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…

 

TAKE THE TEST!

1st Commandment: You shall have no other gods before me.
 
Have you always put God first in your life? Jesus said to love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength-~ so much, that your love for your parents, brothers and sisters, friends, and even your own life is like hatred compared to your love and devotion for God, (Luke 14:26). Have you ever failed to put Him first in your life?
Check your answer:
 
[] GUILTY — Yes, I have broken this commandment at least once.
 
[] INNOCENT — No, I have NEVER broken this commandment in my life
 

2nd Commandment: You shall not make for yourself any idol.
 
Who is God to you? Is he only a god of love and mercy who would never judge anyone and never cast anyone into Hell? If that’s your god, then you’re right. Your god couldn’t cast anyone into Hell because he doesn’t exist. He’s a figment of your imagination. You’ve created a god in your own mind that you’re more comfortable with. You may call it your “personal belief,” but God calls it idolatry. The Bible warns that idolaters will not inherit the kingdom of heaven, (Ephesians 5:5).
Check your answer:
 
[] GUILTY — Yes, I have broken this commandment at least once.
 
[] INNOCENT — No, I have NEVER broken this commandment in my life
 

3rd Commandment: You shall not take the name of God in vain.
 
Have you ever used God’s name as a curse word? If you have, you’ve taken the holy name of God– who gave you your life, your family, and everything precious to you–and used it as a filthy, four-letter word. Hitler’s name wasn’t even despised enough to be used as a curse word! If you have used God’s holy name in that manner, you are a blasphemer and the Bible says “God will not hold him guiltless who takes the name of the Lord in vain,” (Exodus 20:7).
Check your answer:
 
[] GUILTY — Yes, I have broken this commandment at least once.
 
[] INNOCENT — No, I have NEVER broken this commandment in my life
 

4th Commandment: Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
 
God commands that we set aside one day in seven. Have you ever been guilty of breaking this Commandment?
Check your answer:
 
[] GUILTY — Yes, I have broken this commandment at least once.
 
[] INNOCENT — No, I have NEVER broken this commandment in my life
 

5th Commandment: Honor your father and your mother.
 
Have you always honored your parents in a way that’s pleasing in the sight of God?
 
Ask Him to remind you of the sins of your youth. You may have forgotten them, but
 
God hasn’t.
Check your answer:
 
[] GUILTY — Yes, I have broken this commandment at least once.
 
[] INNOCENT — No, I have NEVER broken this commandment in my life
 

6th Commandment: You shall not murder.
 
Jesus warned “Whoever is angry with his brother without cause, is in danger of judgment,” (Matthew 5:22) and the Bible says, “He who hates his brother is a murderer,” (1 John 3:15). God sees hatred in the heart to be as wicked as murder. We can violate His Law by attitude and intent.
Check your answer:
 
[] GUILTY — Yes, I have broken this commandment at least once.
 
[] INNOCENT — No, I have NEVER broken this commandment in my life
 

7th Commandment: You shall not commit adultery.
 
Jesus warned, “You have heard.. .‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart,” (Matthew 5:28). Have you ever looked at another person with lust? The Bible says that adulterers and fornicators (those who have had sex before marriage) will not enter the kingdom of heaven (I Corinthians 6:9).
Check your answer:
 
[] GUILTY — Yes, I have broken this commandment at least once.
 
[] INNOCENT — No, I have NEVER broken this commandment in my life
 

8th Commandment: You shall not steal.
 
Have you ever stolen anything (even if it was something small)? The value of the thing stolen doesn’t matter; petty theft is still theft. Have you ever taken anything that belonged to someone else (from the office, school, parents, etc.)? If you have, that makes you a thief
Check your answer:
 
[] GUILTY — Yes, I have broken this commandment at least once.
 
[] INNOCENT — No, I have NEVER broken this commandment in my life
 

9th Commandment: You shall not lie.
 
Have you ever told a lie? Then you are a liar. How many murders do you have to commit to be a murderer? Just one. If you have told even one lie, that makes you a liar. The Bible warns that all liars will have their part in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 21:8). You may not think deceitfulness is a serious sin, but God does.
Check your answer:
 
[] GUILTY — Yes, I have broken this commandment at least once.
 
[] INNOCENT — No, I have NEVER broken this commandment in my life
 

10th Commandment: You shall not covet.
 
This means we should never desire anything that belongs to another person. Not their house, nor their car, nor their money, nor their wife, nor their lifestyle, nor anything that belongs to another person. Have you ever broken this commandment?
Check your answer:
 
[] GUILTY — Yes, I have broken this commandment at least once.
 
[] INNOCENT — No, I have NEVER broken this commandment in my life

 

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.