Opinion: Thinking we’re ‘good enough’ is deption

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Commentary by Rev. Michael VandenBerg

God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. [1 John 1:5-9]

As I write this, I am looking out the window. The sun is shining and its warmth is coming in through the window, warming me and the house. As I look out on this winter afternoon, no snow, bright sun and children at play, you could believe that it is late spring or early fall. It is not! As I step outside I can see that the thermometer says it is 29 degrees outside and as I run out to get the mail, the cold air bites into my skin. I have been deceived.

We all are deceived at times. ID theft is the fastest growing crime around according to those in the know. Con men have always done well with the unsuspecting. Even the unscrupulous business person can do well with those who are uninformed or unaware.

Deception: the act of making someone believe something that isn’t true. We even do this to ourselves. In God’s Word it tells us to beware of believing we are something we are not. Believing that we are “good enough” to be accepted by God, even though we continue to live broken lives, is deception. Believing that somehow we can be good enough on our own is deception. God want us to have all the benefits of eternal life, kingdom pleasure, heavenly fortunes and becoming children of the creator of the universe… but we can’t do it on our own. We must rely on that price, being paid by one who is without sin, without all our shortcomings, without deception. It can only be found in the one who was fully human and yet fully God, paying the price for our sin.

God wants you to come home, enjoy the family, spend time with your brothers and sisters. He wants you to stop living in the gutters and start living in the palace in the kingdom of God. All you have to do is bring him your sins, let him pay the price and start living the new, good life.

 


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