The most common misconception about being accepted by God and entering into heaven, and perhaps the most common misconception about Christianity in general, is that God's approval is something which has to be earned or merited. He will only love us and accept us if we happen to be good enough.

Charles Haskell, who was a Christian missionary in Pakistan for some years, told of a friend who was amused by a Muslim who confidently asserted that he had committed 129 evil deeds. Fortunately these were offset by 135 good deeds, so he was still in credit with Allah! Unfortunately, it is not only Muslims who have such a view of God's judgement. In 1980, a Gallop Poll in the US showed that 43 per cent of Catholics and 20 per cent of Protestants agreed with the statement that "heaven is a divine reward for those who earn it by their good life."

Maybe this view sounds logical - but only if we don't think about it too deeply. People who hold such a view of God's judgement are faced with a number of problems. Firstly, who sets the standard? Usually the answer is that each person decides for themselves what they think the standard should be, ignoring what God's pass mark actually is. Secondly, it would mean that no one could ever know that they were going to heaven. Who could say for sure they were good enough? (Though many seem to think so!) And yet the Bible indicates that we can be certain. Thirdly, such a view is asking God to ignore our failures and, therefore, approve of evil. Fourthly, it contradicts what God has revealed to us in the Bible.