All the Difference in the World

Most people in our culture believe that, if there is a God, we can relate to him and go to heaven by leading a good life. ... Christianity teaches the very opposite. In the Christian understanding, Jesus does not tell us how to live so we can merit salvation. Rather, he comes to forgive and save us through his life and death in our place. God's grace does not come to people who morally outperform others, but to those who admit their failure to perform and who acknowledge their need for a Savior.
__Timothy Keller in The Reason for God