Tract: Are you good enough to get to Heaven?

Of all the questions you will be asked in life, probably the most important one is: Am I good enough to go to Heaven? The way to find out is to ask yourself if you have obeyed the Ten Commandments. Many will answer by saying, “Well, I’ve broken one or two, but nothing serious, like murder, etc.”

Who among us can say that we are not guilty of having broken the Commandments? All of us have sinned, and just as in civil law, you don't have to break 10 laws to be a lawbreaker. The Bible says: "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it."

This may sound strange, but the worst thing you can do right now is try to clean up your lifestyle—you've realized you've sinned, so from now on you try to keep the Ten Commandments, do good works, say the right things, and think only pure thoughts. But would a judge let a murderer go free just because he has promised to live a good life? No, he owes a debt to justice and must be punished.

God's Law is like a mirror—all a mirror does is show you the truth. If you see that you have egg smeared on your face, you don't try to wash yourself with the mirror; its purpose is to send you to the water to wash. You also shouldn't try to wash your life with the mirror of God's Law... that's not its purpose. The sight in the mirror is not a pretty sight, but if you don't face it and acknowledge that you are dirty, then all that dirt will be presented on Judgment Day as evidence of your guilt, and then it will be too late to clean yourself.

You might think that God is good and will overlook your sins. But if you were guilty of terrible crimes in a court, and you tell the judge: "Judge, I am guilty but I believe you are a good man and will overlook my crimes," the judge would probably respond by saying: "You are right about one thing; I am a good man, and it is because of my goodness that I will seek for justice to be done, and for you to be punished for your crimes." The very thing that many hope will save them on Judgment Day, the goodness of God, will be the same thing that condemns them. If God is good, He must punish murderers, liars, thieves, etc., and Hell will be their terrible destiny.

What a terrible place Hell must be! If you read in the newspaper that a man has received a $5 fine for a crime, you can conclude that it is an insignificant crime. But if a man received multiple sentences during his life, you can conclude that his crime was heinous. In the same way, we can get a slight idea of how terrible sin is in God's eyes, by observing the punishment He gives for it—eternal punishment. His punishment will be just but severe to the extreme. Take some time to read what Jesus said about Hell in Mark 9:43-48. I fear for you... please, honestly look in the mirror of the Law, then seek the "water" to cleanse every sin. If you don't believe what I'm telling you about the reality of Hell, that means you think God is corrupt (that He wouldn't dare to do justice), that Jesus is a liar, that God's promises are nothing more than fabricated lies; there is no greater insult to God than to call Him a liar. Imagine that you reject the Savior, die in your sins, and find that everything I have told you is true. Then, it will be too late, and you will be judged for your sins.

Can you see the urgency? You are guilty of having sinned against God Himself, and because you have a conscience, you have sinned knowingly. Isn't it true that every time you lied, stole, committed adultery, etc., you did it with the knowledge that it was wrong?

Does the fact that you have sinned against God frighten you? It should. In fact, God is angry with you because of your sin. The Bible says that His wrath is upon you, that you are an enemy of God in your mind, doing evil deeds. But let fear work for your good, just as the fear of jumping out of a plane at a great height would make you put on a parachute. Let your will open your heart to the Gospel of salvation.

I am not the only one who wants you not to end up in Hell. The person who gave you this tract cared enough to give it to you and risked your possible rejection, and God Himself does not want you to perish. To clarify a wonderful thing He has done for you in the Gospel, let's revisit civil law: You are before a judge, guilty of severe crimes. All the evidence has been presented, and there is no doubt that you are guilty. The fine for your crime is $250,000 or imprisonment, but you don't even have fifty cents. The judge is about to pronounce sentence... he raises the gavel, when unexpectedly someone you don't even know enters and pays the fine for you. The moment you accept their payment, you are free to go. Justice was done, the law was satisfied, and what's more, the stranger who paid your fine showed how much they care about you. Their payment was evidence of their love.

That is exactly what God did for you, in the person of Jesus Christ. You are guilty, but He paid the fine 2,000 years ago. It's that simple. The Bible puts it this way: "He was crushed for our iniquities... Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us... God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

It was no small thing for Christ to die for us. The only thing that could satisfy the demand of the Eternal Law was the death of one who never sinned, the Son of God. What love God has for you! He suffered indescribable agony, so that you would not be punished for your sins. His death and resurrection mean that you are no longer indebted to the Law, and God now gives you eternal life if you obey Him—death now has no legal power over those who belong to Jesus Christ.

So, what will you do? Just repent and put your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Don't put it off until tomorrow.

Think of a man who has committed adultery. His faithful wife is more than willing to take him back, but what should be the husband's attitude in approaching her? It should be one of tremendous humility, begging her forgiveness and determined in his heart never to do it again.

This is how you should approach God. If you are not sure how to pray, read Psalm 51 and make it your prayer. Turn your back on your sins and put your faith in Jesus Christ in the same way you would put your faith in a parachute to save you. You don't just "hope" that the parachute will do you some good, but you actually fully trust the parachute by putting it on. The Bible says "Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 13:14). When you do this, then God will forgive all your sins and give you the gift of eternal life. Afterward, when you are at peace with God, read the Bible daily and obey what you read.

By the way, someone cared deeply enough about you to give you this tract. Show God your love for others by doing the same. Visit our website LivingWaters.com where you will find resources that can help you in this aspect. Thank you for reading this tract. May God bless you – Ray Comfort.