I don't need to become a Christian because I am able to make myself right with God.
Twice this last week I heard this. Not put exactly like this but two different versions of it: One person was listing the ways they were good and said "Most people would have a good word of me". The other person was outlining how much they had changed for the better and how hard they were trying to change their behaviour. Both were holding out their actions as their confidence for eternal life. They were saying what many people are saying: "I don't need to trust in Jesus and what he has done, I can trust in me and what I am doing."
Let's take a minute to examine this before we think of a response.
A far as barriers to faith in Jesus goes, this is probably the most common. We have an inbuilt belief that the solution to our temper, anger, selfishness, attitude, moodiness, foul mouth, petty bitterness etc lies within ourselves. And if we can just try a bit harder and find the right resources we can be better people and God will then be OK with us. Though this is an ancient problem, the modern version of this is shaped and fuelled by stories of people who have climbed the ladder of success in their sport or career or family life. What's possible in these areas must be possible in our spiritual life too. That's how the argument goes.
The slogans on Facebook become the religious text of our time. Inspiring us to be the best that we can be, to believe in yourself etc. These slogans confirm what our hearts already believe, "We can fix it". Bob the Builder becomes our spiritual guru.
That's what these two men who spoke to me were attempting to do. People who think this way have generally got too low a view of God and too high a view of themselves. And if truth be told, that describes us all. We all have a tendency to think of God as a grandfather type who will only see the good and ignore any bad reports with 'ah sure, she's not a bad one really' This is a low view of God.
We also see ourselves in good light. My Dad quotes Robert Burns wisdom
O what some Power give us the gift
To see ourselves as others see us!
That would shed a different light on ourselves. Or if we had a moral equivalent of the X-ray that could see past our smiles to our desires, suppressed emotions, thoughts, that would tell a different story of us. So my two friends lowed the bar and raise themselves so they could more easily get over it.
How might we respond then?
When I spoke to them I was aiming to help them see that God is greater than they think and they are worse than they think. With most conversations I have my best thoughts or at least better response come afterwards. Here's two brief ways to respond to: "I don't need to become a Christian because I am able to make myself right with God."
First way
With Questions:
"How are you getting on with living the good life?"
"What about your thoughts and attitudes?"
"How do you know you have done enough?"
"Has the good things you've done tipped the scales on the bad stuff yet?"
"Can your good really cancel out your bad?"
"And Who decides if it does or not?"
"If someone does a really terrible thing like murder is it ever possible to cancel it out?"
"Is your standard of good the same as God's?"
"If you can do this yourself, why did Jesus die?"
Second way
With a Story:
You might tell this story: A young man once came to Jesus and asked "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus first defines goodness. "No-one is good but God alone"
So the standard we measure ourselves against is God. How are you doing with that?
Then Jesus gets more specific when he reminds the young man of the commandments about loving others. The young man replies confidently that he has been keeping these since he was a boy.
Then Jesus zones in to the heart of his problem. The very thing that is keeping him (and us) from eternal life; he loves something else more than God. Jesus tells him to sell all he has and follow him. The young man leaves very sad because he has great wealth. Jesus' disciples watching all this realised that it was impossible for anyone then to enjoy eternal life. Jesus agreed. "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God" (Mark 10:17-31)
You see, we don't measure up to God's goodness but Jesus does. Even his enemies couldn't find any fault in him (mine could easily enough). The good news is that by his death and resurrection Jesus deals with our badness and we are given his goodness. This is ours when we trust in what Jesus has done not in what we are doing.
What are you trusting in for eternal life? What you are doing OR what Jesus has done.
