Sinners, like those that are mad, destroy themselves with foolish lusts, and yet at the same time deceive themselves with foolish hopes; and they are, of all diseased persons, most enemies to their own cure. - Matthew Henry

This is part two in a series of articles about why people reject the Gospel. Of all the reasons given in this series, I suspect that this one applies to more people than any other. No matter how hard Christians try to get the message out that we cannot be saved through our own goodness, still people feel, however subconsciously, that a person needs only to be "pretty good" to enter heaven. Without exception, everyone I've met who thinks that God has such a standard, also feels that they themselves are good enough to meet it. They reach this conclusion by looking down and comparing themselves to all the sinners below them, instead of looking up at God above them.

This is a very different kind of denial than we looked at in "Rejecting the Cure - I'm Not Sick." Instead of denying that they are sick, this is an attempt to deny that the illness is fatal. They know that sin is a problem, yet they are certain they will overcome it. When I meet someone who feels this way, I cannot always convince them to accept Christ but I can usually get them to at least realize that their position makes no sense. The conversation inevitably begins when I hear someone say the words, "I am a good person, I don't go out of my way to hurt people, and I know that a loving God would see that and accept me for who I am."

This person has already made several key admissions that they may not even recognize. For example, their statement tells me that they know there really is such a thing as right and wrong. It's not subjective - there is some standard of moral and ethical behavior given to us by God which we are all expected to meet. They have acknowledged that they have sometimes failed to meet this standard, but that God will look the other way because they did not miss it by very much. They are a "good person" and so they will meet the standard for admission into Heaven.

It doesn't take long to help someone see why this position makes no sense. The problems is all about perspective. Saying "I'm a good person", as we shall see, is a meaningless concept. When we say "I'm a good person", there is an unspoken understanding that I am making a comparison between my ethical conduct and someone else's. Compared to someone who hurts and kills people wantonly, I am a very good person indeed. Compared to Mother Theresa, I have a very long way to go. So, when I say "I am good person", what I really mean is "..compared to everyone who is a worse sinner than I am." If you complete the thought, it really doesn't mean much. It's like saying, "I earn more money than everyone who makes less money than I do." It doesn't tell us anything - it simply states the obvious.

If you want the statement to have meaning, you can't compare yourself to others, you have to compare yourself to a set standard. What should the standard be? Well, if you're asking me, the standard should be something less than what I can achieve so that I can go to heaven. This seems fair to me, but what about the man who has been a wicked sinner all his life? He's not going to like the standard I've set. It's too harsh. And the person who was very nearly perfect all her life will not like my standard either. It's too lenient. What's the standard going to be? Just how good do you have to be to go to heaven?

The answer is obvious but we are all scared to admit that the standard is perfection. But God is perfect and Holy, and therefore He cannot accept any sin. He cannot look away while we hurt him. He will not pretend we are "good enough" when we are not. Try as hard as you can to imagine a God who is perfect but tolerates less than perfection in anything or anyone. It's not possible. If you want God to look the other way at your sins and accept less than perfection from you, than He cannot also be perfect.

If that is difficult to understand, then consider heaven to be a perfect place. If that is true, then everyone and everything in it is perfect. There cannot be one person or one thing in it that is not perfect, otherwise it changes the very definition. It's clear, then, that no one can enter unless they, too, are perfect. Sadly, this means you. As soon as you cry out that this not fair because you weren't really so bad, what you are asking for is a perfect heaven which accepts you, flaws and all. You want it to be perfect and accept your sin at the same time. But it cannot be both, just as God cannot be both.

That is how we arrive at the moment where most people who claim to be "good enough" realize their position makes no sense. If there is a perfect God and He has some standard of ethical behavior that we must meet for admission to Heaven, then that standard is perfection. 

If you've come far enough to accept that you have to be perfect to enter heaven, it's natural at this point to ask why God doesn't just make us perfect? He will, but you have to ask. If you accept Jesus as your savior, that is excactly what you are asking God to do. Because He lived a sinless life and died for our sins, he can take away every wrong we've ever done and make us perfect in God's eyes. When God looks upon us, our sins will be forgiven and He will only see the righteousness of Jesus.

You cannot do it on your own. You cannot heal your own disease of sin, and it will kill you spiritually if you don't accept the cure that Jesus offers you. To reject Jesus is to say, "I can make it without you." But, it's already too late. You have already sinned. Even if you could go the rest of your days and do nothing wrong, you are already condemned for the sins of your past. You cannot erase them and so you can never be perfect in God's eyes. Every single person who has ever walked on this earth, except for one, has failed to meet that standard. If you are to have any hope all all, you will need to reach out to that one, sinless Man and ask for His help, for you will never be able to make it on your own. Only Jesus Christ can make you "good enough", and all you need to do is ask.