One of the ideas that is most offensive to non-believers (and, let's be honest, believers too) is the idea that we are sinners. When we look around at the world, yes, we see inexplicable evil, but we mostly see people living in harmony following the laws and caring for their families and others. It seems hard to call these people bad.
When we look at tragedies like 9/11, we even see firefighters and policeman and average, regular citizens risking their lives to help others with no reward to themselves (and often to their detriment). Are these people evil?
What we have to do first is define what it means to be good. What is our standard? If our standard is everyone else then we are all set. We find it easy to point out that those who commit evil acts are anomalies. Goodness essentially means to us the absence of obvious evil. If I don't hurt anyone--I'm good. If I help someone--that's bonus.
The truth is that the standard for good is much higher--the standard is God's perfect holiness. Goodness (at least according to God's definition), therefore, isn't just the lack of doing bad things--it's perfect purity.
It's not just never murdering someone--it's never thinking a hateful thought.
It's not just never stealing something that doesn't belong to to us--it's never even having the tiniest desire to do this.
It's not just never committing adultery--it's never looking at anyone except your spouse with any sort of interest. (Matthew 5:21-30)
When we look at that standard, it's easy to see that we all fall short. And when we realize that this is the standard to which we are all being held that is when we fall to our knees in humility and recognize we need help.
I want to be that good. I want my instinctual desires to be something of beauty and not of selfishness. I want to be changed.
Bottom line, I want a Savior.
No comments:
Post a Comment