I asked 15 people (mostly young men) at the Christmas parade tonight: If you died today and stood before God and He said, “Why should I let you into heaven?” what would you say?

Sadly, not one had the right answer, though several later claimed to be Christians. One said his dad asks him that question all the time, but he couldn’t remember the answer. Another said, “Because he is a Christian and does good things for people.”

In case you don’t know the right answer, Jesus Christ is God in the flesh and lived a sinless life, died on the cross and rose from the dead. His blood is the only payment God will accept for sin. Out of gratitude for what Jesus did, we must repent and trust Him alone for our salvation. There is no other way to have our sins forgiven.