Scripture is very clear that entrance to heaven is by putting your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who loved us and gave Himself as a sacrifice and offering for our sins. Let’s look at a few verses that speak of the way of salvation:

*John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever BELIEVETH in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

*Romans 3:28, “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by FAITH without the deeds of the law.”

*Acts 16:31, “BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”

*Romans 10:9, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt BELIEVE in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

*Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through FAITH; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Notice that in these verses, the words faith and believe are constantly used, and there are many more verses that speak the same truth. It is through believing on the Lord Jesus Christ as our savior that we are saved, we become the children of God, and we gain entrance into Heaven once we leave here.

It is sadly true that some who profess to know Christ as their savior continue to live in sin. Are they truly saved? Only the Lord knows that for only He knows the heart of man. We read in 2 Timothy 2:19, “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, THE LORD KNOWETH THEM THAT ARE HIS. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. The Lord knows if there is true faith in the heart. Those who are saved are told to “depart from iniquity.” It is possible for someone to say that they are saved, yet they are not. We read of false professors in Matthew 7:21-23, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Obviously these had testimonies of being saved, but the Lord says to them, “I NEVER KNEW YOU.”

It is quite possible for a true believer to fall into sin. We must be so careful to guard against this by walking in fellowship with the Lord. We read in James 4:7-8, “SUBMIT yourselves therefore to God. RESIST the devil, and he will flee from you. DRAW NIGH TO GOD, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” We cannot effectively RESIST the devil until we truly SUBMIT ourselves to the Lord. If a believer does sin, he is instructed in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” This verse is for those who are already saved. If we sin, the Lord wants us to confess that sin to Him. When we do that, He forgives us and cleanses us from “all unrighteousness.”

Will Christians be judged by their works? NO! Our sins were judged on the Lord Jesus when He died for us on the cross. We read in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now NO CONDEMNATION to them which are in Christ Jesus…” It is the unsaved who will be judged by their works. We read of the Great White Throne Judgment in Revelation 20:12-13, “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, ACCORDING TO THEIR WORKS. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.” Those who are spiritually dead will be judged according to all the things they have done in their lifetime.

Finally, you asked if it is possible for a Christian to be perfect without any sin. That is our standing before God. He sees us as “the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) However, we do still sin. 1 John 1:8 tells us that, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” We do sin at times, but thank the Lord, He forgives us those sins in a practical sense when we confess them to Him. (262.10)