Are You Good Enough?
How well are you doing in keeping the laws of God? Does your righteousness exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees? Are you good enough to make heaven?
In speaking of his brethren, the Jews, Paul wrote: “I bear them record that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” (Romans10:3f). Being zealous for God was not enough to save them. They needed to submit to “the righteousness of God“, and to stop trying to establish their own.
Unfortunately, what was true in Paul’s day is just as true today. All over the world, churches, synagogues, and mosques are filled with people every weekend who are zealous for God, but “not according to knowledge.” They are among the most ardent members of their religions, the ones who fast, tithe, pray and serve the most, in an effort to obtain favor and blessings from God. Sadly, they are seeking to establish their own righteousness based on their good, but imperfect, performance in keeping the laws of God. And the result of such misplaced efforts is guilt and condemnation.
You see, some things require perfection. How many times does a pilot have to fly his plane into a mountain before he is dead? The same number of times you get to break the Law before it condemns you to death. The Law is so perfect that it does not allow for any mistakes. It requires absolute adherence to all its demands. It pronounces a curse on any man who does not obey it perfectly. You can’t just be good; you must be perfect. “Therefore, by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified.”
But this is not the end of the story. God sent His Son into the world that we may live through Him. What we cannot obtain through the Law by our zeal and self-effort, we can receive by simple faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” (Rom. 1:16f)
The righteousness, which is according to the Law, says: “Do this, and this, and this, and live.” Unfortunately, we can’t. That standard is beyond our imperfect reach. But the righteousness of God, the righteousness which is received by faith, simply says: “Believe this, and be saved.”
Here is the good news. Jesus paid for all your sins on the cross. He was buried and on the third day He arose again, having obtained eternal forgiveness and salvation for all those who put their trust in Him. Do you believe this?
Child of God, you will never be able to merit God’s favor and blessings, but if you are trusting Jesus to save you, all is well. You don’t need to be good enough. You just need to believe in Jesus.
A Moment of Grace 
I believe in Jesus.
Thank you Bishop.
Honestly Bishop I believe in Jesus and I have the zeal. I also follow the laws such as paying tithe, keeping my body holy, fasting and many more.
However, where I have the problem is with my mind. As I wake up every morning I pray that God keeps me in his present, but as a young 28 year old man going about my day I would see or hear tempting things and right away a feeling of lust or jealousy would enter me. Minutes later the word of God I know would convicts me and I feel bad for letting Jesus down for allowing my mind to even think such thought.
I hope you don’t mind me chiming 🙂
God does not look into your mind to judge you,
actually He does not look at you at all to judge you.
God looks at Jesus, He looks at the thoughts of Jesus.
God Judges Jesus.
Is Jesus Righteous? yes He is. Is He Holy? yes He is.
so if Jesus is in you, you need not worry about your mind.
because God judges your representative, who is Jesus.
as Jesus is, So are You in this world
“By this, love is fulfilled with us,
that WE may HAVE BOLDNESS in the day of JUDGEMENT,
because AS HE IS, SO ALSO ARE WE, IN THIS WORLD”
– 1 John 4:17
– grace and peace
You have missed the good news. So here it is again.
You are under grace, not law. You are not expected to impress Jesus with your own righteousness. God wants you to be impressed with Jesus as your righteousness.
God sent Jesus into the world to pay for all your sins and mine. So all your sins have already been judged and paid for in full by Jesus.
As a result of what Jesus did for you on the cross God no longer charges you with your sins, nor does He condemn you. You are a totally forgiven person and He treats you as such, even when you sin.
No one, other than Jesus, has been able to obey God’s laws perfectly. Don’t sin, but if you do, remember you have an Advocate. (I Jn 2:1f) God is pleased when you believe Him when He says He has forgiven you because Jesus died for all your sins, past, present and future.
It pleases God when you believe you are forgiven because of Jesus. It glorifies Him when you do not condemn yourself because of your sins, but give thanks to Him that the blood of Jesus has justified you and made you forever righteous in the sight of God.
It is not God that accuses you when you sin; it is your conscience accepting the accusation of Satan.
God was in Christ reconciling sinners to Himself, no longer imputing their sins to them. God imputed your sins to Jesus. So He never charges you with them anymore.
See Rom. 4:4-8; Eph. 1:7; 2 Cor. 5:17-21;
Also read some of my other blogs to give you better understanding of the grace of God.
Thanks for the clarity.
I believe that JESUS is good enough!!!!!!!!
stay bless Bishop
Is Jesus good enough? indeed!
Thank you bishop. 🙂
– grace and peace
Jesus, I believe. Thanks Bishop, I needed this.