That’s the reason a lot of people give when asked why they believe they’ll go to heaven when they die.  Being “good” apparently means a lot to a great many Americans but whose standard of “good” are they using to determine their “heaven-worthiness”?  They can’t be using God’s because His requirement to enter heaven through works is perfection…..I don’t know about you but I haven’t met any perfect people in my lifetime.  So what standard are they using?  Is it just a matter of personal conviction that makes people believe they are “good enough”?

If this is the case, does it change depending on who you are?  I’m pretty sure my definition of “good” wouldn’t be the same as say….oh I don’t know….Osama Bin Laden’s perhaps?  I don’t find it “good” to fly a plane of civilians into a building full of civilians because I hate them; yet he believes those terrorists went straight to paradise for those acts.  To him that was a very good deed.

If we base our heaven-worthiness on “good works” we must have some idea of what is “good enough”.  I mean, where is the mark?  How do I know that I’ve reached it?  Suppose I have a particularly sinful day, do I fall down a few notches on the good gauge?  And if I do and I die before getting my “good quota” back up do I go straight to hell no matter what other good deeds I did the day before?

Doesn’t this all sound way too complicated, fickle and unstable?  Could this kind of reasoning actually be comforting to those who accept it as truth?  I don’t see how.  I’m confident I can’t be good enough to enter heaven.

²    ...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23)

So why do many people who actually believe in heaven think they’ve somehow earned their way there by “trying to be a good person”?  It seems to me that if you believe there’s a heaven, it might be worth some time and effort to find out how to get there.  Otherwise, do you really know that’s where you’ll end up?  Just something to think about...