“The only thing you need to do to get to heaven is follow the Ten Commandments and be a good person.” It’s a phrase many people have heard—and maybe even believed. It sounds spiritual, moral, and even rooted in the Bible. But this belief is a subtle and dangerous lie. It replaces the gospel of Jesus Christ with a gospel of human effort. It denies the central truth of Scripture: that no one is good enough, and only Jesus can save.
It bothers me people we know and care about really say this popular lie and I want to tell the truth of God’s Word (ESV), expose the root philosophies that feed it—such as humanism and self-worship—and shine a light on how cults like Freemasonry, Mormonism, and Jehovah’s Witnesses promote these deceptions. Most importantly, we will point to the true gospel: salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
The Ten Commandments was never a ticket to heaven. The Ten Commandments, found in Exodus 20, were given by God to reveal His holiness and to expose our sin. They are good, but they were never meant to be a checklist for earning salvation.
“For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” (Romans 3:20, ESV)
The commandments show us what a righteous life looks like—but they also make it painfully clear that we fall short.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23, ESV)
The law was meant to lead us to Christ—not to become our Savior itself.
The standard of God’s law is perfection. Missing it in even one area makes us guilty before God.
“For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.” (James 2:10, ESV)
Jesus fulfilled the law perfectly—something we could never do.
“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.” (Galatians 3:13, ESV)
Trying to earn heaven by law-keeping leads to pride or despair. The law was never the way to be saved—it’s what shows us our desperate need to be saved.
The lie that “being a good person is enough” is rooted in secular humanism—the belief that humans are inherently good, self-sufficient, and capable of moral perfection without divine intervention. Thinkers like Rousseau and Kant built philosophies on the idea of human goodness without God.
“Claiming to be wise, they became fools.” (Romans 1:22, ESV)
But the Bible is clear:
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9, ESV)
Humanism flatters the ego and feeds self-worship. But it offers no true solution for sin, guilt, or eternal life.
Many modern cults teach salvation by effort and moral performance. While using religious language, they deny the sufficiency of Jesus Christ.
Freemasonry Freemasonry teaches that men can attain a form of spiritual enlightenment and reach a “celestial lodge above” through good works, rituals, and moral uprightness. Jesus is optional, and their beliefs are often cloaked in secrecy and universalism.
Mormonism (LDS Church) Mormons teach that Jesus’ death opened the door for resurrection, but full salvation requires baptism, temple ordinances, and lifelong obedience to church laws and leadership. Grace alone is not sufficient in their theology.
Jehovah’s Witnesses Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the full divinity of Jesus and teach that salvation is obtained by obedience to the Watchtower Society, evangelizing, and moral living. Like the others, they deny salvation by grace alone.
All of these distort the gospel:
“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12, ESV)
Our culture idolizes the concept of “being a good person.” It’s often based on self-defined morality, personal feelings, and relative comparisons. But Scripture makes clear that self-justification is a form of rebellion.
“They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator.” (Romans 1:25, ESV)
“Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25, ESV)
This belief is self-worship in disguise. It glorifies human effort and denies our need for a Savior.
The Bible is clear: we are saved by grace through faith in Christ—not by our works, rituals, or moral attempts.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9, ESV)
“He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy.” (Titus 3:5, ESV)
Jesus fulfilled the law and took the punishment for our sins. We don’t earn salvation—we receive it.
The enemy wants you to believe that you can be your own savior. The world, cults, and even your own heart may tell you that being “good” is enough. But the cross of Christ tells another story: that we are not enough—but Jesus is.
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6, ESV)
Have you been trying to earn your way to heaven by keeping the Ten Commandments or being a “good person”? The truth is, you can’t do it. But Jesus already did.
Come to Him in faith. Trust not in your efforts, but in His finished work. Lay down your striving and receive the gift of grace.
He is the only way. He is the only Savior. And He offers eternal life to all who believe.
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31, ESV)
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