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Daily She Pursues

Daily She Pursues

Pursuing the One who first pursued me

Home | Spiritual Growth | Why “Good” People Need the Gospel

Why “Good” People Need the Gospel

October 12, 2020 | by Shanté Grossett O'Neal Spiritual Growth

Photo of woman sitting on couch with mug and text "this is the reason why "good" people need the gospel
Photo of woman sitting in middle of empty road and text "why being good isn't enough for salvation"

She is kind to her friends and neighbors. She volunteers regularly and often donates to charity. She is concerned with helping the hurting and broken. She doesn’t steal and she rarely lies. I’m guessing you know someone like this. Or maybe this is a pretty accurate description of yourself. You’re a good person. But, good people still need the gospel.

Many of us mistakenly think that we are in right-standing with God simply because of the good works we do. However, that is far from the truth. If you are wondering why good people need the gospel, keep reading. 

What is the gospel message?

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Romans 5:6-11 ESV

The gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ. Jesus came to earth and lived among men, died a painful death on the cross, and resurrected on the third day to forgive the sins of mankind. The gospel was God’s eternal plan from the very beginning. 

When Adam and Eve sinned, they became deserving of the wrath of God and estranged from his presence. Sin caused the world to become a difficult place to live in. We experience hardship, sickness, pain, and death. However, God intends for all people to live united with himself, each other, and creation. 

Yet, God is holy and we are not. Since God is holy, sinful humans have no place in his presence. 

God selected a group of people called the Israelites and set them apart to be holy unto him. God gave them specific commandments and promised to be with them if they kept his laws. Even so, Israel could not live up to God’s holy standards. When they sinned, God required a spotless lamb as a sacrifice to cover their sin.

For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground. For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”

Leviticus 11:44-45 ESV

The thing is, this was only a temporary system that foreshadowed something greater. When Jesus died on the cross, his perfect sacrifice set us free from the debt we owed God and gave us access into his presence. He did not just die for the sins of Israel, he died for everyone who would receive him:

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 1:12-13

The eternal sacrifice of the Son of God covers all of our sin — past, present, and future. It takes the weight of us. Instead of striving to be holy, God has declared us holy. When he sees his Son, Jesus, he sees that our debt has been paid. One day, Jesus is coming back again for his people and we will be united with him forever. This is the gospel message in a nutshell. 

See Isaiah 53:5, Acts 13:38-39, 1 Corinthians 15:1-7, Titus 3:4-7, John 3:16-17, and 1 Peter 2:24-25 for more bible verses that explain the gospel.

Why can’t I just be good in order to be saved?

Well, the Bible tells us that no one is good except God. (Luke 18:19) We all sin and come short of God’s glory. We might not see our sins as great but God does. Compared to a murderer, our white lies every now and then aren’t really such a big deal. But compared to an infinitely holy God, it’s another story. The thing is, God measures us against his standard of holiness, not our own. So we think we’re good because in our own eyes, we are. But in God’s eyes, we’re nowhere near good. We could never come close to the holiness of God on our own. Since God is God and we are not, his standards hold much more weight than ours do.

Regardless of how moral and spiritual we have been, the debt of our sin is enormous. The damage to God’s glory by our sin is determined not by the severity of our sin but by the value of God’s glory.

Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins (134)

In his book Respectable Sins, Jerry Bridges speaks about the overwhelming debt we owe God because of sin. He went on to give a metaphor about spilling ink on a regular rug from the store. Definitely a problem and comes with consequences, right? But the same mistake of spilling ink on a priceless Persian rug has far greater consequences. Why? The value of the Persian rug is greater. 

Even if our sins were small – and they’re not – they would greatly offend God because God is great. 

And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

Isaiah 6:5 ESV

After the King of Israel died, the Prophet Isaiah had an amazing vision of the Lord exalted and enthroned in heaven. Angels were worshipping him and crying out “holy, holy, holy!” Isaiah immediately recognizes his own sinfulness in comparison to God’s holiness. It’s not that Isaiah was a bad man – he was a prophet and prophets had to be moral and law abiding people. But he realized that regardless of how moral he was, God was infinitely greater and he would always be unworthy. 

Related: Why You Should Stop Trying to Earn God’s Love

We must recognize that we are sinners

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Psalm 51:5 ESV

Original sin is a real thing. We inherited it from our parents — it’s in our blood. 

Many of us have been fed a works-based “gospel” that teaches us that if we’re just good enough or if we can follow all the rules, we can be saved. That’s not true. We can’t keep all the rules and even if we could, we’d still be guilty because of the sin passed down from our parents. 

The need to be born again

Instead of being good, we need to be born again. 

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

John 3:5-6 ESV

In this passage Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, and told him that in order to see the kingdom of God, he needed to be born again. Now, Nicodemus was a religious leader. He kept all the laws. Yet, even Nicodemus needed to be born again. 

What does it mean to be born again?

Being born again means that we are made new by the Spirit of God. When the Spirit comes into our hearts, he empowers us to live righteous and holy lives. When we try to do it without the Spirit, it’s practically impossible. We’re always going to fail. But, when we are born again, the Spirit sanctifies us and makes the impossible possible. 

Related: How to Share the Gospel Without Leaving Your Neighborhood …

Why do “good” people need the gospel?

The gospel is so more than the good that we do. The gospel is the good that Jesus did. Our original sin separated us from God and nothing we do can change that. The Scripture tells us that we were dead in trespasses and sin. (Ephesians 2:1) Spiritually, no matter how good we are, we are dead without God. Jesus’ death is what makes us alive. 

Good people need the gospel because without it none of us have access to God. We were created for fellowship with him. God wants to restore his people to a right-standing with him. 

Even if we are good, our lives are meaningless without him. We were created for him. Each moment we live without God is a moment we spend outside of our purpose. 

Finally, God isn’t calling us to be good, he’s calling us to be holy. But, only God can make us holy. We become holy by believing the gospel and choosing to follow Jesus. 

You might feel like your life is okay without complete surrender to God but the truth is, it isn’t okay. There’s so much you are missing. The gospel comes with joy and peace like you’ve never known. There is so much freedom in becoming a child of God.

Related: How to Develop a Personal Relationship with God

Walk by faith, not sight

If God is tugging on your heart and letting you know that your goodness isn’t enough, I encourage you to surrender. He wants to give you his Spirit and he wants you to have a real relationship with him. 

Don’t go based on what you’ve always known. Walk by faith, not sight. Do you believe that God is who he says he is and that his promises are true? If so, it’s time to embrace the gospel and begin a real relationship with him. 

“But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the LORD. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

Jeremiah 31:33 ESV

Christianity is not merely a religion with a set of rules to follow. God wants to make us more like him. He puts his law in our hearts and actually helps us to love his law. True Christianity is not burdensome. It’s hard sometimes but it’s not a burden. I invite you to stop settling for “goodness” and embrace the freedom God has for you. 

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October 12, 2020 · 2 Comments

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Comments

  1. Sydney says

    November 12, 2020 at 4:33 pm

    I love this post because I have definitely heard this many times! I absolutely LOVE how you dig deep into the Word to present this truth!!!! You are not a surface gal, but definitely one who digs for the treasure! Thank you! I liked so many things you said, but here is just one:
    ‘Even if we are good, our lives are meaningless without him. We were created for him. Each moment we live without God is a moment we spend outside of our purpose.’

    Reply
    • Shanté Grossett says

      November 17, 2020 at 9:02 pm

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts Sydney!

      Reply

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Hi there! I’m Shanté, the founder of Daily She Pursues. I am passionate about teaching women how to pursue the heart of God by studying his word, spending time in prayer, and committing to a daily walk with the Lord! I am currently working on a Master’s Degree in Biblical Studies and some of my favorite things include tea, journaling, art museums, essential oils, and thrift shopping. Read More…

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by Shanté Grossett O’Neal | Christian Blog
This Thursday 9/14 at 8 AM EST, I have the opportu This Thursday 9/14 at 8 AM EST, I have the opportunity to speak with Liv Dooley (@candidliv), Christian Author, Bible Teacher, and Podcaster, about the Imprecatory Psalms. We're going to be diving into what they are and what Christians should know about praying these psalms. 

If you've ever wondered about these psalms, please join us on Instagram Live on Thursday. 

All you'll need to do is log into the app on Thursday at 8 AM and go to @dailyshepursues. There will be a notification that we are Live and you'll be able to click and join.

Looking forward to having this conversation with Liv!
Prayer is one of the ways in which we connect with Prayer is one of the ways in which we connect with and hear from God. Yet, approaching God in prayer can feel daunting. 

The good news is that Jesus taught us how to pray. 

Consider applying the Lord’s Prayer as you structure your prayer time. 

Swipe to see how! ➡️
Some thoughts on why we struggle to cultivate a re Some thoughts on why we struggle to cultivate a relationship with God, and God’s response to us when we do. ♥️

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Thomas often gets a bad rap in church history. He’s forever known as “doubting Thomas.” I find that humorous because Thomas did what most of us would have done in the situation. He wanted to see for himself that Jesus had truly resurrected from the grave.

Jesus was kind to Thomas. He paid a visit to the house Thomas and the other disciples were in, and he showed Thomas the scars in his hands and in his side. 

In John 20:27, Jesus says, “Stop doubting and believe.” 

I imagine that his voice was kind and tender. After showing Thomas the evidence, he invited him to believe.

Doubting doesn’t make you a bad Christian. Doubting is human, and like Thomas, God meets us in our doubt. He does not scoff at us or turn us away, he simply reminds us of the truth. 

Isn’t that such a beautiful thing?

—— 

On another note, I’m now offering copies of The 12 Week Jesus Bible Study via dailyshepursues.com. I just got 20 new copies this week, if you want one, they’re available at the link in my bio! 

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I’m still figuring out how to keep plants alive. I’m still figuring out how to keep plants alive. I love them but they don’t always love me. 😅

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Of course, this reminded me of how God is with us as Christians. Pruning is an important part of our sanctification process. 

Jesus tells us that God prunes us so that we can bear more fruit. Ultimately, without pruning, our spiritual lives wither and eventually die. If this happens, how can we abide in Christ?

Pruning can be painful, but God doesn’t prune us to harm us — he does it for our growth. He loves us. And the pruning won’t last forever, this is only a season. 
 

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Swipe to read.

P.S. — one of the weeks in my 12 week devotional is devoted to this topic so if you struggle in this area, I’d recommend checking it out. The link is in my bio. 

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