Many years ago I was speaking to a christian lady friend about how good people do go to heaven. She responded with a Bible quotation, she said, "All your good works are as filthy rags." I felt insulted! What did she mean by that? I had just startedgoing to church and I was not familiar with the Bible. She did not explain to me why good people will end up in hell, but I got the understanding that it did not matter how good a person you were you still went to hell after death. Her respond left me cold and confused. It upset me for a long time and I refused to believe her so called Bible verse.
It was many years after that I picked up a Bible and started reading it and taking notes, that is when I came across the verse she quoted. I read it several times and even wrote it down word by word and I study upon its meaning. My eyes were open to a new revelation. It was not the good works that got these good people in hell. It was their attitude towards their good works. In their minds they have purchase entrance to God's kingdom by doing good deeds and been good. Which in turn put them in control of the their final destination and abolished the government of God by self-government.
Thru history and even today, a majority of people in these world think that been good will get them into heaven. I was one of them! But it will not. Been good is a result of accepting Jesus Christ sacrifice as payment for our transgressions. Our good deeds are done because we love God and believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God and died for us. Faith and good works go hand in hand. One cannot have one without the other.
God has a government. He rules his people by law, which is the word of God. His word is final and not subject to change ever. We humans cannot vote to repeal any of his established laws for it is not a government of the people, for the people and by the people. Is the government of a supreme God, creator of all, maker of heaven, earth and humans. We don't have a say nor a vote on how God runs his government. Citizenship is of free will. You can accept or reject Christ the living son of God and his blood sacrifice for our salvation.
God's government is of a personal nature between our creator and us, humans. His government is for the good of humans and all his creations. The rules for personal behavior are centered on God, yourself, family, church, and us been our brothers keeper, and not forgetting that our planet earth is under our stewardship. The planet earth belongs to God, for he created it. We have to answer to God for how we have performed our duties of stewardship. Our bodies belong to God, he created us. So, since we have no ownership of anything and all belongs to God then our destination after death cannot be gained by our own rules of good works.
It took me a while but I finally understood that the rules of accountability also apply to "good works" that I and people do. There is no democracy government when it comes to God's government. In democracy we go with the rule of majority. Did you ever hear the phrase, "The majority rules?' That is used when a vote is been cast. We cannot vote on our final destination without accepting God's laws of salvation which are free and available to anyone who has heard, has knowledge and access to the Gospel.
If anyone thinks that been good without Christ will get them into heaven, well, sadly, the answer is NO. For by doing good works and counting on those good works to purchase your way into heaven you are denying God's authority. If you do not accept Jesus Christ sacrificial blood on the cross. You are self-governing. That is you are the law of self. Even though you practice the moral code of conduct and denying the author and the authority of those laws, you are the one deciding for yourself what is good or bad in your eyes.
Faith without works is not good, they both go hand in hand.
"for the works which The Father has granted Me to accomplish, these very works which I am doing, bear Me witness that The Father has sent Me." (John 5:36 RSV)
"Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me; or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father." (John 14:10-12 RSV)
Our good deeds, once we have accepted God's plan of salvation are a result of our faith and having a change of heart towards God. We are no longers followers of a fallen world system who is under a different authority. Now, our acts portray the love of God and his glory.
We are followers of the living son of God, Jesus Christ, we accept and believe he paid the price for our sins and therefore rescued us from been sent to hell because of our sinful lives. Accepting responsibility for our mistakes, our sins and our decisions. We confess and repent with a full heart for our sins and ask God to forgive us through the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ. We are new creatures, with a new vision. To give glory to the one and only God. Our good works and faith brings into reality our true conversion to Christ and proclaims God as the supreme authority. We are no longer in charge, all we have is given to us by the mercies of God. We understand that we are saved by the blood of the Lamb and infinite grace and mercy of God.
No church, pastor, religion can save us. No man has that power. We are willing to be partakers of God's supreme government. We await our long-term rewards. We do not fear God as the unflexible judge. We transfer that fear of into a great aw or immense respect and love for God. We perform a critical and responsible role of spreading the good news of the Gospel of Christ and his salvation.
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