This sounds logical, doesn't it? From childhood, we are taught, "those who do good get rewarded, while those who do bad get punished." But being good will never get you to heaven. First, according to the Bible, there are no "good people:"

They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Romans 3:12

By your standards, you may consider yourself a pretty good person. But by God's standards, you fall far short. When Jesus was being crucified, two criminals hung on crosses beside Him, one on each side. Before He died, Jesus promised one of them, "Today shalt thou be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43).

Wait a minute! This guy had committed a crime worthy of the death penalty. Yet Jesus assured him he would go to heaven. Obviously, it wasn't because he was a good man.

Excerpt from: When Life is Over

©2000 by Rick Jones, Reproduced by permission