Yes, you read it right. Heaven is not attained by simply being good, but by being born again through faith in Christ Jesus.
In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the Truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me. “
Good works are commendable, no doubt, but they cannot earn us a place in Heaven.
While speaking to Nicodemus in John 3, Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3 ESV). We cannot use our record of good works to make it to Heaven. If this were the case, it would have been impossible for us to meet the threshold because none of us is perfect. Only God is.
Simply put, Jesus is the only way to Heaven.
So, how can we be saved?
We can only be saved by confessing with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believing in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead. (Romans 10:9 NIV).
We are saved by grace, not our intelligence, good works, money, strategies, good behavior, or nice personalities.
Having a good heart is actually wonderful, but it cannot earn us a place at the throne of Mercy. Only the righteousness of Christ can guarantee us a place at the throne of mercy. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe (Roman 3:22).
God loved us and gave us His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16-18).
If Jesus comes back today, those who haven’t given their lives to Him will be left behind, irrespective of their record of good works or how good their hearts are!
Take the step of faith and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. This is the only way to go to Heaven.
Note: Read and meditate on John 3: 1-18 and all other scriptures mentioned in this piece for personal edification.