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Many believe that if they do their best here on earth and are ‘sincere’, God will recognize their effort, overlook their weaknesses and »grade on the curve.« This belief, however, shows a misunderstanding of God’s infinite righteousness and perfection.
The Bible says, »For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.«(Romans 3:23) Not a single one of us could honestly say that we have never knowingly done anything wrong. The apostle James tells us, »For whoever keeps the whole law, (God’s absolute standards) and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.«(James 2:10)
These violations (sins) are not just isolated events; they are a reflection of the sin nature that permeates our entire being. Consider, for illustration, an omelet (which is a cooked mixture of eggs, some milk and cheese). It takes only one rotten egg to make the entire omelet rotten, no matter how many good eggs we add. The one rotten egg permeates the whole mixture and makes it unacceptable to our taste. Similarly, it takes only one sin to make us unacceptable to God. God is infinitely holy and good, and no matter how hard we try, we could never succeed in reaching His absolute standard of perfections. He is also a just God who holds us accountable for violating those standards that we know to be right. (Romans 2:14-16)
Only one person has ever lived a perfect life – Jesus Christ, God the Son. Therefore, His death on the cross in payment for our sins is the only basis for God’s total forgiveness and acceptance of us. When we receive Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, and choose to follow Him, then we are no longer under God’s condemnation."(Romans 8:1)
People who feel their sincerity [in whatever they believe] should gain them entrance to heaven are misled. It is not the degree of sincerity one has in whatever they choose to believe. Rather, it is the object of one’s faith. Someone may be a sincere follower of some religion, cult or philosophy, but they will go to hell because they did not come to the One Person who should be the object of faith. Jesus Christ is the only object in whom you should place your faith … with all your sincerity and commitment.
In this society, many say, »Your truth is not my truth.« They feel they somehow can decide [like God] what are the absolutes. They feel all truth is relative. However, the fact is that not all religions or belief systems are equal. There are absolutes (check out gravity). It is faith in Jesus, God revealed in history, not faith in faith itself, or some code of ethics, other religions, or mindset that someone has constructed. Jesus wants you to know for sure that you can have eternal life. (I John 5:11-13) He offers His love to you. Won’t you receive Him as your Savior, friend and Lord today?
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