Good people
“For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.”
Romans 10:2-3
Going through life, we tend to meet some good people. These are the kind of people who believe in God, but also believe they are good enough to get into heaven when they die. Some go to different churches of different denominations. Some say that they had been baptized. Baptism, however, doesn’t save you. Only a personal relationship with God, through His Son Jesus Christ, can save.
In this Bible passage, Paul is speaking about his Jewish brothers. They were very zealous for God, but they were ignorant of His righteousness and sought to establish a righteousness of their own based on the Law of Moses. They thought they were submitting to God’s righteousness, but they were not. Many people and many religions today are in the same boat. They seek to establish their own righteousness and reject God’s righteousness.
The Bible is very clear concerning the righteousness of God. The only righteousness God will accept is that of His Son Jesus Christ, which He imputes to us when we by faith receive Him. We need to cease trying to justify ourselves before God and trust Him for our salvation.
No one is inherently good. This was made clear at the beginning when Adam and Eve took a bite out of the forbidden fruit. Sin entered the world from there, thus separating us from the righteousness of God. From that point on, everyone was sinful.
The good news is that we can reconcile with God and go back to the way things were before The Fall. God made a way through His Son Jesus Christ. He died on the cross to save us from our sin and bring us back to His loving arms. It’s not what we do, but what He did that gives us salvation. Only Jesus makes us “good” people.
This week, pray about the people around you who say they are “good,” but in their hearts, they are far from the Lord. Also, look to yourself to see if you fall in this category. Pray that you can connect with our heavenly Father through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.