Are you a good person?
Before you answer, let me share a passage with you;
"None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one."-Romans 3: 10-12
The word of God is sobering and spot on. If the words above bother you because you actually believe people are essentially good, and that humans aren't as bad as the Bible says they are, your being bothered is simply evidence that the above passage is true.
If you're honest with yourself, in the depths of your own soul, you know you're not a good person. You get mad easily, you don't always give to those in need, you don't live in the ghetto even though you can, you don't like being made fun of, you don't love everyone equally, you're a bit prejudice, you don't like Whites, or Blacks, or Latinos, or Asians, or some-other type of ethnicity. I don't say this to bash you, I just want you to be open and transparent with yourself, and with God.
O' Wretched Man That I Am
People tell me I'm a "good man" from time to time just because I take care of my family; i.e., spending time with my kids, taking them out to visit people and places, living with them, working to support them, and loving my wife. How shallow is it to say I'm "good" without knowing my heart....
Well, God knows my heart, and we see what he thinks of humans who are seeking to be good on their own. God doesn't call anyone "good" in the Bible, in the same we say people are good. God knows that apart from giving your life to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, He has no choice but to sentence you to eternal damnation because He is a 'just and holy' God.
"And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." -Revelation 20:15
Revelation 20:15 is a very sobering verse, isn't it. It states the fact that all will be judged, and that any hoping or desiring to enter into eternal bliss, must have their names written in a special book known as 'the book of life.' God has set the rules for eternity and no one has the authority to change them. Not Buddha, not Mohamed, nor any other religious figure who has ever made an appearance in the landscape of human history. The God of the Bible has said that "anyone" wishing to be saved for all eternity MUST have their names written in the book of life.
The Good of the Gospel
So, the million dollar question is: How does one get their name written in the book of life? Here's how the Bible says it happen...
"And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." -Acts 4:12 (Referring to Jesus Christ in context)
"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." -Romans 8: 37-39
"The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." -Romans 10: 8-10
No matter how you've lived to this point in your life, God extends an offer of salvation to you....
Will you accept?
Be blessed
If you haven't seen this, I think you'll find truth in it.....