Would you be shocked if I told you that everything you’ve done up to this point was actually keeping you away from Christ? It’s true — but let me explain.

You see, many people have the same idea you’ve had — that the only way we can win God’s favor and be saved is to be as good as possible. To put it another way, many think God is going to weigh our good deeds and bad deeds on a scale — and if we have more good deeds than bad ones, then He’ll let us into heaven. In other words, they believe it’s all up to them, and if they fail, they won’t go to heaven.

But this isn’t what the Bible says! The Bible says that God’s standard is nothing less than perfection, and if we commit even one sin — just one — it will be enough to keep us out of heaven. 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). No matter how hard we try, we’ll never be good enough to go to heaven on our own.

But listen: God loves us, and because He loves us, He has provided the way for us to be saved. That way is Jesus Christ. He was without sin — but on the cross all our sins were placed on Him, and He took the judgment that we deserve. Don’t trust yourself; you’ll always fail. Instead turn to Jesus and put your faith and trust in Him today.