There is natural "goodness" and supernatural "goodness". When it comes to being acceptable to God, unless God sees His Son when He looks at you; it matters not how good, and kind, and compassionate, and loving, and moral you are. You must be "In Christ".
I was thinking about the old saying: "Preach the Gospel, and if necessary use words". Some of you like that, don't you? Some of you think that sounds really deep and spiritual? I know one thing it does do--it let's you off the hook. It makes you feel like you can go through life being kind and loving and never risking rejection for Christ's sake. The apostles would have never been imprisoned for being kind; they would have never been persecuted for feeding the poor or caring for the widows. Christians would have never been placed on poles and lit on fire for ministering to the sick. These things happened because they preached the gospel--they used words.
If you think that people will see Christ in you, because you are kind, and compassionate, and loving, and moral, and therefore you don't feel the need to tell them about Christ; you are deceiving yourself. If they are not "in Christ" they are blind to Christ. All your good works and deeds will result in, is them saying: "Wow, he's a nice man." They will love you--not Christ. Perhaps that is what you really care about the most. Just perhaps?
As my grandma used to say: "If the shoe fits wear it; if it doesn't no harm done."
I was thinking about the old saying: "Preach the Gospel, and if necessary use words". Some of you like that, don't you? Some of you think that sounds really deep and spiritual? I know one thing it does do--it let's you off the hook. It makes you feel like you can go through life being kind and loving and never risking rejection for Christ's sake. The apostles would have never been imprisoned for being kind; they would have never been persecuted for feeding the poor or caring for the widows. Christians would have never been placed on poles and lit on fire for ministering to the sick. These things happened because they preached the gospel--they used words.
If you think that people will see Christ in you, because you are kind, and compassionate, and loving, and moral, and therefore you don't feel the need to tell them about Christ; you are deceiving yourself. If they are not "in Christ" they are blind to Christ. All your good works and deeds will result in, is them saying: "Wow, he's a nice man." They will love you--not Christ. Perhaps that is what you really care about the most. Just perhaps?
As my grandma used to say: "If the shoe fits wear it; if it doesn't no harm done."
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