How Good you have to be to get to Heaven

Misconception: “If I am good enough, I will get to Heaven”

For no one can ever be made right in God’s sight by doing what his law commands. For the more we know God’s law, the clearer it becomes that we aren’t obeying it.
(Romans 3:20 NLT)

Perhaps because so many religions call for people to please God to achieve salvation, this is probably the most commonly misunderstood concept in Christianity.

But the law brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!) (Romans 4:15 NLT)

There is no way to be “good enough” to get to Heaven. God’s standards are so much higher than ours, that we cannot even comprehend what it would take to be good enough — much less accomplish it.

But the Jews, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded. Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law and being good instead of by depending on faith. (Romans 9:31-32 NLT)

God is so Holy that any sin you ever committed in the past would have to be held against you. Only believing in Jesus can get you to Heaven.

For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one [point], he is guilty of all. (James 2:10 KJV)