How often have you heard, or even thought, about a person's goodness, making them fit or unfit to heaven? At some time it's a problem for all of us. We might be the person who thinks we're good enough. Or, we might be the person who despairs because we know our own faults so well that we know we could never be good enough.
For the person who doesn't know that Jesus came to save them the problem can work both ways. Either they are like, say Bob, who knows himself so well, and is honest enough to admit that there's nothing good in him; or, they are like, say Gloria, who has a very high view of herself and is confident that because of all she has done, she is good enough for heaven. Of course, Bob and Gloria are extremes but they serve to show us how easy it is to be tripped up with ideas about our own goodness or lack of goodness.
In the Bible, although "good" is often talked about, we hardly ever see it applied to a human; and when it is applied to human, it never carries the idea that the person is naturally good, or is in some way good enough to deserve God's blessing. Even the "good man" in Proverbs 12, 13 and 14 depends on God, for his goodness. The man does not have any goodness that is independent of God. As Jesus points out, in Mark 10.18 only God is "good". Jesus rebukes the man for his loose language and challenges the man about his view of his own goodness.
At this point it's probably helpful to think about a misconception that circulates in society. There is a widespread idea that only good people go to heaven. If we listen to Jesus we find that the opposite is true:
On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." Mark 2.17
People who think they are "good" do not go to heaven. There is another place for them. Jesus has very little time for people who believe they are "good enough", especially those who think they are better than others.
But what about a person like Bob? Well, Bob could give up and lose all hope or, he could throw himself on God's mercy. The choices a person like Bob makes here often depend on information or misinformation he has been given about God. If the god that Bob has heard about is like Santa Claus, then Bob might believe the game is up, and there is no hope for him. But, if Bob has heard the truth about Jesus coming to save the sick and the lost, then he might know that despite the darkness of his heart, there is hope for him with Jesus.
