know they are amazing accomplishments?” Aren’t we simply comparing them to human feats of the past? In other words, we only have each other to compare one another against. We don’t compare ourselves to God because that is kind of impossible…yet with God, the bar is raised higher than we can achieve. The Bible tells us in Romans 3:23, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. So that means no matter how far we reach up and work to make ourselves amazing before God, we won’t get there on our own. Our “good enough” isn’t good enough.

Christ is speaking in Mark 7:20-23, He went on: What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.

We are born into this sinful, unclean world with no way of saving ourselves and people who rely on their “goodness” only as a way forward, are deluded.

Mark 10:17-23: As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’” “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

Bottom line is we need rescuing from this world we live in but we can’t simply go along in life thinking good enough is good enough. God is after the faithful or good friends…NOT good rebels. Whose side are you on?

The opposite can be in fact, true. Good people do go to hell; bad people go to heaven but those who think they are “good” and rely on that alone, will be lost. The key is, knowing you are lost. By recognizing that you can’t get to heaven on your own and that you need to receive forgiveness from Christ first…well that my friend will ensure your stay at Gods Heavenly Hilton…and your own eternal life.

Until next time guys…