2. “I make sure my good outweighs my bad, so I’ll probably make it to heaven.”
3. “I try to follow all the rules, be a good person, and go to church. So I think God considers me a Christian.”
Which of these statements is true? None of them. But we hear versions of them all the time, so let’s consider why they’re false.
1. If God waited until we straightened up, He’d still be waiting.
2. If our good could outweigh our bad, we wouldn’t need Jesus.
3. It’s impossible to follow all the rules (613 in the Jewish law). And whose standard are we using when we call ourselves “good?” One sin mars perfection. Going to church doesn’t make us Christians any more than going to the lake makes us fish.
The scripture makes it clear that “…while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”(Romans 5:8). In other words, God met us where we are. He knows we can’t be good enough. He gave the law to show us how far off the mark we are. Until we realize and admit we’re doomed, we can’t appreciate what Jesus did for us. We don’t appreciate a fireman until we’re trapped in a burning building or a policeman until we’re being assulted. And we don’t appreciate Jesus until we realize just how lost we are without Him.
When we could do nothing to save ourselves,
God met us where we were and He did the rest.
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