Why Did Jesus Have to Die | Crosstraining 11.17.14

James 2:10 When my sister and I were kids, my mom would often come into the room we were playing in and asked if we were being good. Chances were good that anytime mom did that, it was right in the middle of me tormenting my little sister. I would always quickly reply “Yes! We’ve been good!” My sister, though, would usually be quick to disagree. Her definition of us “being good” was much different than mine. Sometimes this is the same way with us and God. We offer God our “good.” We think we are pretty good people. We may go to church, drop a few bucks in the offering bucket, and not kill anyone, so we think we’re good. But, God knows our hearts. He knows the bitterness, anger, unforgiveness, lust, and all the other sin that lives within us. He sees who we are when no one is looking. He sees how we treat those we view as beneath us. He hears the words we use against those we love the most. We may think we are good, but God’s definition is much different. When it comes to what God says good is, none of us measure up. Our only hope is accepting Jesus’ free gift to us and be forgiven of our sins. Would you say you are a fairly good person? The standard you are measured against isn’t other people, it’s God’s standard of perfection. It’s not hopeless, though, through Jesus’ sacrifice, we can be made good.]]>