I not Catholic. Jesus told us the following:
Matthew 7:21
21 ¶ 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.
So yes, we must do the will of our Father in Heaven which is the same as Jesus' will and actually do something like keep his commandments and love one another. If we choose to do good and repent and forsake our evil ways and follow God's commandments, we can, through the atonement of Jesus Christ, be saved into his kingdom. This gift of grace is given to all those who follow after him. This promise is dependent upon our free will to choose to follow after the Christ and keep his commandments and repent and forsake our sins. This promise is given to all mankind. It is not Jesus who really keeps us back but it is our own free will choice to not follow his requirements to gain his saving grace. If we would only put off our pride and humble ourselves into following his will, he will grant salvation to all that do his will.
Let’s look at three choices, Justice and Mercy.
Choice number one. For the righteousness of God, the Father, because he is holy and Just, God’s in his holiness, for the wages of sin is death. What death is God talking about?
Romans: 6 23. So God the Father will have to eliminate all life, because, holiness and Righteousness demand Justice for all sin, and God would have to put humanity in HELL forevermore. End of story, no mercy.
Choice number Two. MercywithoutJusticeandnoLaws.We will sin forever and ever, humanity will be miserable, and the world will be in chaos. Because of sin, the curse will continue on the earth forever and ever. Humanity will have depleted all its resources and finally enslaved itself. Men with all their technology and science will finally realize there will be no solution to solve the population of the earth. This is why it is so important to have a savior, to save us from ourselves.
This is the reason, Jesus Christ came down from heaven to earth to punish the wicked and save his people from their sins, to bring back stability and the truth and righteousness, for our purpose.
That may serve God with, true and in love, God of the cosmos. There is only one mentor and one God, and his name is Jesus Christ savior, anointed one, Jehovah God, The Great I Am, the one who is the self-existing One, (YHWH.)
Choice number three. Can man Justify his sins in trying to keep the Ten Commandments?
We read in Romans 3: 20 - 26. Therefore by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight; for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe; for there is no difference; For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; Whom God hath set forth to be propitiation through faith in his blood, do declare his righteousnessfor the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance ofGod; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness; that he mightbe just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. I quote again,
In Romans3:24-26.Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness; that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
(The word past through, does not mean that God has not forgotten our sins. What did God desire for man?)
I Timothy 2:4. Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth? So that God desired to save us, to spend eternity with Him, and to demonstrate his glory and his love for us.
Ephesians 1:5. Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.
This means if we accept Jesus Christ as our savior, he predetermines we will become the sons and daughters of the living God.
Ephesians 1:6.To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. God has something much greater in store for us.
Ephesians 2:6 -7. And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus; that in the ages to come he might shew theexceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us throughChrist Jesus. God is saying he saved us because he loved us and wants us to be in heavenly places. As we read further in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see; to whom be honor and power everlasting, A-men.
Ephesians 2:7.That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. This means he will make us living trophies of all mighty God to reach down in the heart of sinful man and redeem us and save us, this is God showing his awesome love for all eternity, Forever and ever and ever. This is a demonstration of God’s mercy, grace, and love for us. Forthe justice of God is righteousness, for he is holy and righteous, hehas no sin in him, it is his nature to be holy, pure and righteous.
Deuteronomy 32:3 -4.because I will publish the name of the Lord; ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, his work is perfect; for all his waysare judgment; a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right ishe. So how can we stand in front of a just God, with our sinfulnature? We can’t! So how can a God that is just and righteous and we as humans, sinful in nature, can God forgive sin?
Romans 6:23.For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans3:23.For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. For God isso holy he cannot look upon sin, he must be separated from sin. How can God the Father, who is just and righteous, look upon man?
Habakkuk 1:13. Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity; wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoured the man that is more righteous than he? This means God does not look upon our sins in favor, he never approves sin by any means because he is holy and just.