Good on our own?

Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Psalm 127:1

Put simply, unless you're doing it for God, it's worth nothing. And unless we put it in God's hands, it will not succeed ultimately.

Often I hear from non believers, "Why do we need God to be a good person?" And I've made the argument in the past about how we all define "good" in different ways, even if slightly different.  But here's my argument this time: the difference is in the why.

Let's look at Gandhi. I think most people would agree that he is considered to be one of the better people in history. Now, he was known for being a bit of a racist, sure, but on average - from more worldly perspective - he's done far more for peace than almost anyone in history. That, by itself, is wonderful.

But why? What were his drivers?

In the Hindu culture, being good comes from a hope that, by doing so, you bring that good into your next life... your reincarnation. One of the ideals for your next life might be to come back as a cow - an animal that is revered by the Hindu culture because those animals are seen as good and righteous ancestors, reincarnated. 

So, in this case was Gandhi doing this for others or for himself? Were his actions selfless, or selfish?

I'm not picking on Gandhi here, I'm just illustrating the point with someone who is held up in our history as someone who was "good" on his own, by his own power.

In contrast, Christians SHOULD let go and let God. And when we do let Him, then we are doing real good. If we are doing it on our own, there are always prideful intentions involved. 

Here's the bottom line: 
True good only comes from God.
If it comes from our own efforts, with our own intentions, it is tainted ... dirtied by pride.

With every "good" deed done without God, it's saying, in essence, "I don't need Him" and, "I've got this with our without Him" and worst of all, "All of what I have and what I am is my doing, not His."

Just be a good person, right?

"I figure, if you just try to lead a good life and do more good things than bad things in general, you should be okay." -- Many People I Know

David was quoted in Psalm 101 saying, "I will be careful to lead a blameless life ..."  But who has ever led a blameless life?  David certainly didn't. 

Seriously, think about it. Who can say they haven't ever lied, even if it was only a "little white lie"? Who can say they've never gossiped or slandered someone or held a grudge or looked at someone lustfully?  Not even Mother Teresa can say that.  So where do you and I stand?

In our minds, it seems reasonable to think that God would weigh our good and bad, then let us in as long as we have a C average or greater.  But what leads us to believe that?  Seems like a nice thing to believe, but there is no objective reason to believe it at all. In fact, the only objective evidence we have is Scripture, which says something very different.

Scripture says that no one is without sin. Paul was so aware of this that he called himself the chief of sinners. Comparing him to a Hitler or Stalin or a Pol Pot, and you may want to argue with him on that. But what he was pointing out was his hyper-awareness of sin as God sees it. To God, sin is sin, even a little white lie is too much to be near God.

So now what? Should we just stop doing good things, knowing that we have no chance at all?  Perhaps.  I mean, if there was no other hope, perhaps. But there is another, better option for us ... one that God provided for us out of His unending grace and His infinite love for us.

"For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son ..." to die for us and for our sins. You see, Jesus is the only human in all of human history to live a blameless, sinless, perfect life.  His death on the cross was to wipe all of our sins away, past and future. This is why he said "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." He was not being arrogant. He was stating the Truth:  that we, by ourselves and by our actions, aren't enough to be near God and to spend eternity with Him in heaven.  We need to be saved from the repercussions and the slavery of our sins.

Can someone be a good person without believing in God? The answer to that is yes.  But there is absolutely no objective reason for them to be good, and however they define "good" is, frankly, a reflection of the Christian value system. Someone who is being "good", is simply acting like a true Christian (emphasis on the word true there).  Conversely, someone claiming to be a Christian, but then continuing to sin without shame, needs to check their heart as to whether they truly are a Christian.  Christianity is a heart change that results in a behavioral change, not the other way around.

God isn't looking for good works: clean and pretty on the outside, but gross and rotting on the inside. God is looking for a heart change. And that heart change, and nothing else, will result in good fruit. That HEART change will result in a trust and hope in God and his commandments and his promises. A heart change makes a person realize that God's commandments are nothing more then a good father showing his beloved children the way to live life as he designed it. And that is the best, most freeand fulfilling way to live it.

So it burdens me, and saddens me to convey the truth, that a person who is "good" without Jesus is nothing more than an actor.  And that being good most of the time if not virtually all the time is simply not enough.

We need Jesus. NEED Him.

Please seek Him. I beg you. I do not want anyone to be away from God, nor does God himself want to lose any of His creations. But He does love us enough to give us free will, to choose to love Him or reject Him.  This is the only way a relationship can work, where buy both choose to love one another.

It's up to you.  And you do not have plenty of time on this. Please be urgent.

Much love, and God bless.