Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
2 Corinthians 7:1 (NKJV)
Questions to ask yourself
Why do you behave or act the way you do?
Why do you speak the way you do?
Why do you think or reason the way you do?
Why do you have the attitude you do?
Are your words, thoughts, actions and attitude “random”?
Any rational/sane person would emphatically respond with a “NO!”, so I doubt your answer would be any different.
If our words, thoughts, actions and attitude are not random, then it must mean that they are influenced or motivated by something and/or someone, as well as internal and/or external factors.
Again, I would expect all my rational/sane readers to nod in agreement.
I challenge you to ask yourself these questions:
- Who or what influences me?
- What are the internal/external factors that influence me?
Jesus is my greatest Influencer
It should be pretty obvious to everyone that I am a Christian – I make no effort to hide the fact. I’m not ashamed or afraid to admit that I am a born again believer, a follower of Jesus Christ. I am certain some have branded me a bigot or an idiot (a bigotous idiot?) because of my faith but I honestly don’t care what anyone thinks about me. I have way more important things to do than try and impress others.
Yes, Jesus is my Saviour and Lord, the One who died for my sins so that because of Him alone, I have God’s forgiveness and will spend eternity in heaven. This is the Gospel, the Good News and Jesus offers salvation to you as well.
HOWEVER, I’m not a Christian because I am afraid of hell or have been “brainwashed” into being one.
I want to love others, be kind, have genuine compassion, be a faithful and wonderful husband, be an awesome father, be honest, have integrity, work hard, uphold the law and be an excellent person overall because of who Jesus is and the example He set for me/us.
I think it’s very important I point out here that I am far from perfect as a Christian, let alone as a person. I fail God’s standards (as laid out in the Bible) every single day – be it in the way I think, speak or act/interact with others. This isn’t some attempt at faux humility either, it’s just the honest to God truth.
Though I fail miserably everyday, I don’t beat myself up or succumb to despair because God’s love for me and grace towards me sustains me every moment.
I am not a “good person” (God ALONE is good!) but all that you consider good in me or is great about me, is because of Jesus ALONE and His Spirit at work in me.
Ignorant people cast aside Christianity as “just another religion” but fail to grasp the depth of what it means to be a true follower of Jesus, what that looks like in practice on a daily basis. Simply reading the Bible like any other book doesn’t make one an expert on Christianity/Jesus/the Christian God.
Questions I want to leave you with
Are you trying hard to be a “good person”, confident you don’t need God to be one?
If so, do you define what a “good person” is all on your own and apply it to yourself OR is there some global standards that you measure yourself against?
If there are global standards for what it means to be a “good person”, who determined these standards?
What if your standards are not good enough in comparison to someone else’s and that their standards deem you to be a “bad person”?
Have you ever lied?
Have you ever thought ill of another person?
Have you ever taken something that didn’t belong to you (yes, even office supplies)?
Do you realise that any person you consider to be a role model, would also be just as flawed as you are, far from perfect?
I could ask you plenty more questions but my prayer is that you will realise that believing you are a “good person” and therefore you’ll go to heaven (if heaven was real, right?), is simply wishful thinking.
Conclusion and Invitation
It is IMPOSSIBLE to be a good person, let alone enter heaven, without Jesus/God.
Jesus said that God alone is good (Mark 10:17-18, Luke 18:18-19), making the point that He alone is good because He is God.
Jesus is the One who will judge everyone in the end, based on His standards alone.
If you die without receiving the free gift of salvation Jesus offers, you die in your sins and eternal separation from God’s love is what awaits you.
Believing in Jesus isn’t just about the hereafter, it is just as important when you’re still here (on earth). When you place your trust and faith in Jesus, His Spirit will help you to surpass the “good person” you were always striving to be in your own strength!
If you’d like to know more about Jesus, ask me and I’d be happy to share more about Him and do my best to answer any questions you may have.
God bless you.
Thank Sri 🙂