ARE YOU A GOOD PERSON?
Some time ago, while preaching to someone (let’s call him Yemi), I asked him to repent of his sins and accept Christ, but he told me (without being arrogant) that he is a good person by all human standards. He wasn’t sure as to what exactly I was asking him to repent from, since, to the best of his knowledge, he is a morally upright fellow. He told me he doesn’t steal, doesn’t lie, doesn’t smoke, isn’t a womanizer, etc.
As he was reading out his “good deeds”, I thought it necessary to put his “goodness” to the ultimate test from the standpoint of the scripture. The following was how our conversation went:
Me: Have you ever used God’s name in vain?
Yemi: In what sense?
Me: Have you used words like “Oh my God!”, “God punish you”, “OMG”, “Holy shit!”, “Holy cow!”, “Jesus!”, etc?
Yemi: I’ve used one of those.
Me: Can you use your mother’s name as a curse word, or to express disgust?
Yemi: No.
Me: Just as using your mother’s name as a curse word dishonours her, using God’s name in vain or as a curse word is BLASPHEMY.
Yemi: Okaaaay…!
Me: Have you ever taken or used something that doesn’t belong to you
(no matter how little) without the consent of the owner — whether now or
in the past?
Yemi: I believe so.
Me: What does that make you?
Yemi: A thief.
Me: No! That makes you a blasphemous thief.
[Both of us laughed]
Me: I have one more to go. Have you ever looked at a woman with lust?
Yemi: Yes.
Me: Jesus said in Matt 5:27-28 that if you look at a woman with lust
that you’ve automatically committed adultery with her in your heart.
Yemi: Woooow!
Me: You see, I’m not trying to judge you, Yemi, but by your own
admission, you’re a blaspheming, thieving and adulterous fellow. This
sharply contrasts your earlier claim that you’re a good person. If we
continue to go over the 10 Commandments, you’d be amazed how woefully
you will fail each of the commandments.
Yemi: Obviously true.
Me: Imagine you’re dead, and you’re standing before God in judgment right now, do you think you’d be going to heaven or hell?
Yemi [looking very sad]: Hell, unfortunately.
Me: Does give you concern?
Yemi: Sure, it does.
Me: Imagine you were charged to court for breaking the traffic law.
The judge had pronounced you guilty and fines you. If someone steps in
and pays the fine in full, won’t you walk out of that court room a free
man on that day?
Yemi: If my fine has been paid for, I definitely will walk out free.
Me: That was exactly the transaction that happened when Christ hung on
the cross over 2000 years ago and said “It is finished!” Knowing that it
is impossible for man, through his own good deeds, to try to measure up
to God’s standard, God’s own Son, Jesus Christ, became a man, and lived
a perfect life amongst us for 33 years, at the end of which, He
sacrificed Himself for the sins of the whole world and rose on the third
day, so that you and I can be saved if we reach out to Him in faith.
——————————
Let me leave you with this last thought:
Imagine you are on a flight, and your airplane suddenly develops a
fault, and you were provided with a parachute. When you jump out of that
plane, are you going to trust the parachute or are you going to reject
it, with the hope that flapping your arms around will land you safely?
Just as flapping your arms rather than trusting the parachute is foolishness, rejecting Christ and believing that your good deeds would save you is delusion of grandeur. Your “good deeds” no matter how great CAN’T and WON’T save you.
The only thing that teaches you how to live right in this present age is the Holy Spirit, and this happens when you enter into God’s grace through Jesus Christ (Titus 2:11).
Repent and trust Christ ALONE!
Read John 3:16
ARE YOU A GOOD PERSON
#OpraDre
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