Free audio sermons: Get free audio sermons through this free Christan sermon podcast!

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Goodness Or Grace



He was "a model student, very keen, very enthusiastic," according to a former teacher, Michael Rimmer. "He was a very nice, friendly person. He was a person who did a lot of good things," added a former classmate, Efemena Mokedi (via abc.com).  He is educated, wealthy, and cultured.  But, unless he changes, he is lost.

That last statement seems illogical to the average person.  What do you need more than a great personality, friendliness, and good deeds?  Most people say that if they are basically good, moral people, it will be enough to get them to heaven.

Isaiah declared that man's righteousness is like filthy rags (64:6).  Paul wrote, "But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy, He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:4-7).  Do you see what Paul makes essential to eternal life? God's mercy.  God's grace.  God's Spirit.  God's Son. God's plan.  That does not negate obedience (see Titus 2:11-14), but it shows us that whatever goodness we have to commend us is insufficient.  Our standards are inaccurate and incomplete.

Still unconvinced? Guess who is described in the first paragraph.  His name is Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.  He is now better known to many as "The Christmas Day Terrorist," the man who came so close to blowing up Northwest Flight 253 as it approached Detroit from Amsterdam.  He does not claim Jesus as Lord (John 14:6).  He does not recognize the God of the Bible (2 Thess. 1:7-9).  Abdulmutallab is simply an extreme example that should cause us to reexamine the notion that I can get to heaven by being a basically good person.  Not one person will be in heaven who have not had the blood of Christ applied to their sins (Rev. 1:5; Eph. 1:7).
--Neal Pollard

Get a wide variety of Bible commentary and Bible study materials at http://www.abiblecommentary.com today.  There are even FREE text sermons - http://www.abiblecommentary.com/freesermons, FREE  audio sermons - http://www.abiblecommentary.com/audiosermon, and a FREE on-line commentary on the book of Romans:  http://bit.ly/3MRU5I 

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

How to be saved

Are you wondering how to be saved? Are you searching for information on how to be saved? Do you want to know what God requires you to do to be saved from your sins? Learn how to be saved from sin and have heaven you home by visiting http://www.abiblecommentary.com/newtestamentchristianity today! There is also a good discussion on how to be saved at http://www.commentaryonthebible.com/howtobesaved

Bible commentary search engine

On line Bible commentary

My Bible commentary books are now listed on openlibrary.org, a VERY useful web site! Check out this neat web site and my profile there at this link: http://openlibrary.org/people/abible

Commentary on the Bible listing

Yelp.com has helped me promote the "Bible commentary" products from www.abiblecommentary.com - my "yelp listing" is here: http://abiblecommentary.yelp.com

Flickr.com Bible commentary profile

I added my "Bible commentary" profile to flickr and it was EASY! Check it out at http://www.flickr.com/people/abiblecommentary/

Blogs from www.livejournal.com

Are you interested in blogging? If you are looking for a "free blog" that is EASY to use, check out www.livejournal.com. You can be up in running in just minutes - here is my first "Bible commentary" blog post: http://abible.livejournal.com/

Blog Archive