Day 22 – Why Religions and Good Deeds Fall Short – Julie Earl
Romans 10:1-13
How I wish the whole world could grasp the amazing truth of Romans 10:1-13. We can’t earn our way to God through religious practices or good deeds. The only way we can become righteous (in right standing with God) is to simply believe in Jesus. “Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness” (verses 1-3).
All other religions (and even some who think they are Christians but are not) try to establish their own righteousness. They have set up a list of rules, regulations and guidelines that must be followed in order to become righteous and to spend eternity in heaven (or utopia) with their version of God. But the good news is that none of us can earn our way to right standing with God. Jesus earned it for us! “Christ is the end of the law [no more rules and regulations] so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes” (verse 4).
Romans 10:9-13 tells us how to be forgiven so that we can spend eternity with our loving God who aches to be with each of us. “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, ‘Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.’ For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile–the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'”
It doesn’t say, “Everyone who crawls on their knees, does acts of penance, and is sorry enough for their sins will be saved.”
It doesn’t say: “Everyone who goes to church, gives to charity and feeds the poor will be saved.”
It doesn’t say: “Everyone who is kind to others, rarely loses their temper and never kills anyone will be saved.”
These things, no matter how sincere or wonderful they are, all fall short. Why? Because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Just as darkness can’t co-exist with light, our sins can’t co-exist with God in His fullness in heaven. If we tried to enter heaven with our sins unforgiven, no matter how many good deeds we had done, we would not survive. That is why Jesus had to take the punishment for our sins so that our sins would no longer be held against us.
Once we call on Jesus to forgive and lead us, we are finally in right standing with God, and He and the angels rejoice that we get to spend now and eternity with them. What a gift! What an amazing God of love who did the work for us through Jesus!
You are so very loved!
Julie Earl with Crazy About You Ministries (CAYM)