Saturday, October 2, 2010

Is Being "Good" enough....?


Everyone thinks that being a good person, will get them into heaven. Please don’t be deceived. This is not the case. What is the definition of being a “Good Person”? How “good” does one have to be, to be “good”. Most people can’t even agree on what it is, to be “good”. So if we can’t even agree on a certain Standard, how we can we expect to get in to heaven based on it.

Why even say one has to be “good” to go to heaven. Why not just let everyone in? Good or Bad who cares, if there is no standard by which we can go by to determine “Good”. So God should just let everyone in. Everyone from Mother Teresa to Jack the Ripper. Who cares? What is “Good” anyway? Right?

No. God gave us the moral standard by which to live by, and to be frank and straight to the point, only Gods opinion of “good” matters. He is the judge we have to please, the one with the keys to heaven. He has the power to let you in or keep you out. So why does man INSIST on using his own definition of “good”? He isn’t going to ask you what your neighbor thinks “good” is, or how society defines “good” when we stand before God, it’s going to be his standard, and his standard only.

The “good news” is , (and that’s why they call it the good news), is that we don’t have to live up to his standard of being “good”. He gave us a get out of Jail free card. Jesus. Jesus lived a sinless perfect life maintaining Gods Holy standard. A standard we could never ever achieve. God is Holy. Sin cannot dwell where God dwells. Sin must be judged, and burned. Our only hope is the man who led that perfect life and is therefore worthy of heaven. Like the old saying goes “it’s not what you know, but WHO you know”. His righteousness is our ticket in. Instead of guilty by association, in this case, it’s innocent by association. Jesus is the mediator between us and God. You can cry, you can beg and try and justify your life, it will do no good. He told us what we must do…ask forgiveness and accept Jesus as our savior. If you reject Jesus, you reject Gods plan of salvation, therefore forfeiting your entrance to heaven.

Think of it this way, if you want nothing to do with God, Jesus, or his holy word the Bible, Why would he let you in? That is where Jesus dwells. It would be like someone trying to come live with you, that detests you, cringes every time your name comes up, does everything to avoid you and most times acts as though you don’t matter or even exist. This is how many people behave, yet they expect to be let into heaven. Being a christian means to be a follower of Christ, it's not a religion, as the world would have you believe, its about a personal relationship with Jesus. Jesus IS the EXCLUSIVE one and only way to heaven but he is NOT EXCLUSIVE in his offer.He offers life eternal in heaven for ALL MANKIND. Being a Christian is not just about going to heaven but looking forward to heaven. Not just because its wonderful there, but because Jesus is there. So how do we begin to have a relationship with him?

First we have to recognize that we are sinful and cannot meet Gods standards. Forgive me here, but only a fool would try and deny any existence of sin in his or her life. Not according to my definition of sin, but of Gods. Thats what the 10 commandments do, they show us the ways in which we have fallen short of Gods standards. ALL have fallen short of the glory of God. ALL. None of us are worthy but through Christ we are a new creation. Having accepted Christ as a sacrifice for our sins. He paid the ultimate price so we wouldn’t have to.

I am not perfect, far from it, and I still sin. If I said I didn't I would be telling a lie. If I never sinned and was capable of being perfect I wouldn’t need Christ and his death on the cross would have been for nothing. I sin, I try not to as best as I can, just because he forgives does not give me a green light to sin. It’s a fine line and very difficult to walk, being a Christian isn't easy. If I sin the world says I am a hypocrite, yet when trying to live a life less sinful, the world accuses believers of being self righteous, goody two shoes. I am in no way better than anyone else. I am just trying to share how Christ has set me free, I can be sure of my eternal destination. Christ was perfect and sinless, HE CANNOT LIE. It is this truth that I hang my hopes of heaven on.

"Christianity has been described as one beggar telling another beggar where to get bread." That’s all. That’s all I’m trying to do, is let you know that you don’t have to wonder whether or not you will be judged “good” enough to get into heaven. Left to your own merits, according to Jesus you would NOT be worthy.

One last point. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. No doubt about it, but, just to view it from another perspective, even if Jesus wasn’t the way, and either all people go to heaven or there is no life after death,and all defintions of "good" are accepted, what has been lost by believing? Nothing, I am no worse off. I would still get into heaven anyway, or I wouldn’t know the difference because nothing else exists. However, if Jesus is the only way by which we may enter heaven, then the consequences for the unbeliever are beyond comprehension.

What makes heaven, heaven is its lack of destruction, depravity, pain and sorrow. If it wasn't void of those things it wouldn't be heaven. God must separate the light from the darkness, the "good" from evil. That along with the presence of God and Jesus, makes it heaven. Doesn’t it make sense to find out more about Jesus and the God of the Bible. It truly is the Good News. I love Jesus for loving me first, enough to take on the sins of ALL MANKIND not just a select few, in order to ensure that all could come to heaven by way of his sinless life. Paying a price I could not earn or pay. Through Jesus we are set free from the penalty of sin. I have put my trust and faith in Jesus. I pray that you will do the same.

While you were sleeping- By Casting Crowns