I would consider myself a good person. Yeah...Looking back on my life, I could say that I never did anything too bad. I’m not like other sinners. I’ve never smoked, got drunk, slept around. Never killed anyone. Didn’t steal from a store. I’m a good person. Maybe that’s the problem.
If someone were to ask me, “What did Jesus save you from,” the truth is, I might have a harder time pinpointing something, because I can so easily show how good I am. My journey with Christ is more described chapter by chapter; season by season, rather than a complete turn around. There are pivotal marks such as “praying the sinner’s prayer” or “making my faith my own.” However to describe my faith, the longer I walk with God, the more I find how much I need Him. I have come to the realization that I am not as good as I believe. Nevertheless, it is amazing how quickly I can admit my trust in God, and within moments, throw myself into a confidence of my own ability.
This is not only a problem. This is a conscious decision that has dangerous - eternal- ramifications.
Most of humanity doesn’t fail to meet Jesus due to a lack of recognizing they have badness inside of them. It is due to a lack of recognizing their own goodness is nothing compared to the goodness of God. Society is bent on proving oneself. We aim. We strive. We fall. We try again. Doing the same thing over and over. Pushing ourselves to add more effort every round, in hopes to gain the approval of God. Maybe He’ll be proud of my intent to do good. Yet, it doesn’t do any good. After failing once more, we sit, surrounded by the sin that entangles us. The more we try, the more wrapped and chained we become.
We don’t know where to stop. We don’t know where to begin. Because we are still convinced that we are somehow good enough to earn the pleasure of God’s smile...if just given the opportunity (wait...make that opportunities) to do so. Yet, the prophet, Isaiah clearly stated, “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away (Isaiah 64:6, emphasis added).”
Wait. All of us? Not surely me. I’m good. I’ve done good things. I’m involved in ministry. I worship Jesus. I’m a good person, right? Right?
We know that humanity is not perfect, however, we struggle to agree that no matter how many good deeds we commit, it is outweighed by a single act of sin. A single act of doing something wrong. We like being fair. As Americans, we like our sense of democracy. Er go, we enjoy majority rules. We apply this to our spirituality by attesting that if we accomplish more good deeds than bad, then our salvation must be secured.
However, we are not taking into account that flawed, good-intentioned humans are interacting with an all-holy, all-righteous, and perfect God. This morning, in my devotions, I read about how David brought the ark home back to Jerusalem. At one point, the oxen carrying the ark stumbled, and Uzza, a soldier, ran up to steady the cart. In touching the ark (which symbolized the actual presence of God), he died. I wondered if it could be possible that Uzza just came into the presence of God, and it overwhelmed him physically, that he died. Yet, the Bible says that God’s anger was aroused at Uzza (see 1 Chronicles 13:5-12). Whatever imperfection Uzza had in his life; what sin that was not repented for according to the Law encountered God’s holiness and was found wanting. Something that we, American New Testament, grace-filled Christians don’t like to acknowledge is the God we worship is holy. And He requires complete righteousness to stand before Him.
Former President George W. Bush once said, “We judge individuals by their actions. We [desire to] be judged by our intentions.” The irony is that God judges both. He looks at our actions. And yet, even if we are doing good things, with the wrong motives, He calls them sin. I was taking a walk out by the high school and reflected on the 10 Commandments. At first glance, I have done well by them. However, when I remembered that Jesus quoted, “But I say to you…”, I found myself not in the image I originally portrayed myself.
Paradoxically, it doesn’t just take the re-specified measures that Jesus made the commandments to know that I broke the Law. Going down the list, I can affirmably state that I have broken EVERY single one. Forget James’ direction that if you break one, you break them all...I HAVE BROKEN THEM ALL (see James 2:10)! Analyzing situations where I have sinned, I also found that other commandments were tied and broken in the process. These commandments were often interrelated.
Up front, I would call myself a good person. I haven’t killed anyone. Haven’t slept around. I’m not like other people. I’m not perfect, but bad? Initially, I wouldn’t say so. And yet...in God’s sight, my righteousness (or what I think I can attest) is as filthy rags. About a year ago, I taught a lesson to my youth group called, #Nasty. It was an object-based lesson showing rags of different levels of red dye on white cloths.
One was bloodshot; one was slightly splattered, the last had barely any drops. I proposed the question: “On a scale of 0-10, how nasty do you think you are?” I continued on with the lesson, describing my father’s testimony (which included alcoholism and sleeping around before marriage), followed by my testimony. I announced my “big” sin as fighting with my mother. Finally, I stated, “In God’s eyes, my rebellion against my mother was just as nasty a sin as my father’s alcoholism.” It got so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
We often see our own “goodness” when we compare ourselves to others. But we will see our depravity when we compare ourselves to God. The problem with “good” people is we have forgotten the complete goodness of God, and continue to justify what righteousness we think we have. In doing so, we, like many of the Pharisees, fail to repent and trust in Jesus, because we see no need for it. We love Jesus minutely, because we believe we have been forgiven minutely.
We essentially cheapen Jesus’ sacrifice, because our sin was not that much to pay for.
We are convinced that we can earn our own salvation. Or tied to our old traditional, worldly ways, we believe we should have to be the ones to earn our salvation. Usually the former gives way to the latter, at some point.
We are left with knowing there is a God, but webbed in an instinctual heartache of pursuing performance over grace. Jesus’ sacrifice is big enough for hell, but our adoption as children of God remains a title to be earned. There is a battle in the mind. We know our sin is great enough to require penance. But we have transitioned our minds to fully accept the truth that salvation has nothing to do with us, save for receiving a free gift.
When we finally recognize our sin, we go into overall mode, and push ourselves into “good works”, to relay our confidence, once again, in ourselves. Rather than what God did for us. There are three ways Christians reflect on what Jesus did at the Cross.
We can uphold our own goodness. Forgetting that our sin, as “small” as compared to others, we run into a mode of pride. We exalt God’s goodness, confess it in our hearts and actions. We are confident in our righteousness. However, we become legalistic and push others to get it right with God, as well...as fast as we did. We don’t understand why others struggle with sin or stumble with lies. We equate knowledge and easy follow through as having a relationship with God.
We can go to the other side of the spectrum. We suddenly become utterly aware of our sin. We are apologetic, and rightly so. Somber about what Jesus has done, we then become consumed in seeking to please God. We are driven by shame. Striving to do our best, we act more as a servant than as a son. Still yearning for love, we equate good works with proving our love to God.
The third position is, however, the most healthy. In my opinion, the perspective that God wishes we would take. We have a repentant heart. We turn to Him, but as grateful as we are for salvation, we also rejoice in the title He has for us: child. He allows us to call Him “Daddy”, as well as “Lord”. Our souls perpetuated by joy, we are excited to share about Christ, because of what HE has done in our lives.
Here is the key feature about salvation. It was never about us. In the three ways to respond to Christ, two still, imperatively, trust their efforts will put them right with God. But our efforts could never save us to begin with! Why would we think that we could continue the work of sanctification in our own strength, when our strength wasn’t enough to give birth to it?! When it comes to the discussion of faith, we must learn to rely on Jesus, rather than ourselves. Our goodness - no matter how much or how little you think you have - will never be enough.
As hopeless a statement that may sound (to be told you will never be good enough), the truth is, accepting such a clause frees you to receive Jesus’s free gift, by faith. If you are convinced that you have to prove yourself to the Lord of everything; to be in good standing with the Creator of all things, then your hands are too full to grab onto what He has for you.
Below this blog, I have a list of references for a personal study. But may I clue you in on something? The people who received Jesus’ gift by faith did so without proving their own righteousness. The ones who justified their own efforts to meet God walked away never meeting Him at all.
When we are told to leave securities or forsake the things that we find our identity and worth in, we will either find that Jesus is enough, or we will walk away. We may admit the existence of God; we can even confess that He is good, but if we never stop trusting in our own riches, we will lose track of Jesus and walk away from the eternity He has for us (and arguably, away from salvation, as well).
God loves you!
Let me rephrase: GOD loves you! God LOVES you! God loves YOU! If you are like me, you may have lived your life trying to figure out why nobody cares for you, or why your efforts aren’t enough to gain the affirmation you so desire. Wondered if all you are good for is what you do. And yet...God sees you, loves you, and wants you to become His child. It wasn’t about how good you are. It never was. He knew He was the only one who could redeem you from your sin and make you His own. So, He put the responsibility on Himself to do just that.
Will you stop trusting in your own ability; your own righteousness? Will you believe that God is more than enough for you...and that is okay? Come to Him and rest in His grace.
For further study, check out the following topics/verses:
*Matthew the Tax Collector (Mark 2:18-17; Matthew 9:9-13; Luke 5:27-32)
*More than Sacrifices (Hosea 6:6; Micah 6:6-8)
*The Rich Young Ruler (Mark 10:17-31; Matthew 19:16-30)
*Parable of the Tax Collector and Pharisee (Luke 18:9-14)
*Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10)*Woman Caught in Adultery (John 8:1-12)
*Woman Washes Jesus’ Feet (Luke 7:36-50; Matthew 26:6-13)
*Galatians 1:1-3:29
