Most religions have the concept of heaven, God’s kingdom, or an afterlife, defined by rewards for their faithful and punishment for others. Those who have done good in this life go to a good place in the next life, while those who don’t measure up go to a bad place. It’s an oversimplification, but that’s the general idea.

Usually, the concept of good things and a good life involves being kind to others, living a life that benefits those around us, generally making the world a better place. More formal religions will have lists of rules and regulations, commandments that govern how the faithful ought to live, adherence to these commandments often being the deciding factor between who is truly faithful and who isn't.

Even those who don’t believe in organized religion, but don’t deny the existence of a higher power and an after-life, often believe that the good you do in life balances out the bad, and so if you do more good than bad, you get to go to the good place when you die. Interestingly a lot of people who self-identify as Christian also believe this, that God will judge them based on the good they have done versus the bad, and either reward or punish them accordingly.

Well, if this is so, how can one know if they’ve done enough good things to guarantee their ticket to heaven? Should one just do all one can and hope for the best? Is it a competition - does everyone who does enough good get to heaven, or does God just select the best of the best? If so, can my good works disqualify someone else? Can other people’s extreme evil render me worthy by default?

Some of the preceding questions might seem silly to you, but there are people who hold these beliefs and wrestle with these questions; people who are willing to stake their eternal destiny on the answers. It’s basically a question of what God’s requirements are for allowing us into heaven, into His kingdom, the alternative being everlasting suffering in a hellish existence too terrible for words.

If we know that all it takes is being good, then how good must we be? What is good enough?

These questions, and the answers that are often given to them, carry a lot of mistaken ideas about the nature and character of God, and His plan of salvation. That there is a plan, that God has made a plan for man’s salvation, that His plan is not a secret, and that it’s not difficult to understand it and carry it out, that’s the good news; but first, some bad news.