Are we good or are we bad? This is a complex question. When we compare humans to each other it’s hard not to notice that some people are nicer, kinder, harder working, more honest, etc., than others. And in our relationships with other humans, trying to do good and help our neighbors is definitely a good thing! But the Bible insists that, however good or bad someone may be, before God they are not good. The reason is that God can see into our motives, and he knows what even we sometimes aren’t aware of – that all of the good things we do are colored by our own self-centeredness. Because of this, none of our goodness makes God happy with us. This means that while before humans we may or may not be good people, before God none of that counts for anything, and we need a different source of goodness. Thankfully, while we may be more or less good or bad before other humans, before God those who have been baptized into Jesus are completely good – because the goodness of Jesus goes on their account.
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