I was teaching special religious education to a group of 14 and 15 year old's in a NSW Government High School. We were doing an activity as a class to determine how good a person had to be to get into heaven based upon their good works.
I had divided the whiteboard into 2 parts, with a horizontal line in the middle.
Above the line I had written ‘good enough for heaven’; below the line ‘not good enough for heaven’.
The goal of this activity was simple. As I introduced a number of famous, or infamous people from the past and present, we as a class would decide, based on how they had behaved in their lives, if they were good enough for heaven or did they miss out because of their bad behavior.
We started with an easy one. Adolf Hitler. One of the most evil guys to have walked the planet in the last century, he was responsible for the deaths of at least 6 million Jews. The class unanimously decided that he definitely was not good enough for heaven, so we placed his picture below the line.
Then came Mother Theresa - the revered saint who lived her life serving the poor and marginalized on the streets of Calcutta. A person high in virtue and kindness, surely she deserved through her actions to be above the line. The class agreed.
Following that Justin Bieber. His status was a bit more controversial. Some students loved him and his music and elevated him to going to heaven status. Others looked at some of his actions and questioned whether he would make the cut. Eventually more students were for him than against him, and so he landed in the heaven section.
On and on this activity went. Movie stars, sports stars, presidents, criminals, ordinary people. We as a class made our judgements on who deserved heaven, who did not. There was a lot of discussion and disagreement on certain people. It seems judging who was good enough or not good enough for heaven was not as clear-cut as we thought!
By the time we had finished the activity, we had a board full of people above and below the line. Some, according to the class, were destined for heaven. Others had no chance of making it.
To wrap up the lesson, I summarized what I had observed in the students. For the majority of people we had judged, there was no consensus of agreement on who was good enough, or not good enough for heaven. Some thought one person made it, their classmates thought they didn’t. We all had different, varying standards to what was good or bad.
I brought this lack of agreement on good and evil to the class, and then made this point.
“It seems that we can’t agree on who makes it or who doesn’t make it, when it comes to deciding whose behaviour is acceptable or not. What we need is for there to be someone else, someone impartial, who can make the decision on who gets in or not.”
The students nodded in agreement. I went on.
“So if there was such a person, who do you think that person should be? Because clearly it can’t be us. We don’t agree on most of these people.”
“Who do you think that should be?”
In unison, the class responded, “it should be God.”
Exactly, “I think God should be the one who gets to make that call on who makes it into heaven or not.”
Then I said this. “Do you know that God has actually told us what the standard is to get into heaven based upon our good works? So we can know for sure; that we won’t need to wonder any more. He has made it crystal clear.”
The class suddenly got real quiet. Students were alert and paying attention, as they realized something really important was about to be revealed to them.
I continued, carefully choosing my words.
“God’s standard to get into heaven based upon your performance is”…….
I paused to let the tension build.
“God’s standard to get into heaven based upon your good works is…..absolute perfection. For you to get into heaven based upon what you do, you have to be absolutely perfect.”
Again silence. I could see the perplexed look on the students' faces, as their minds were processing what they had just heard.
Then some kid from the back of the class blurted out what everyone was thinking.
“But sir, that is impossible!! No one is perfect!”
“Exactly” I exclaimed! “None of us are good enough to get to heaven because of what we do. None of us are perfect.”
The bible says it like this.
“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”
— Romans 3:23 (NLT)
But this is good news. Because when we were unable to reach God’s standard to get into heaven based upon our performance or good works, God made a way for us by sending Jesus.
Jesus, the divine Son of God, lived a perfect life, and then died on the cross, taking upon Himself the punishment for your sin and mine. And in its place He made a way for us to be in right standing with God. Not based on what we do, but based upon what Jesus has done.
And anyone who places their faith in Jesus receives forgiveness of sins, a restored relationship with God, and a secured place in heaven.
Getting into heaven is not about what you do or don’t do. It’s not about your performance, or your works; how good or bad you have been. Getting into heaven is about placing your trust in Jesus as your Savior, and allowing His sacrifice to pay for your sin.
Romans 3:22 sums it up nicely.
“We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.”
— Romans 3:22 (NLT)
Have you taken the step of placing your faith in Jesus as your savior?
If not, you can do this today. It’s as simple as opening your heart and your life to him. Say something like this.
“God, Thank you for your love for me. Thank you for sending Jesus to die in my place. Today I choose to open my life to you. I receive your forgiveness. Thank you for making me a child of God. In Jesus name, amen.”
If you prayed this prayer, I would love to hear from you. Feel free to contact me here, and I will send you some information on how to grow in your faith.