Can Good Works Ever Earn You Heaven?
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
When her father was President, Amy Carter came home from school one Friday night with an assignment to write a paper answering a tough question about the Industrial Revolution. Amy sought help from her mom, Rosalynn, who was also baffled and decided to seek clarification from the Labor Department.
A “rush” was placed on the request since the assignment was due Monday. The Labor Department, thinking it was a question from the President himself, cranked up the government computer and kept staff working overtime all weekend.
A massive computer printout was delivered to the White House on Sunday, and Amy showed up with her paper at school the following day. Her teacher, however, was not too impressed. And all the work and overtime by those employees only merited Amy a “C” on her paper.
Under the Law of Moses, obedience to God was quite a process. Any devoted Jew today will still attempt to dutifully carry out hundreds of the commandments of the Law found in the Old Testament. Yet as the prophet Isaiah wrote centuries before Christ, mindlessly jumping through all the hoops of the Law won’t give anyone a passing grade. In fact, it’s absolutely worthless.
It doesn’t matter how hard you work for salvation. What matters is your faith in Christ. So instead of focusing on all the things you need to do, focus on your trust in Christ for your salvation!
Prayer Challenge
Pray that God would help you trust in Christ, not your good works, to earn you eternal life.
Questions for Thought
If God’s standard is absolute perfection, do you think anyone’s good works would stand up before Him?
Why do you think it’s easy for many people to focus on good works instead of Christ to get them to heaven?
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