Am I justified before God?

 Am I justified before God?

Heaven can be entered only through the narrow gate! The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide enough for all the multitudes who choose its easy way. But the Gateway to Life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it. - Matthew 7:13-14 (Living Bible)

All religions base their belief of how to enter heaven in one of two ways:

Human Achievement - a belief that humans can do enough good deeds, follow enough rules, give enough money, meditate on God enough, be a good enough person, go to church enough, etc. to enter heaven. This is the broad way that leads to hell.

Devine Accomplishment - a belief that only through our faith in the work of Jesus Christ's death on the cross as the only perfect sacrifice for sin, the imputed righteousness of Christ (Justification), is a person able to stand justified before a loving and just God who cannot tolerate sin. There is nothing that a human can do to "earn" heaven. Without the payment for sins through the only perfect sacrifice, Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, a person can never stand justified before a holy and just God and be allowed to enter heaven. This is the narrow gate that leads to heaven.

For it is by grace [God's remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation]. - Ephesians 2:8-9

If you were to die tonight and stand before the Sovereign, Immutable God of all creation at the gates of heaven, how would you answer this question:

Why should I let you into My heaven?

Will your answer be human achievement or divine accomplishment?

My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
but wholly lean on Jesus' name.

On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
all other ground is sinking sand,
all other ground is sinking sand.
- Edward Mote

Be Encouraged to base your entrance into heaven on divine accomplishment.

-Jeffrey Thornton