Why Can't I Just Be a Good Person?

Here's a reproduction of an excellent article by Michael Ramsden (European director of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in the United Kingdom), taken from http://www.rzim.org/. Emphasis added.


Why Can't I Just Be a Good Person?

"People are basically good," writes one poet. "It is only their behavior that lets them down."

It is remarkable today that despite religion, creed, or practice, many believe they are good enough to get into heaven. Perhaps there is so much bad news about others that they conclude by comparison they are superior, and thus, deserving of a place in eternity. But then it is even more remarkable that when Christians claim they know they are going to heaven, they are regarded as being conceited, boastful, and arrogant. People immediately ask: How can they think that they are better than everyone else?

The fact that the same person can think of himself as superior to others, while at the same time criticizing Christians for arrogance, underlines one of the effects of living in a postmodern world. Though the contradiction is frustrating, we all need to be able to respond coherently to the questions at hand: Why can't I just be a good person? Isn't it unfair of God to say that you can't get into heaven unless you believe in Him, even though you have been a good person? Who does God think He is?

Jesus was once asked a similar question by a group of inquirers: "What must we do to do the works God requires?" (John 6:28). Interestingly, the question was posed in plural form; it seems they were looking for a list of good things to do. But Jesus replied in the singular, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent" (6:29).

Of course, in the minds of those who feel they have lived a good life, Christ's answer will not go unchallenged. What makes belief so special? Surely what we do is far more important than what we believe. How can a good person, who is not a Christian, be denied access on the basis of belief?

The difficulty here lies in the assumption that is being made in each of these questions—namely, that there is such a thing as a good person. Jesus again offers further clarification in the form of question and answer. He was once asked, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" (Luke 18:18). The theory of the questioner was clear: Jesus is a good person; good people go to heaven, so what must I do to be in the same group? But Jesus's reply was surprising. "Why do you call me good?" he asked (18:19). He then answered his own question: "No one is good—except God alone."

The simple truth is that the issue is not about good people not getting into heaven. Alas, the problem is much worse! Jesus seems to define goodness in terms of being like God, and on that basis there are no good people anywhere. Thus, the real question is not about who is good enough to get in to heaven. The real question is how God makes it possible for anyone to get in at all. The answer is that we need to be forgiven, and that forgiveness is won for us through the Cross.(1)

In fact, this is precisely why the Gospel is called Good News, and why Christians do well to declare it. The good news is that getting into heaven is first and foremost about forgiveness. And thus, the Christian testimony is, in fact, far from arrogant! If a Christian is sure that he is going to heaven it is not because he is good, but because he has received forgiveness by believing in Christ.

In other words, if we will trust in and rely on Jesus—his promises, his person, his life, death, and resurrection—we can be sure that we are saved. Christians are not good people because they live morally superior lives to everyone else. They have been made "good" in God's eyes because Christ has made forgiveness possible—because Christ has extended his own righteousness to those who will believe.

Good people will certainly go to heaven. However, the path to goodness lies not in religious observances or respectable acts, but in the forgiveness of a good God, given to us through the Cross of Christ.

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The promise to claim

"As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

So is My word that goes out from My mouth: it will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

~Isaiah 55:10-11 (NIV)~

Salib

"If you take CHRIST out of the CHRISTIAN, you're left with IAN, and Ian can't help you."
~ Michael Ramsden~

:-)

Been thinking about why Jesus had to die such an excruciating, mangled death. Why didn't He just die peacefully, maybe in a quiet room, comfortably on a bed? Just "cough cough", "wheeze wheeze", and go peacefully. Why did He have to be stripped, injured, ravaged, bloodied, mocked, made to suffer and left dangling shamefully on a cross?

Ravi Zacharias illustrated it very well when he said that it was like telling a drunkard to stop drinking, but wouldn't listen. Until one fine day, in his drunken stupor, he drives dangerously home and knocks over his own child playing in the driveway. Then he sees for himself what his drunkenness has done.

Jesus had to demonstrate to us that sin is bad, and the sooner we come to terms with that, the better. Sin destroys us and the people around us.

Or as I mentioned tongue-in-cheek to a friend recently, sin is like a good-looking person with a gun. They look good on the outside, but at the end of the day, they'll shoot you dead :P

It pains me when we not only justify our sins, but even boast about them. There's bragging about bedding a certain girl, or taking pleasure in another man's wife. Or committing a lesser crime of corruption for the sake of a so-called greater cause which in itself is also a crime.

Yet, down the road, you see those sins manifesting itself in such a real way in the form of broken families, severed relationships, people suffering and lives destroyed. Because sin destroys.

God understands this perfectly. I can't help but wonder that for a brief moment in history, even the Trinitarian relationship was broken when Jesus cried out "My Lord, My Lord, why have You forsaken Me?" So there! Because Jesus understood perfectly, He is able to save us perfectly!

No doubt, it's the hardest thing facing up to our sins. Repentance can be a painful process. Responses to the effect of "cannot la, I'm a hopeless case", "no point la, i'm gone case", etc etc etc crop up. It's hard, yes it's hard, to take an honest look at ourselves and see how we fall short when we stand before a God who demands nothing less than holiness and perfection.

But through Jesus Christ on the cross, what we get is forgiveness. A starting point from which renewal begins within when Jesus fills our lives, and the mending takes place. Without Jesus, we can't begin to make sense of things, find answers and fix the broken.

Jesus Christ's death on the cross is epic. That's why Good Friday is good. Blessed Good Friday everyone!

I'm forgiven, because You were forsaken
I'm accepted, You were condemned
I'm alive and well, Your Spirit is within me
Because You died and rose again
~Chris Tomlin~

Which Way?

Personal life hazard: doing it my way, instead of God's way. There's this tendency for us to push our pre-conceived agenda to God and say "here God, bless it", instead of going to Him with a clean slate and saying "Lord, what would You have me do? How would You have me do it?"

I remember it was Ravi Zacharias who said that (I paraphrase, I can't remember the exact quote) many an unbeliever is willing to go God's way if God is willing to go their way. And worse still, many a believer goes their way and make it look as if it's God's way.

I was revisiting the fall of Jericho in Joshua 6. I'm sure Joshua and the Israelites must have been baffled by what they were told to do in order to bring down the walls of Jericho. Now if we were to conquer a fortified city, how would we do it? Some advanced military strategy or tactic perhaps? Full-blown, head-on assault using brute military strength? Or maybe clever deception (ala trojan horse style)? But no, God instructed them to march around the city once every day for six days. While blowing trumpets. Honestly, it was surely a ridiculous sight.

But here was an important lesson to the Israelites: if they were to conquer Jericho, they must do it according to God's terms, not their own.

And so with each passing day, the same repeated routine probably made the situation more and more absurd. But on the seventh day....seven marches around the city, a trumpet blast and a loud shout later, the walls of Jericho came tumbling down and the city was duly conquered.

If we are to be fruitful for God, we must learn to do it His way, not our way....even if it entails difficulties, sufferings, shame or taking a 'longer route'. This means no shortcuts, and very importantly, the end does not justify the means. In a world that preaches that we must take charge and be in control, the challenge is for us to let God dictate the terms and faithfully commit ourselves to complete obedience to God.

Frank sang "I did it my way." Let's sing a new song: "I did it God's wayyyyyyyyyyyy!"

my cross

Do I sing what I mean? Do I mean what I sing?

I have decided to follow Jesus,
No turning back, no turning back.

Though none go with me, I still will follow,
No turning back, no turning back.

The world behind me, the cross before me,
No turning back, no turning back.

My cross I'll carry till I see Jesus,
No turning back, no turning back.