Ask a thousand people, “are you a good person?” and 999 of them will answer, “yes!”
“I’m on par with my friends and neighbors,” they think to themselves. “Compared to some of them, I’m practically a saint!”
Our secular culture tells us that we’re good. Look at this article titled, How to Be a Good Person, and you’ll see what I mean. Just love yourself, be yourself, be honest and forgiving and… presto! You are a good person!
A lot of “spiritual” people think that being a good person is their ticket to heaven. “When I die, God will weigh the good I did against the bad. I’m a good person, so Saint Peter’s gonna let me through the pearly gates for sure!”
This idea goes back a long way. The ancient Egyptians believed that when a person died, the gods weighed their heart on a scale against the feather of Ma’at (truth, order, justice). If the person did evil things in life, their heart would be heavier than the feather, and it would be gobbled up by a demon. But if they were a good person, their heart would be lighter than the feather, and they would be allowed into paradise.
The hard truth.
Thomas Sowell said, “When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear.”
If you tell people they are good; that they’re terrific just they way they are, they’ll love you for it! They’ll smile and walk away feeling great. It’s exactly the kind of thing we all want to hear.
If you tell people they are wicked and vile, they won’t be too happy with you. They will probably get offended and angry. No one wants to hear that, let alone believe it.
But if we care about people, we have to tell them the truth from God’s Word, even when it’s unpleasant, and Scripture absolutely destroys the idea that people are good.
As it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;”
Romans 3:10 / Psalm 53:3
Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good!
Psalm 14:1
The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?
Jeremiah 17:9
If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.
I John 1:8
Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.
You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.
All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.
Ephesians 2: 1-3
I know… it’s all about as pleasant as a cancer diagnosis, but it’s what the Bible says.
The world may say that you are a good person, but God says otherwise. It is by His standard that you will be judged, and His standard is absolute holiness.
We all fall short of God’s definition of good (Romans 3:23). We can never be good enough to earn our way into Heaven. What few good works we actually do are equivalent to filthy rags:
We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.
Isaiah 64:6
No amount of good deeds will wash away your sin, and the Bible says in Romans 6:23 that “the wages of sin is death.”
If this news frightens you… that’s the point. A man who believes he is healthy doesn’t seek a doctor, but a man who knows he is sick does. Similarly, only a man who grasps his desperate spiritual condition will seek the Savior.
The good news!
The bad news is: we are all sinful people, and God has decreed that sin must be punished. There’s no getting around it. The debt must be paid.
But God loves us enough that He sent His Son to die in our place. Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life. He went willingly to the cross, and shed His blood as payment for your sin and mine.
For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood.
Romans 3:25a
You have been offered a full pardon for your sin, but you must accept it. You accept this gift by putting your faith in Jesus Christ alone.
We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
Romans 3:22
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.
Ephesians 2:8-9
When you stand before God as your judge, your good works won’t be enough to save you. Only one thing will matter: Did you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ? “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)”
If you haven’t come to Jesus yet, don’t delay. Life is but a vapor that will soon pass. Humble yourself. Admit that you are a sinner. Ask for His mercy and forgiveness, and you will get it.
If you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, remember to take a few minutes each day to express your gratitude for the amazing, free gift of salvation!
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.
Psalm 118:1
