No, this isn’t what the Bible teaches about the Christian and sin. If only perfect people could get into Heaven, then none of us would ever go there–because none of us are perfect!

Even the Apostle Paul wasn’t perfect; he wrote, “Not that I … have already been made perfect, but I press on” (Philippians 3:12). Throughout the ages some of God’s greatest servants have been men and women who were deeply conscious of their failures and sins, and yet God still used them. Only one person in all history was perfect–and that was our Lord Jesus, who was fully God and fully man. The Bible says, “He appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin” (1 John 3:5).

The Bible does say, however, that once we give our lives to Jesus Christ we won’t stay in our old sinful ways. It says, “No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him” (1 John 3:6). Note that the emphasis here is on continually sinning, not on perfection (as one older translation seems to say).

Never forget: We aren’t saved because we are perfect; we are saved solely because Jesus Christ paid the penalty for all our sins through His death on the cross. Are you trusting Him alone for your salvation? Make your personal commitment to Him today.