How good is good enough?

How does a person get into Heaven these days?

There are lots of different theories floating around out there. Probably the most popular theory is the all good people go to Heaven theory. This one has plenty of holes in it.

First off, how good is good enough? We would never know until we die, which thus far no one has came back from death with a solid answer. (Understandable) So how do we measure our goodness? God gave each of us conscience so that we could decide for ourselves what is right and what is wrong. Because of this, everyone's moral compass is going to be a little off from the next person. The system of what is acceptable in today's society varies so much from culture to culture that we could never all be on the same page.

Or what if we are graded on a curve? If that is the case then Mother Teresa is a curve-wrecker. God can't seriously expect us to be in a "good enough" race with the entire rest of the world. You know that old saying, "there is always going to be someone out there better than you." (Try telling that to Jesus!) My point: we can't compare ourselves to others when it comes to getting into Heaven.

What about following the Ten Commandments? Those surely have to get you into Heaven if you follow them your whole life right?! No where in the bible does anyone ever say that following the commandments is the ticket to heaven. They describe them more has as guidelines that help us distinguish between right and wrong.

Romans 3:20
"Therefore, no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by observing the law. Rather, through the law we become conscious of sin."

So it's not as simple as following a set of rules. And it surely isn't all about doing good deeds. So what gets you there? What gets you that golden ticket into eternity with God? The video below does a wonderful job of explaining just how simple the answer really is.

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This video was made by Justin Jackson, the creative director for Central Christian Church of Las Vegas, NV.

Another great resource on this subject is a small little book called "How Good is Good Enough" by Andy Stanley