Do You Consider Yourself To Be A Good Person?

 
Almost everyone thinks they are a good person… But the question you should be asking is,
 
“Am I good enough to go to Heaven?”  Am I good enough to spend eternity fellowshipping with the holy and righteous God of the Bible?  Have I violated God’s laws every day of my life here on earth, without even realizing it or without really caring about it?

HOW WOULD YOU KNOW IF YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH?   The way to find out is to ask yourself if you have obeyed the Ten Commandments.   Most people say, “Well, I’ve broken one or two, but nothing too serious, like murder, etc.” So let’s go through them and see how you do…

Who of us can say we are not guilty of breaking these Commandments?

 
This is what the Bible means when it says, “All have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God,” (Romans 3:23).
 
Can you see your predicament? You are guilty of sinning against God Himself, and, because you have a conscience, (con meaning “with”, science meaning “knowledge”) you have sinned “with knowledge”.
 
Isn’t it true that when you lied, stole, or lusted, etc., you knew it was wrong?
 
Does the fact that you have sinned against God scare you? It should.
 
You have actually angered Him by your sin.
 
The Bible says His wrath abides on you (John 3:36), and that you are an “enemy of God in your mind through wicked works,” (Colossians 1:21).
 
Perhaps you think God is good and because of his goodness He will overlook your sins?
 
But if you knew of a human judge who turned a blind eye to the crimes of a guilty rapist… would you describe him as a “good” judge?
 
No. That would be a corrupt judge.
 

God could never be a corrupt judge.

 
He will punish all the rapists, murderers, and thieves… But he won’t stop there. He will also punish all liars, the lustful, adulterers, idolaters, and blasphemers, (Revelation 21:8).
 

The place of eternal punishment is Hell.

 
Imagine you are standing in front of a judge, guilty of multiple serious crimes. All the evidence has been presented and there is no doubt about your guilt. Your apologies and good works cannot erase your crimes; therefore you must be punished. The fine for your crime is $250,000 or imprisonment, but you don’t have two pennies to rub together. The judge is about to pass sentence when someone you don’t even know steps in and pays your fine for you! The court accepts the money and declares that you are free to go. The law has been satisfied, your debt has been paid in fill, and the stranger’s sacrifice was a demonstration of his love for you.
 
The Bible says that the God of the Universe came into this world as a man (Jesus Christ), and suffered and died on the cross for the sins of guilty sinners, to pay the punishment for their crimes against God (breaking His commandments) because none of us is capable of paying the enormous penalty for our sins, except for the sinless, divine Lamb Of God, Jesus Christ.  Another name for Jesus is Emmanuel, meaning God Is With Us.  The very fact that Jesus (God in the flesh) had to leave heaven and die a horrible death at the hands of His own creatures, should be enough to convince you of how much God hates sin and that there was no other payment for sin acceptable to Him.   As the Bible says of us: “There is none righteous, no not one”, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.  God says “All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags”.  That is because we have sinful hearts and our righteousness is a self-righteousness.   We think we can fix our sin problem by “being good”, when in fact the cross of Jesus Christ declares that that is impossible.  We think we are good. God says compared to His righteousness we are ungodly.  We think we are OK spiritually.  God says we are spiritually lost, blind, and naked, and even spiritually dead.
 
Do you see your need for God’s forgiveness? Then do what God commands and “Repent.. .that your sins may be wiped out and times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” (Acts 3:19) You must turn away from sin and turn to God. Plead with God that He would give you the desire to have NOTHING to do with sin and that He would give you a new heart and a new spirit, so that you would be ready for heaven, and so that God would not be your enemy, your judge, when you die.
 

Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” and “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” [John 5:12]

If you’ve decided to reject the gift of forgiveness and you die in your sins, there is no hope for you. There is no purgatory. The wrath of God abides on you and you will spend eternity in Hell. Please take the time to read what the Bible says Hell is like.

The Bible Describes Hell

 
There are three words translated “HeIl’ in Scripture:
 
Gehenna (Greek): The place of punishment (Matthew 5:22,29; 10:28; and James 3:6)
 
Hades (Greek): The abode of the dead (Matthew 11:23; 16:18; Luke 16:23; Acts 2:27)
 
Sheol (Hebrew): The grave (Psalm 9:17; 16:10)
 

There are those who accept that Hell is a place of punishment, but believe that the punishment is to be annihilated—to cease conscious existence. They can’t conceive that the punishment of the wicked will be conscious and eternal. If they are correct, then a man like Adolph Hitler, who was responsible for the deaths of millions, is being “punished” merely with eternal sleep. His fate is simply to return to the non-existent state he was in before he was born, where he doesn’t even know that he is being punished.

However, Scripture paints a different story. The rich man who found himself in Hell (Luke 16:19-31) was conscious. He was able to feel pain, to thirst, and to experience remorse. He wasn’t asleep in the grave; he was in a place of “torment.” If Hell is a place of knowing nothing or a reference to the grave into which we go at death, Jesus’ statements about Hell make no sense. He said that if your hand, foot, or eye causes you to sin, it would be better to remove it than to “go into Hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:43-48).
 
The Bible refers to the fate of the unsaved with such fearful words as the following:

• Shame and everlasting contempt (Daniel 12:2)
• Everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:46)
• Weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 24:51)
• Fire unquenchable (Luke 3:17)
• Indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish (Romans 2:8,9)
• Everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord (2 Thessalonians 1:9)
• Eternal fire…the blackness of darkness for ever (Jude 7,13)

Revelation 14:10,11 tells us the final, eternal destiny of the sinner:

“He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone…the smoke of their torment ascended up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day or night.’

Today, seek the Lord while He may be found.  Call upon Him while He is near. You may die today while still unsaved and then you will be among those who say:

“The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” [Jeremiah 8:20]
 
If you are not sure how to pray, read Psalm 51 (copied for you at the end of this article) and make it your prayer.
 
If God does indeed have mercy on your soul He will transform you from the inside out. You will think and feel differently as you learn to trust and obey Him. God will give you new strength to live right and love Him above all else. You will want to read your Bible daily and obey His Word.

Psalm 51, verses 1-17:

 
1 Have mercy upon me, 0 God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions.
 
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.
 
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me.
 
4 Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight– That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.
 
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.
 
6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
 
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
 
8 Make me hearjoy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
 
9 Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities.
 
10 Create in me a clean heart, 0 God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
 
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
 
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
 
13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.
 
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, 0 God, The God of my salvation, And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
 
15 0 Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
 
16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering.
 
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart– These, 0 God, You will not despise.

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