Over the years I have often heard – in response to a discussion regarding a Christ centered faith – I’m a good person.
Truth be told prior to my or anyone else’s conversion for that matter, we might have trotted that out once or twice ourselves. What we probably came to realize is our goodness was only based on the comparison to others around us. Given there is probably someone around more wicked than all of us, we had a pretty tight alibi for behaving badly. When people finally come to a realization the only valid comparison is to that of Christ, a major shift occurs.
The result is a new found hope because of the Saviour, a new found direction because of the Saviour and a new found adoration towards the Saviour. Saving faith in Christ demands we take stock of our position and respond accordingly. Mark 10:18-20 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and your mother” And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.” This young man was a good person trying to do the right things and to be fair they were good things.
The problem is we are commanded to be obedient and to follow Christ wholeheartedly, I wonder how we would respond to a dramatic request like………… Mark 10:21-22 Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.