It's absurd to think we can get to heaven by our own efforts. Former pastor and longtime radio broadcaster J. Vernon McGee illustrated this truth by referring to the impossibility of jumping from the Santa Monica pier in California to Catalina Island, which is 25 miles away. McGee would say, "Now, up to the present, nobody has made it . . . . I see some people who I'm sure could outjump me. But I'll tell you this, they won't make Catalina. All come short."

The Bible says in Romans 3:10, "There is none righteous, no, not one." God is holy and demands perfection from all who would live in His presence. Even good people fall short of meeting the requirement for entering heaven, because they don't measure up to God's standards (3:23). They need salvation just as much as those who are outwardly immoral. We are all sinners. If we try in our own way to get to heaven, we will fall short. But Christ has provided the way for us to get to heaven. He became the bridge by His death on the cross for our sin. All who trust Jesus as Savior are forgiven, and God sees them as perfect because of what Jesus has done for them.

No one is able to jump from Santa Monica to Catalina, but we can reach heaven from earth—through Christ.  — Richard De Haan