COLOSSIANS 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ (NIV)
The understanding of most Christians is that by avoiding sin they will avoid hell and by living right, they will get to heaven. This is the teaching most of us received from Church and Sunday school. With this understanding, we tried in our efforts to live right so we could avoid hell and inherit heaven. We lived in fear because we were not sure whether our good works were enough to qualify us to heaven.
The truth is that, avoiding hell or going to heaven does not depend on our ability to do good or our ability to shun evil, though doing good or avoiding evil are very commendable acts we encourage. It rather depends on whether you are in Christ or in Adam. It depends on whether you have believed the gospel of Christ or not.
Heaven is inherited not earned. The believer is not trying to make heaven. He is born from above. Heaven is his hometown. So, it is a matter of who your father is, Christ or Adam? If you should stand before God and he asks you why you think He should let you in, what will you say? That you lived right and avoided sin? A big no. No man can justify himself before God by his works. It is Christ who qualifies us. In him we have been made citizens of heaven right from our new birth.
I inherit heaven not by my works but because I was born in Christ, I have it as an inheritance by virtue of my faith in him.
John 6:35-40,
Galatians 2:16; 3:11,
Colossians 1:12-14