by Perry Hall<\/p>\n
Ever hear someone say, “I hope I did enough to go to heaven?” Or have you heard preached, “That church isn’t ‘sound’ so anyone baptized there is still lost”? Those are dangerous thoughts.<\/p>\n
If we have to be perfect in all areas to get to heaven, then we only need grace until we become perfect. Therefore, we entered heaven because we had made ourselves perfect and no longer needed God’s grace. That is a dangerous thought.<\/p>\n
When I make it to heaven, it will be because I still need God’s grace, not because I used to.<\/p>\n
This doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be concerned that certain imperfections could cause me to fail. They can (I Corinthians 5, 15).<\/p>\n
What it does mean is if personal perfection in all things is needed, then no one is saved until they have finished growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (II Peter 3:18). That is a dangerous thought.<\/p>\n
God declares us perfect by faith, even though we aren’t personally perfect. That is a biblically comforting thought.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Perry Hall Ever hear someone say, “I hope I did enough to go to heaven?” Or have you heard preached, “That church isn’t ‘sound’ so anyone baptized there is still lost”? Those are dangerous thoughts. If we have to be perfect in all areas to get to heaven, then we only need grace until…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[56,47,55],"class_list":["post-93768","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-perfection","tag-salvation","tag-works"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":85031,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/grace-and-repentance\/","url_meta":{"origin":93768,"position":0},"title":"Grace and Repentance","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 24, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer We are saved by the grace of God (Ephesians 2:5). Salvation is not of ourselves but is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-10). That teaching should be front and center for us. Grace also has a context that should never be ignored. We don't have the authority\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":35110,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/as-though-he-needed-anything\/","url_meta":{"origin":93768,"position":1},"title":"As Though He Needed Anything (Article)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 5, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer \"The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":62066,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/grace-is-sufficient\/","url_meta":{"origin":93768,"position":2},"title":"Grace Is Sufficient","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 29, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer Paul describes certain visions and revelations that were beyond his understanding (II Corinthians 12). He then spoke of what he calls a \"thorn in the flesh,\" given to him to keep him from becoming conceited. He implored the Lord three times that this thorn would be removed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":84154,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-problem-and-solution\/","url_meta":{"origin":93768,"position":3},"title":"The Problem and Solution","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 6, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer Some people are particularly good at troubleshooting problems. Whether electronics, cars, or engaging in household fixes, some just have that knack for figuring out what is wrong and then finding the solution to fix it. We need people like this in service positions. We need them in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":36285,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-a-sin-of-ignorance-keep-us-out-of-heaven\/","url_meta":{"origin":93768,"position":4},"title":"Can a sin of ignorance keep us out of heaven?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 28, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello! I was reading through the website again and came across a subject, which in short was discussing things that are sinful that we may do and don't know or understand the teaching. You mentioned to me that you think that is where God's mercy comes in. You stated:\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2198,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/when-i-have-days-where-i-dont-read-or-pray-as-much-as-i-usually-do-does-that-mean-i-wont-reach-heaven\/","url_meta":{"origin":93768,"position":5},"title":"When I have days where I don’t read or pray as much as I usually do, does that mean I won’t reach heaven?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 5, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hey Mr. Jeffrey, I have resolved to walk in all of God's ways, and I've been faithfully doing as best as I can. 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