Somewhere on the path of my life, I grew up with the ever-so-popular idea that good people go to Heaven, and bad people go to Hell. You can imagine my shock around the age of seventeen when I encountered scriptures in the Bible that read: (Rom 3:10) "As it is written: "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NO, NOT ONE;" and (Rom 3:23)..." for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,". Just hold on! You mean that no one is "good" in the sight of God? Everyone is bad? Even people who dedicate their whole lives to serving others, like Mother Theresa? But surely their goodness outweighs their bad-ness, right? I don't know about you, but I had a little "moral scales" in my head, and up until really understanding the above scriptures, I had simply assumed that God, like me, (and well, almost everyone I could think of), was just weighing all our actions. And if we tipped over to the good side when we died, we got the golden ticket into the everlasting cool place.
Apparently, that is not how God set things up, at least according to the Bible. I had to be honest with myself. I fit into the "no, not one" and "all have sinned" category. In fact, I was all too aware of my shortcomings, my faults, my blatant disregard for the commandments of God. I could feel myself slipping down a steep incline, and I began to feel the panic of one who cannot save herself. I began to read the Bible in search of answers, in search of hope.
As you read the Gospels, you cannot help but examine Jesus' behavior with the tax collectors, the prostitutes, the scum of society, and contrast it with how He interacts with the religious leaders, and those who had a high, respected standing in the community. With the sinners, He is gentle as He teaches them about salvation and repentance, but with the religious leaders He is harsh, calling them to examine themselves more closely. What is it that Jesus is seeing in the two groups? What is it that He values most? It is not how high they were born, or their education, or even religious knowledge. He didn't see one group as good and the other as bad, for as we have seen above, He knows that they are all "bad", all sinners. No, after careful examination, the difference between the two groups is a repentant/broken heart, and a self-righteous prideful heart.
As parents, we know that our young child has broken our command, yet what makes it worse is when she tries to cover it up and act innocent, when you both know she is guilty. You cannot begin to train her until she admits her own need for correction. When she acknowledges you as parent, as authority.
It is the same between us and God. Psa 34:18 says. "The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit." Ah, here we find the beginnings of hope for all of us in the "no, not one" category. God said that even the breaking of one of His commandments, no matter how small must be paid for in blood, more specifically with death. Rom 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." So the penalty must be paid. And if we are all guilty, then we all have a debt owed.
Then the beauty of the whole thing comes to life. What if someone, completely righteous....well, but no...no one is righteous....except for God Himself! What if God Himself, came to Earth as man, lived a sinless life, and then willingly laid down His life as the penalty for my (our) sin? Then the eternal life mentioned in Romans 6:23 above, would truly be a gift from God, not something I could earn with my "moral scales" idea. He would, in effect, be offering me His righteousness as a gift to cover over and justify my own sins.
But wouldn't I have to admit I was wrong, to get to the place of accepting this gift? I mean, only those who realize they are sick, seek a cure, right? Those who think they are already such good people, might secretly think they are impressing God with all their goodness, much like the religious leaders of long ago. God, like the parent of the unruly child donning an innocent face, wants the heart, and not some outward facade of holiness.
So I had to reach the place of brokenness and need before I would seek the hope handed me through the gift of Jesus. He was gentle in leading me to this place of hope, and He showed me how to accept the gift: Rom 10:9 ..."that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
I would like to encourage you to stop viewing people as good or bad, and to see us all as sinners in need of redemption. Those who have found redemption are simply like the beggar hoping to show other beggars where the food is located.
I know I have breached the politics and religion faux pas of topical conversation, but how could I love you and not share the Truth.
