The Bad News of Goodness

“…We must resist the human reflex to say that our goodness qualifies us for Heaven. Such a gospel-plus message may provide temporary compulsion against sinning, but ultimately pride and/or despair result. The unpolluted gospel that God loves us in our imperfection because Christ’s righteousness has been applied to us holds the only true hope for turning from ourselves to God.”

It is unfathomably good news that something besides our inherent goodness qualifies us for Heaven. The law says be good, and you will live. But sin makes it impossible for anyone to have hope of heaven by being good. I know I’m not good in and of myself. “Be good and live” is bad news for sinners like me. Thankfully, Jesus did not come to save the healthy, but the sick. He was good, and so we live through faith in Him. We are able to live because of the goodness of another. That is truly good news!