The Simple Truth

I could be reading a novel or watching a television show and one person does something bad, and then another person makes a remark something like, “You’re going to hell for sure.” Or a person does something good and another person says something like, “That’ll get you into Heaven.”
I hear this and I think, “Oh my goodness, people please don’t be deceived.” Whether the words are spoken in jest or the person really believes what he/she is saying, these remarks are so far from the truth. God will not open the pearly gates of Heaven for you just because you’ve been “good” during your time on the earth. And you won’t go to Hell just because you’ve done things bad. If the latter were the case, nobody would go to Heaven, because even Christians don’t do good all of the time.
God gave us His Son, Jesus Christ, and if we believe in Him, we will not perish but will have everlasting life (John 3:16). In other words, anyone who receives Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior will go to Heaven when their time here on earth is done.
Now, according God’s Word – the Bible, which is full of wisdom to help us to walk in His ways - to be saved is the only way to get to Heaven, and the only way to make sure we don’t end up in Hell.
Do good things for others; acts of kindness that can lift a person’s spirits or even make this world a better place in some way big or small? Yes, most definitely. What would the state of this world be if we didn’t have people who care? But please don’t do these good works because you think God is keeping score and if yours is high enough, then you’ll earn a place in Heaven, because the simple truth is it really doesn’t work that way.