The Lord saw how great man�s wickedness on the
earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.
The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.
Oh dear, that doesnââ?¬â?¢t sound too good, does it? Itââ?¬â?¢s even worse when we realise that Godââ?¬â?¢s not just saying this about a specific group of people who lived at a certain point in history. ââ?¬Ë?Manââ?¬â?¢s wickednessââ?¬â?¢ and the ââ?¬Ë?thoughts of his heartââ?¬â?¢ are, unfortunately, just the same now as they were then. So this also refers to the here and now ââ?¬â?? and to you and to me.
Now before you jump up to defend your track record on being a good person, let me explain where Iââ?¬â?¢m coming from. I vividly recall a conversation that I had with a Christian before I became one myself (over 30 years ago), in which I questioned why it was that I couldnââ?¬â?¢t just continue being the good person that I was without me having to bring Christ into the picture. The response was a very wise one ââ?¬â?? he got me to really analyse (for the first time) the true nature of my thoughts. In doing so, I had to acknowledge, albeit reluctantly, that I actually spent the vast majority of the time thinking about myself and how my needs were going to be met. Then, when I analysed my supposed ââ?¬Ë?goodââ?¬â?¢ works, I realised that my motives were often self-centred ones ââ?¬â?? doing things to look good or just to make me feel good.
But ultimately, what really puts things into their true perspective is getting a grasp on the character of God Himself. His perfect righteousness makes everything else pale into insignificance. It�s summed up best by Isaiah in a verse that I referred to in my introduction to the Down2earth series:
All of us have become like one who is unclean and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
Isaiah 64:6 (NIV)
So I cringe when I occasionally hear people say something like: ââ?¬Å?he/she is a really good Christianââ?¬Â or ââ?¬Å?Iââ?¬â?¢m trying to be a good Christianââ?¬Â. To be a ââ?¬Ë?good Christianââ?¬â?¢ is a contradiction in-terms. It misses the point about the essence of what a Christian really is ââ?¬â?? not someone who goes around glowing with righteousness ââ?¬â?? but rather someone (like everyone else) whoââ?¬â?¢s inner nature is basically bad, whoââ?¬â?¢s realised it and whoââ?¬â?¢s come before God and asked for forgiveness. And because of the sacrifice of Christ, that forgiveness is available and extremely forthcoming. Now God is able to look at us and accept us because, in some mysterious way that only He understands, the blood of Christ appeases Him. Thatââ?¬â?¢s why Paul can confidently write that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).