by Tony Dekker (Version 1.2, August 2004).
Copyright © 2004 by Anthony Dekker. Permission is given to distribute this review freely for non-profit use, provided that it is not altered and that this copyright notice remains intact. See also http://members.ozemail.com.au/~dekker/essays
English Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. See http://www.gospelcom.net/ibs/niv/
On several electronic bulletin boards I subscribe to, I’ve often seen a cry from the heart along the lines of:
“I’m just not good enough!”
Sometimes this cry comes from adults suffering depression, but most often it comes from teenagers (who are young enough to be both honest and idealistic).
All of these people seem to have been brought up on the belief that if only you’re good enough, you’ll enter heaven—and, of course, that’s why they’re depressed.
Now, this belief that you enter heaven by being good has a long tradition, and is backed up by many Hollywood movies. The problem is: IT’S NOT CHRISTIANITY!
The idea that nobody is good enough is one of the basic beliefs of Christianity. Not you, not me, not anybody (except Jesus). When St Paul quotes the Psalms:
“There is no one righteous, not even one;
there is no one who understands,
no one who seeks God.
All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.”
“Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit.”
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
“Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
ruin and misery mark their ways,
and the way of peace they do not know.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Romans 3:10b–18)
that’s what he’s saying: nobody is good enough. Romans 7:14–24 makes crystal clear that Paul knows that he himself isn’t good enough either.
All of us (especially those brought up in a Christian society) have a sense, deep inside us, of what human beings should be like—a sense of what we should aspire to. These things are “written on our hearts” and our “consciences bear witness” (Romans 2:14–15). Yet we fail to meet this standard.
So what’s to be done? We are unable to reach up to God through our own efforts, but God can reach down to us. That’s why Jesus came, and He said Himself:
“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” (Matthew 9:12b)
It was the people who knew they weren’t good enough who followed Jesus: Matthew, the tax collector of dubious honesty (Matthew 9:9), the Samaritan woman who was a little too casual about marriage (John 4:7–42), and the Roman Centurion (Matthew 8:5–13).
As for the Pharisees who thought they could get to heaven by being good—read what Jesus wrote about them: it isn’t pretty. But Jesus accepts us as we are. As a wonderful old hymn says:
Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come.
Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings within and fears without,
O Lamb of God, I come.
Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come. (Charlotte Elliott, 1834)
The language here may be rather old fashioned—the words are 170 years old—but in those days hymns had an honesty and power that some of the sugary “happy” hymns of today do not share.
Of course, once we have taken the hand that God reaches down to us, a whole other story begins, because Jesus says: “follow me” (Matthew 4:19, 8:22, 9:9, 16:24, etc.). What does that mean? It means following Jesus on a journey of becoming more and more perfect, until eventually we reach perfection in heaven. This journey is not necessary to enter heaven: the criminal who was crucified with Jesus and believed in Him (Luke 23:40–43) didn’t have time for much of a journey at all. But the journey is a gift from God to us, as well as a way that we can give our lives back to God. Theologians call the process sanctification.
It’s a journey that is very, very slow, and with lots of ups and downs. Remember Romans 7:14–24? That’s talking about St Paul, one of history’s greatest Christians. Even he didn’t find the journey easy. Many of his letters to Christian churches are about this journey, which Paul sometimes describes as a sporting event (yes, his readers were fans of the Olympic games too):
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12–14)
And it is like a race. One step after another. Not thinking about where we’ve been, but thinking about where we’re going. Yet running with confidence, because if we are on God’s team, He won’t reject us (Romans 8:1, Philippians 1:6, John 6:37). Not only that, we have a fantastic coach (Romans 8:26–27).
So, what does the Bible say to those who feel that they aren’t good enough?