How good is good enough?

Good Thursday morning, my friends.

Earlier this week I was chatting with a friend and he mentioned a conversation he had had with a young Muslim man.  This young man was very moderate in his thinking, devout in his religion, and pleasant to talk to.  My friend observed that, if we believe what we are taught, that this man will spend eternity in hell.  And my friend, understandably, has a great deal of difficulty with this thought.  He asked me my opinion on this, and I put him off, wanting to consider and pray about it.

Well, I love how God works.  As luck (yeah, right) would have it, yesterday I started listening to a sermon series on CD called "How Good is Good Enough" by Andy Stanley.  I have listened to the first two sessions, and Stanley is basically trying to answer this difficult question.  

Most people like to believe that "good" people go to heaven.  There are several problems with this theory.  

First of all, "good" by whose standards? Society's?  Ours?  Or God's?  Look at the new testament.  If any people were considered "good" at that time, it was the Pharisees. They were meticulous in keeping the law and staying pure.  And yet, Jesus told the people that "unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:20).  That stunned the people - if the Pharisees were not good enough, how could anyone be good enough?  (Why should we think that our society is any better at determining who is "good"?)  What Jesus taught was not that good people got into heaven, but that forgiven people got into heaven.  People like the adulterous woman caught in the act.  People like a self-confessed criminal who hung on a cross next to Jesus.  Would we (or society) consider these "good" people?  Hardly.  And besides, no matter how good we believe we (or someone else) are, remember that ALL fall short of the glory of God.

The second problem we have with the teachings of Christianity (and this pertains more to my friends dilemma) is that it isn't fair.  Why should someone who has never heard of Jesus, or who has been taught a different religion go to hell?  It's not their fault!  They are still good people!  It's nor fair!  OK - who judges what is fair?  Again, our concept of this is skewed.  In any argument, both sides see the other as being unfair, so we are hardly qualified to judge.  But, in fact, it is unfair that people who never heard of Jesus do not go to heaven.  It may be unfair, but it is still true.  And the reason it is unfair cannot be blamed on God.  He gave everyone equal opportunity to know him, to be in relationship with him.  But when sin entered the world (through the choice of humans, not God), we made the system unfair.  When we make a decision to walk away from God, to separate ourselves from Him, and to raise our children not knowing Him, then that sin has consequences down through the generations.  And that is what has happened in this world and why the young man that my friend talked to is on the path to destruction.  It was a choice made by one of his forefathers, that he will have to pay for.  Is it fair? Perhaps not, but that was not God's choice.  And God would welcome him back in a second if he would accept the free gift of forgiveness offered by Jesus through the Crucifixion.  It may not be fair, but it is true.

Personally, I am glad it is not fair.  If it were I would get what I deserved, and I definitely prefer His grace and mercy to that alternative.

I would love to hear some feedback from you on this.  You can reply to me by email, but I would prefer you post a comment on The Celtic Christian blog so that we can have a discussion about this important and difficult topic.

Amazing grace and eternal peace to you today,

Bruce

Thank you, Lord, for you great love and mercy.

We know from your Word that You are love and that You are holy.

We know that you demonstrated your love for us by sending Jesus to die for us while we were still sinners!

Please help us to understand the true meaning of the grace and mercy that you offer to all people.  

Help us to reach out with that Good News to those who are perishing, those "good" people all around us who are deceived.

Bless us in our efforts to reach all people for Your glory.

We pray this in Jesus' holy name.  Amen.

Bruce MacPherson macpherson@celtic.ca