How good is good?
- On Dec 11, 2008 at 6:05 pm
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I had a thought that I wish to share...
Imagine that you are a basically good person (difficult, isn't it?). If I ask you, "who gets to go to Heaven and who gets to go to Hell?", what do you say? Most likely, something like "Well, really bad people go to hell, like murderers. Good people (like me) go to Heaven." "So, the only people who go to hell are murderers?" I'd reply. "Well, not exactly. I mean, others, like CEOs of big companies who only want to line their pockets with gold at the expense of the American people, they'd go to hell too!"
Then, I'd reset the scenario and ask the same question. "Imagine you are a really really good person. You are so good that nobody else on earth has done fewer bad things than you. In fact, you haven't done a single bad thing. No lies, no swearing, no lusting after another person. You are good. Does that change things?" To which you might reply, "Well, no, not really. I mean, people are all basically good. Just because I'm better, that doesn't mean that people who do little things like lie should go to hell. I want to have somebody to hang out with in Heaven." Do you see the problem here? We have such a lack of understanding of holiness, it makes us unable to comprehend what God has done for us.
Let me put it yet another way. "Imagine you are so good that if anyone who has done one bad thing comes into your presence, so many laws of reality will be violated that the universe will cease to exist. Problem is, your best friend has told a white lie once. You can no longer see them, because you'd destroy the universe and kill everybody. You are simply too good for your friend. In fact, your friend, with their one simple lie, is so evil compared to you that your nose begins to turn away from the awful stench of their atrocity. Your very nature is contrary to their actions. Does this sadden you?"
You see, this is the position God is in. If we truly understand His holiness, we would realize that we are simply unworthy to even look upon His face. But He loves us so much it hurts! So much that He allowed a part of himself to become human, to understand pain and suffering. That part of God, who became man, was so good that the Bible says He committed no sin. He never lied, or stole anything. He never even disobeyed his parents even once. He then caused that man, Jesus Christ, to go through the most horrific, excruciating experience imaginable. Not only was their earthly suffering put to him by the Roman crucifixion ritual, but all of the evil things you have ever done entered his mind and soul, and he felt the weight of an eternity of evil crushing him. But loving you so much, God turned His back on His most precious Son, and allowed Jesus to be crushed by the weight of your evil deeds. In fact, because of the end result, God was pleased by the pain His Son endured, because He knew that He would get to spend eternity with His best friend... You.
There's just one more problem. God is watching the activities of mankind, just waiting for someone to realize that the penalty for their evil and atrocious actions has already been propitiated. The fine that is demanded by God's perfection has already been paid. He asks just one thing of you. "Follow me." If you do that, He can have you back, you can come into His presence and fellowship with Him. His Son has taken your evil away, your sins have been cleansed, and no laws of the universe will be violated in your communion with the Father. He just desires that you accept His gift.
If this interests you, you should read the book of Isaiah and then read the book of John. You will find that the God you believe is playing games with peoples' lives does not exist. He is a God of love, and His solution to your sin problem couldn't be simpler. You don't have to do anything, accept acknowledge that He has done it.
