Are You a Good Person?

“Don’t be misled – you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.” (Galatians 6:7 NLT)

Imagine you’re on vacation. You’re driving with your family to a beautiful destination. The surrounding area is already “teasing” you with it’s unique and inviting majesty, so much so you didn’t notice that you went from a speed zone that was 75 mph to 55 mph. You’re awakened from the charm of the landscape when you hear the siren and glance in the mirror to see the lights on the Police cruiser, and the officer signaling you to pull over. You get a ticket, but since you were going 20 over the limit, you have to go to court.

The judge is responsible to uphold the law, one of which you have broken. So, when you stand before him, does he care that you were on vacation? That you’re a doctor, lawyer, or candlestick maker doesn’t (or shouldn’t) have a bearing on the fact that you have broken the law. Does the judge care if you love your wife and kids? That you haven’t missed a day of work in 13 years? That you tithe your income and volunteer faithfully at your church?

While all of that is commendable, none of it changes the fact that you have broken the law and there’s justice to be served. What’s my point?

When we share the Gospel of Christ, we too often get sidetracked by people who want to change the focus of our conversation with them from fact to feelings, from conscience to emotion. It’s no longer about the fact they’ve broken God’s laws, it’s about “I’m a good person, and God loves me too much to condemn me.” 

We misunderstand the nature of sin. Sin is a violation of the laws of a Holy God who is not only loving, He’s just. We want to believe He’s too good to allow anyone to go to hell. The fact is, He’s too good NOT to allow people to go to hell.

You be the judge. A young girl is kidnapped. She’s drugged and forced to do unspeakable things, that not only violate her body, but her soul. Ultimately, she’s murdered for trying to escape. The perpetrator is arrested and comes to trial. You hear testimonies and watch video evidence that is irrefutable. There’s no question of his guilt. What would you do? To let him go free would be a travesty. Justice demands a guilty verdict! What would you think of a judge who would let a guilty person walk?

Yet, we violate the laws of God without remorse and expect Him to ignore our sin because He’s a God of love. It’s a violation of God’s holiness to ignore our unrepented sin.

Paul wrote in Romans 1:18: “But God shows His anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.” Then in verse 21: “Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship Him as God or even give Him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.”

Ray Comfort wrote in his book “Faith Is For Weak People” (page 52): “Sinners bring God down and lift man up. They give praise to nature rather than the Creator, and then they imagine that He doesn’t think sin is serious. The Scriptures, however, warn that in His holy eyes, lying, stealing, lust, hatred, blasphemy, adultery, fornication, greed, rebellion, and a thousand other sins are extremely serious. Divine justice cries out for retribution, and hell makes perfect sense. It is frighteningly reasonable.”

Are you a good person? Paul records the words of the Psalmist in Romans 3:12b: “No one does good, not a single one.” To rely on our own goodness to get us to heaven is eternal suicide.

Blessings, Ed