Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Are you a good person?

This past week, I was reminded of a technique popularized by Ray Comfort that leads people to Jesus by showing them their sins.  It is the "Are you a good person?" technique.

It first asks the person to rate their goodness on a scale of one to ten with Hitler being number one and perhaps (in honor of his homegoing today) Billy Graham at ten.  Compared to these two people I would probably rate myself at a 7.  I know I'm not perfect. (Neither was Billy Graham).  But I've never systematically slaughtered millions of Jewish people.

But the problem is that God will not judge our perfection based on other people.  He will judge us based on himself and his own standards.  Jesus Christ was the only perfect human being to live and he was God.  We will be judged against him and by him.  Matthew 5:48 says to be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.  Jesus achieved that.  I have not.

Then we go through all the ten commandments to show how rotten we really are.  Really commandments 2 through 10 are just a reiteration of the first.

1. You shall have no other gods before me.  Is there something I love more than Jesus that I look to for answers more often than him?

2.  You shall not make a graven image of God. 

3. You shall not take God's name in vain.  Have you ever said "God" or "Jesus Christ" in a swearing fashion?

4.  Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.  Do you take a whole day off from working and actually stop?

5. Honor your mother and father.  Do you ever disrespect your parents?

6.  Do not murder.  Have you been simply angry at someone?  Those are the seeds of murder and fall under that sin according to Jesus in Matthew 5.

7. Do not commit adultery.  Do you think of somebody else lustfully, even fantasize?  Those are the seeds of adultery and fall under that sin according to Matthew 5.  Plus any sex that is not between a married man and woman is in this sin, too even though "adultery" specifically denotes someone who is married but not to the one he or she is having sex with.  Even if neither of you are married, it is still adultery.

8. Do not steal.  Have you cheated on a test?  Idled on the clock at your job?  Done poor work for pay or credit?

9. Do not lie.  Have you lied?  Unless you are Jesus, you've lied.  It's the easiest sin to commit.

10.  Do not covet.  Do you want something so bad that you will stop at nothing to get it? 

I've committed all 10 categories of sin.  When you compare yourself to this list, you will notice that you have too.  And if you break one commandment, you've broken them all.  And no amount of good deeds will balance it out because your sins are like a tattoo.  It's permanent and will haunt you the rest of your life.

You have to perfectly keep the commandments to be saved, but you haven't.  There's a problem.  It's like trying to jump across the Grand Canyon by yourself.  You need help.

That is why we need Jesus.  Jesus kept all the commandments.  He lived the only perfect life.  And then he died in my place because it is impossible for him to stay dead since he was perfect.  And he stands before his Father in heaven to plead my case.  If you believe in him, he will take on your sins and give you his perfect righteousness so that you can come before the Father on the day of judgment completely absolved of your sins.  You don't have to do special penance or any rituals.  You just have to believe.  And when you do, you will receive the Holy Spirit who will shape you and guide you to the Scriptures so that you can finally follow those commandments.  You won't do it perfectly in this life.  You won't be sinless, but you will sin less.  1 John 1:9 says that if you confess your sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to purify us from all unrighteousness.  Jesus's most simplest sermon is "repent for the kingdom of heaven is near."  Don't just turn from your sins.  That won't save you.  Turn to Jesus.  If you do, he's already saved you.

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