Answers

Q:

All my life I've been told that if I just try hard enough then I'll make it to heaven. But how can I know if I've been good enough? I'm too old now to do much more.


A:

I’ve never met anyone who was truly convinced they were good enough to go to heaven; even if they thought they’d been very good, the doubt still lingered that they might not have been good enough.

And they feel this way for a very good reason: None of us will ever be good enough to go to heaven on our own! You see, God’s standard is nothing less than perfection — and none of us is perfect. God is absolutely pure and holy, and even one sin — just one — would be enough to banish you from His presence. The Bible says, “Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it” (James 2:10).

Does this mean no one can ever be saved and go to heaven? Absolutely not! God has provided another way for us to be forgiven and cleansed of our sins — and that way is Christ. He was perfect and without sin — but on the cross, all our sins were transferred to Him, and He took the judgment we deserve. And when we put our faith and trust in Him, God forgives us and gives us the gift of eternal life.

Don’t depend on yourself any longer. Instead, turn to Jesus Christ and by a simple prayer of faith ask Him to come into your life and save you — and He will. Jesus’ promise is for you: “Everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life” (John 6:40).