I heard this a while back and while the scenario is false – there is no second chance after death –  there is some truth in the story about what makes heaven possible for everyone of us.

A man awoke one morning after having a dream that disturbed him. When his wife asked what he dreamed, he related it: “I dreamed that I died but could not pass through the Pearly Gates because Peter said I had to have 1,000 points to my credit. He asked me to relate my record of religious activity on earth. I said, ‘I attended church services every Sunday.’ He said, ‘Good, that’s worth 50 points.’ Then I added, ‘I visited the sick some.’ He said, ‘Good, that’s 50 points. What else did you do?’ I said, ‘I gave to good causes.’ He replied, ‘That’s another 50 points.’ I said, ‘My points are not adding up very fast. The way you are counting them, if I get to heaven at all, it’ll be totally by the grace of God.’ Peter replied, ‘That’s great. Learning that is worth 1,000 points by itself!’

Consider one of my “go to” passages about grace that never uses the word,

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person — though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die — but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:6-8).

-Scott