By
being a good person?
There is no one righteous,
not even one
Romans 3:10
...for all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:23
All of us have become
like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are
like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins
sweep us away.
Isaiah 64:6
Are
you trying to be "good enough" for God? None of us can ever be perfect no
matter how hard we try. The Bible says that even our good deeds are like
"filthy rags" - stained with selfish motives and unable to even the score.
Sin is a lot like death - either you are or you aren't - it is not a matter
of degrees.
By
being religious?
All who rely on observing
the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who
does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law." Clearly
no one is justified before God by the law, because,
"The righteous will live by faith."
Galations 3:10-11
Now there was a man of the
Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came
to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come
from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God
were not with him."
In reply Jesus declared, "I
tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is
born again."
John 3:1-3
In
this passage Jesus is speaking to a very powerful church leader. Although
Nicodemus was highly religious - Jesus told him that he needed to be born
again. He goes on to explain that just as we are born physically, we must be
born spiritually. Spiritual birth comes through faith - not religious
rituals. Standing in a garage does not make you a car - sitting in church
does not make you a Christian.
By faith in Christ alone!!!
For it is
by grace
you have been saved, through faith
and this not from yourselves, it
is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast.
Eph 2:8-9
Praise be to the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
In his great mercy he has given
us new birth into
a living hope through the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never
perish, spoil or fade kept in heaven for you, who through faith
are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready
to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for
a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials...
for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
1 Peter 1:3-9
