 So now Jesus took that punishment, that separation from God for us so that we don't have to experience it. End of the day I'll be able to keep all of the commandments because that's really the prerequisite to enter into heaven and see God. You were so close. I used to have this disconnect too. I knew that Jesus had died on the cross for my sins and yet I still thought that I had to be a good person in order to get my way to heaven. It wasn't until I encountered the Ten Commandments and read them one by one that I realized that I had broken many of them. I was not a good person. In fact, I was guilty before God because of my sin. And no amount of walking elderly ladies across the street or giving to charity would make up for the sins that I had already committed. What was life-changing for me was realizing that Jesus stepped in to take my place on the cross. Jesus paid a debt he did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay. And when we put our faith in him, he makes us into a new creation, where instead of feeling the burden of the law on our shoulders, we now desire to pursue holiness out of our love for God. That's good news.