Solomon asked in Proverbs 20:6, “Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?” The overwhelming majority of people who believe in an afterlife believe they are going to heaven. Research polls show this year after year. When a person is asked if heaven will be their home, a common response is, “Yeah, I think I’m a pretty good person. I think God will let me in.” Is there any recognition in this answer of the power of Christ’s blood to remove sins and enable one to stand justified before God? No.
God’s Word, while encouraging us to be better people, does not convey the concept that one goes to heaven simply on being a pretty good person. Rather the recognition that one is guilty before God and worthy of death is the Biblical starting point to salvation (Mk. 2:17; Jn. 9:39-41; Rom. 3:19-26). The great need for the gift of salvation because of man’s utter inability to be right before God on his own merits is a common theme in the Scriptures (Rom. 3; Eph. 2; et. al.). If a man does not see the heinousness of his own sins and his guilt before God, he will not appreciate his need for a Savior and the importance of Christ’s death on the cross for him.
The last few generations have generally held the prevailing opinion that we are not responsible for our own destructive actions. We are masters of self-deception, easily dismissing any notion that we are culpable. Whether it is our genes, our upbringing, the government, or a whole host of other entities, we are often found implying that someone else is ultimately responsible for our poor decisions.
Humanity, it seems, has always had this tendency. The first sin was followed by questioning from God (Gen. 3:11), to which Adam tried to pass the buck to the woman God gave him (Gen. 3:12). Eve then tried to pass the buck to the serpent (Gen. 3:13). God gave each of them punishment for their actions (Gen. 3:14-19). Cain grew angry with everyone else, when it was his decision to offer the improper sacrifice to God (Gen. 4:5-6). This anger festered until he murdered his brother (Gen. 4:8; 1 Jn. 3:12; Jude 11). It wasn’t Abel’s fault that Cain’s sacrifice was not accepted. Time and space would not allow us to explore every example of this attempted shifting of responsibility in the Bible from Aaron’s excuse for fashioning the golden calf (Ex. 32:21-24) to Saul’s insistence that he had obeyed but the people spared the animals for sacrifice (1 Sam. 15:13-23) and so on, but these examples suffice to show it is prevalent in human behavior.
Romans 3:10-18 gives a clear verdict that all accountable individuals stand guilty before God on their own merits. While death is deserved for our decision to sin, salvation is provided as a gift through Jesus Christ (Romans 6:23). Faith, repentance, confession, and baptism are required to enter the realm of the saved (Acts 2:38; 8:37-39; 17:30-31; 22:16). A faithful life is required to maintain salvation (Mt. 25; 1 Cor. 10:1-14; Rev. 2:10). In the end will you be found lost trying to argue your own goodness to the Lord (Mt. 7:22), or will He find you faithful and welcome you into the joys of heaven (Mt. 25:21, 23)?
-Mark Day
Leave a Reply