We’ve all done it: one day, we’re rubbing elbows with a fellow Christian, and the next day, he does something to tick us off — something that doesn’t add up with our personal definition of how a believer should act.

Suddenly, we’re making snarky comments that call into question the person’s salvation based on what he has said or done. We’re still confident that our access to heaven depends on Calvary and grace, but the culprit’s depends on behavior — specifically, his behavior toward us.

Max Anders says, “No one has ever been good enough to get into heaven if he did not trust in Jesus, and no one has ever been bad enough to be kept out of heaven if he did trust in Jesus. ‘Goodness’ is not the standard by which a person gets into heaven. Rather, perfection is.”

Are you offended by God’s grace toward a certain person? Do you bristle at the idea that He would put that individual in the same category as you — that is, a sinner saved by grace?

Each of us is made perfect in Jesus alone. Those who behave in ways that we find questionable are made perfect in precisely the same way. This includes your infuriating boss, your ex, and that person on Facebook who criticized your favorite Christian author.

Today, take stock of your valuation of others by filling in the blank: “If I see ____________ when I get to heaven, I’m going to be angry/surprised/disappointed.”

“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had” (Rom. 15:5, NIV).