Are you good?

“with perverted heart devises evil, continually sowing discord;”
-Proverbs 6:14

I think most people I meet could make a good case that they are good people. They will talk to me about how they obey the law, give to charity, love their families, etc. By the world’s standards, they are good.

That doesn’t really understanding the real meaning of “good,” but we can go with it for a while. You pay your taxes, work hard at your job, and don’t cheat on your wife, so you’re actually doing better than a large portion of society at least!

But even under that standard, if you are honest, you will not pass this test – what is in your heart? The Bible tells us something very interesting, that morality is not confined to what you do. It’s also about what you say and what you think.

So Solomon’s description of the wicked man here points us back to the source of the problem – the man’s heart is devising evil.

We can understand that, can’t we? My actions may be okay, but that’s only because I DON’T act upon every impulse. My thoughts are always a lot worse than my actions. It’s usually self interest that keeps me from telling people off, beating people up, and generally being a raging terror over the earth. I don’t want to lose my job, or my family, or my freedom, so I keep them inside.

But they are there, and God sees your thoughts.

That is why Jesus tells us that even looking at someone in lust is like committing adultery. Even hating someone is like committing murder. These things are true because they are true in our hearts, and God sees that.

In fact, we’re not good people by action either, but that’s another topic for another time. For now, we must realize that our hearts are filled with lust, anger, pride, ambition, and greed. We’re not good people.

And that is exactly why we need a Savior. See, if God knows my thoughts, then there is no way He’s going to find me blameless on the Day of Judgment. I’m going to be found guilty and sent to Hell as my rightful punishment. God is just, and He’s not just going to let sin go unpunished.

But God is also loving, and He sent His Son to die in our place, so that justice may be satisfied. Jesus, who was without sin, died in our place. He took on the punishment that I had earned. So now, with justice satisfied, I can be accepted into eternal life, even though I had not earned it. In repentance and faith, I have been saved by His actions, not my own.

And it is not something we can earn. It is a gift, given when the Spirit convicts us of our sin and turns us, broken, to the Cross. When we look upon Jesus and believe that He can save us by His Blood, then we are saved.

This is the glorious news of the Gospel – not that we are good people, but that we are forgiven people.