Bad news: You are more wicked than you could ever know
"There is none righteous, no not one." This is God's assessment of our capacity to do good enough to earn salvation (Romans 3:12). No one can do it . . . not even the nicest grandma who knits the perfect Christmas socks! Not even one person. But what about all the good we see around us - caring police officers, diligent teachers, Publix employees who help us take our groceries to our car? Aren't they doing good? Well, yes. Sort of.
When we think of good, we are viewing good in a relative sense. Some people are nicer or more helpful than others. And that is good. But when God defines good, He is referring to His perfect holiness, a kind of goodness that is beyond our ability to independently produce. Our "goodness" is riddled with ulterior motives and self-serving purposes. This is why "none is good, save one, that is, God" (Luke 18:19). And this is why we need to be rescued. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We, like Adam and Eve, have ignored what God says is "very good" (Genesis 1:31) and have attempted to re-define good on our own terms, claiming to be "like God" (Genesis 3:5-6).
Good news: You are more loved than you could ever hope for
God could have just cast us away like a chef disposes of food that has gone bad, but He didn't! He invites us to "taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him!" (Psalm 34:8) God gave us His Son, Jesus, the only person to live a sinless life and die in our place. This is how good He is! He switches places with us. Jesus took our badness on Himself so He could give us His goodness (2 Corinthians 5:21). He did this when we were His enemies and wanted nothing to do with Him (Romans 5:8). Who does that? And He invites us to repent of our sin and to trust in Him alone for salvation.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
You see salvation doesn't come by just "doing good." It's not obtained through church attendance, baptism, giving to charities, or having a kind personality.
Salvation comes through believing by faith that Jesus Christ died for your sins on the cross as your substitute and that He rose again after three days (Romans 10:9-10). We long for every person to hear and respond in faith to this good news! We are a church made up of messed up people who are tasting and seeing that the Lord is good.
If you would like to learn more about how to have a relationship with Jesus, please contact us at (863) 646-5031 or attend one of our weekly services.
