“Good people go to heaven, and bad people go to hell.” This is a common belief that I’ve heard many times from people around me.

Where does this idea come from? Although it is a popular mindset, it is just a random theory, based on absolutely nothing. And it’s completely opposite of what the Bible says.

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9 

“Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” Psalm 51:5

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23

We may feel like we’re pretty good, but in actuality, we are born into a state of sin, and our inclination is to want our own way and to exalt our own selves at all costs. Even from birth, we are selfish little things. Often the first word out of a child’s mouth is, “No!”

In this fallen nature, no matter what we do, we are unable to save ourselves. No matter how hard we try, we can’t be good enough. “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked…”   (Ephesians 2:1-2a) A dead person can’t do a thing! 

Why is this so important? Because if we think we can earn our way to heaven on our own, we don’t need God. Not for salvation or anything else! 

I haven’t just learned this truth from the pages of the Bible, but through experience. It has played out in my very own life. Because when I was lost in my grief, I was powerless to pull myself out. I was stuck in a pit of darkness and hopelessness. I didn’t know how to begin to get out. I didn’t even want to.

Sometimes we are told that we need to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps. That we need to just try harder, to pick ourselves up, to save ourselves. But what about when we just can’t?

That is where Christ’s power comes in. As God said to Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” When I was totally weak and unable, Christ’s saving grace held me and gradually lifted me out of despair.

When I look back now, I am amazed at what God has done for me and how far I have come. I sometimes think about where I would be if God had not intervened. And it terrifies me!

God has saved me from devastating grief and given me a life of joy. But most importantly He has saved me from my own sinful, selfish ways and offered me eternal life with Him, through the gift of His Son. Knowing that I was helpless to do this on my own leads me to a state of humble gratitude. 

Thank you, God, for saving me from my sins, and for saving me from the darkness and despair of grief. Thank you that when I am weak, I can depend on you and your power. I can’t do it alone. Please, Lord, continue to uplift me and sustain me with your strong and loving arms.