I can’t remember how many times I’ve heard people remark about someone else, “I think he (or she) is basically a good person.” And at least as many times I’ve heard people say the same of themselves. Many of these people will even go so far as to claim they’ll make it in to Heaven because of their basic “goodness.” Well, the Bible couldn’t be more clear. In more scriptures than I can even remember, our Lord clearly breaks down that lie and spells out the truth. A good example is the often quoted Romans 3:23-24, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” The bottom line is this… we all have that nasty little thing called “sin” tucked away somewhere in our hearts. Without accepting the precious blood of Christ as atonement for it, we’ll never see the kingdom of God.
“…What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.'” Jesus of Nazareth (Mark 7:20-23)
“In reply Jesus declared, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”‘ John 3:3
In Christ,
PastorJimKilby @Kilbin8er Jim@JamesKilby.com