Can Good Works Get You Into Heaven?

The short answer: No. There is no amount of good a person can put on the scale to outweigh the bad. Sin cannot enter heaven, so it has to be paid for, and only Jesus could pay it. Heaven is received by faith in Him, not earned.

Why can't good outweigh the bad?

Because there is no scale to balance. As our October 25 sermon asked: "Okay, well, what's the scale? How much good does it have to be? How much bad?" Nobody can answer that, because God does not grade on a scale.

"There's not enough goodness, there's not enough weight you can put on the scale to outweigh the bad."

Why does sin keep a person out of heaven?

Because Jesus is the judge of all men, and He is just, righteous and fair. A just judge cannot let sin into heaven.

"If sin entered heaven, heaven would not be heaven."

Every one of us has a sin problem. Many people think, "I'm not as bad as that guy," and even look for someone worse to compare themselves to. But sin is sin, and comparing does not pay for any of it.

So who pays for sin?

Either Jesus paid for it on the cross, or a person tries to pay for it alone. The sermon was plain: "You cannot pay for your sin. It takes all of eternity in hell to pay for your own sin."

The good news is that Jesus was the perfect sacrifice. He suffered sin's punishment in our place and paid the payment we owed. Each person decides whether to accept that payment or reject it.

"The most foolish business decision I've ever thought of in my life is to reject Jesus."

Then what should I do?

Stop trying to earn heaven and put your faith and trust in Jesus. Admit you are a sinner, believe He is the only way to heaven, and accept Him as your Savior. "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)

God's love is unconditional. There is not a sin we could commit that would change how He loves us, and when we trust Him, our sins are gone because of the righteousness of God, not our own goodness.