I once dated a guy who was convinced he would go to heaven because he was a good person. He wasn’t a bad guy—he helped people, gave to charity, and lived a decent life. But when I asked him if he knew Jesus personally, he shrugged it off.

I had to tell him the hard truth: If our goodness could get us into heaven, Jesus would never have needed to die on the cross. The Bible is clear in Isaiah chapter 64—our best works are like filthy rags before a holy God. (“For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our wrongdoings, like the wind, take us away.” Isaiah 64:6) No amount of kindness, giving, or moral living can erase our sin. Our only hope is in Jesus Christ.

The problem is, many of us fall into this same trap. We think that because we haven’t done anything “too bad”, we’re automatically heaven-bound. But the reality is, without Jesus, we are lost. Titus 3:5 reminds us,“He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.” The only way to eternal life is through Jesus, not through our own goodness. As Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, God chooses the weak and lowly to display His power, so that no one can boast in their own works. Our righteousness comes from Christ alone, and salvation is purely by His grace. If we boast, it should be in the Lord, not in ourselves.

So today, let’s humble ourselves, repent of trusting in our own goodness, and surrender to Jesus fully. Because at the end of the day, good won’t save us—only grace will.