How far off are we?

I've been reading a lot, and having plenty of time to think while on vacation. And one thought came to mind while I was reading The Reason for God, a book I am really enjoying and will probably write a really great review for when I finish it.

I was thinking about some of the things that Jesus said during his time about what we need to do to inherit eternal life. He mentioned that we need to give up all our possessions and follow him. That we need to be willing to give up our own families and devote our entire life and everything we do to God. He even says that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to go to heaven. Lots of people have claimed that these can't possibly be true and he must have just been exaggerating so that we'd realize our flaws.

But maybe we have been off by a lot. We hear from all of our secular college friends that there is no way that a college student should be living the Christian life, that now is the best time to enjoy parties, alcohol, and promiscuous relationships. It's like this whole time we should be ordering kids' meals at restaurants, but the way they are marketed, the quarter pounder is the healthiest burger any adult should want to get at a fast food place. Is our principle of "Arms Length Christianity," where we make sure we are always behaving in a barely more moral way than our secular culture says we should be, something we need to be fighting against.

Or perhaps these incredibly strict ways of living that Jesus talks about are a way to point out that we can't possibly inherit eternal life no matter what we do. That the ONLY way to live with God after death is to realize how far we are from the target and ask for His forgiveness.