Can't my goodness make me acceptable to God?
The Bible states, "Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?" (Proverbs 20:6) By what standard are you judged? By your standard--you proclaim your own goodness--or by God's standard?
Can you imagine being found guilty of a crime, and as the judge is pronouncing your guilt and sentence, you interrupt and tell the judge he is all wrong because you think that you have done more good in your life then bad? or, that you don't consider that which you were found guilty of to be a crime at all?
If you were the judge what would you say?
It is unreasonable, a fantasy, and intellectual blindness to think that you will tell God what is right and wrong when you stand before God, the Judge of all the earth.
In the Second Psalm (in the Bible) the conflict between God, Who is the Creator and Sovereign Lord of all, and rebellious mankind is spoken of.....
Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
You can remain in your rebellion against God, but your end will be--the righteous judgement and the wrath of God. Three truths regarding God and your goodness/righteousness are essential to understand.
(1) God is absolutely holy. "The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works." (Psalm 145:17); and "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." (1John 1:5) God hates sin with a passion; sin is abhorrent to God. In Proverbs 6:16-19 it is written, "These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren."
(2) To be accepted by God based upon your good works and good intentions would mean you would have to be absolutely sinless. God Himself is the standard of righteousness. The Bible is clear regarding God's standard of righteousness, the Law of God, and what is required--"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." (James 2:10) To break God's Law is to rebel against and offend God Himself. The breaking of God's law is sin, see 1 John 3:4. And the result of sin is "For the wages of sin is death..." (Romans 6:23) You might say, God is that picky? You can take that attitude if you want; but, the truth is God is that HOLY and He is not going to change for you. You are His Creature; it is your responsibility to bow to God.
Before we go to the final of these thee truths read all of Romans 6:23. I only quoted part of it above. "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." God knows that you cannot keep His holy Law and out of His great LOVE has provided a way of salvation from your sin and the wrath to come; but, he will not force it on you, it is a gift to be received. Consider, if God had appointed, back when he made the everything, that you would have to come to Him based on your works every single one of us would be eternally condemned. You should be thankful God does not look to you best efforts to be justified.
(3) God sees things in you that you do not. Proverbs 15:3 says, "The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good." And in another place we are told, "...the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart." (1Samuel 16:7) God sees all the little twists and working of our hearts. God knows you better than you know yourself. God has judged already, pronouncing, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings." (Jeremiah 17:9-10) And, "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." (Isaiah 64:6)
I have two things left to say in this little blog article.
First--
God's Judgement on you is...
Psalm 14:1-3
"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one."
God's love upon you is...
Since God was so loving as to deal with your sin in all its ugliness, you do not have to be afraid of facing up to your sin before God. God has dealt with all your sinfulness in His Son, Jesus Christ.
"For he [God] hath made him [Jesus Christ] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2Corinthians 5:21)
"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:" (1Peter 3:18)
When Jesus Christ hung on that Roman cross in agony God poured out His wrath due to you upon God's own Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus cried, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46) The blood Jesus shed in the atonement (satisfying payment) to God for all your sin and my sin. "In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:" (Colossians 1:14) Redemption is to purchase.
My friend, God love you! God commands all men to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
Please feel free to email me.
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