For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you. (2 Corinthians 10:12-13)
If you ask most people what they think it takes to go to heaven, they will respond that you must be a good person. If you ask them to describe what it means to be a good person, they will give you examples of things that someone may do such as good deeds or attributes of their behavior that most people find acceptable. At the same time, nearly everyone has known someone that they really thought was a good person until something happened that showed them that maybe the person wasn’t so good after all.
In my experience as a counselor, sometimes I get referrals from the courts of individuals who have committed pretty severe crimes and are facing decades, if not life, behind bars. However, someone along the way saw a spark of hope in the individual and decided to have me spend some time with them to help prepare them for prison. In every case, what I have discovered is that when you take away what they have done, there is something in everyone that could be defined as good. However, in light of what they have done, most people would not think of this person as being eligible to go to heaven. With this in mind, we must look to God’s Word to define what it good.
In today’s Scripture passage, God tells us that we must not compare ourselves with others or use our own flexible standards to measure ourselves. But, instead we must use the measure of the rule that God has given us that is equally applied to everyone. When we use our own standards they are subjective, meaning they can vary based on several things such as who the person is, their influence, or even public opinion about them. An example would be Adolph Hitler. While many people consider him to have been a ruthless dictator, recently an actor dressed up as Hitler and walked the streets of Germany. To his astonishment, many people embraced him, crying, and expressing to him how he needed to lead the nation again to make things right. While many may not believe the reports of what happened, the fact that his book, Mein Kamph is a top seller in Europe in recent years is a troubling indictment of how public opinion can influence what many people define as good.
There was a man in the Bible who approached Jesus and asked Him, “Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” Jesus replied to Him, “Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” The man responded by asking Jesus which ones. Jesus listed off several commandments to which the man replied that he had kept them since his youth. Jesus replied, “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.” (Matthew 19:16-22).
Many people have used this passage to say that keeping the commandments is what makes someone good. However, they miss the fact that even Jesus did not refer to Himself as a human man as the definition of good. Instead, He redirected the man to God as the definition of good. This is why He said “if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” The focus was not on commandment keeping, it was that someone who has eternal life has a different attitude about wanting to live differently, not because they have to keep them to attain eternal life, but because they already have eternal life. He reinforced this by adding “If thou wilt be perfect” to go and do the other things for his neighbor.
The Bible says, “The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands” (Psalm 138:8). This tells us that it is God who makes us perfect with His own hands. Proverbs 11:4-5 tells us that “Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death. The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way: but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.” It is righteousness by God’s definition that makes us perfect. That righteousness is declared over us by God when we have faith in Christ and what He did on the cross, not by the deeds of the law (Romans 3:19-31; Romans 4:1-5; Ephesians 4:11-15; Colossians 1:26-28; Hebrews 7:9).
As for those who are referred to me for counseling that are facing prison? My goal is that they may learn about what Christ did on the cross for them and they trust Him as their Savior. Then, with the Holy Spirit in them, they can face the judge with the attitude that God has forgiven them for their sins, but whatever the judge determines is their fate is acceptable as what is a just and right consequence for their sin on earth in God’s eyes. May God help us all to see His standard of goodness.
