Are You a Good Person?

Most people consider themselves to be good. Some say that they are very industrious and help others. Others claim that they have not done anything really bad, and, therefore, they consider themselves to be good people. But the question that you should ask is: Am I good enough to get into heaven?

You Can Find Out if You Are a Good Person!

You can easily find out by going through the 10 Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17).

1. I am the Lord your God…You shall have no other gods before me.

Does God have the first place in your life? Jesus said: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37). This love comes before our love for our parents, brothers and sisters, and friends.

2. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.

Maybe you have not made idols out of wood or stone, but perhaps you have created a false picture of God in your mind. False images of God block you from coming to the living God.

3. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.

Have you used God´s name in swearing or have you made fun of God? The Bible says: “The Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.” (Exodus 20:7)

4. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

Just as God completed creation in six days and rested on the seventh day, we also need a day in the week to rest. We should keep one day in the week to honor God.

5. Honor your father and your mother.

We do not honor our parents if we as children disobey them, talk negatively about them, do not respect them or care for them when they are old.

6. You shall not murder.

You may say that you have not disobeyed this commandment. Think about what Jesus said:

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, `Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.´ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ´Raca,´ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ´You fool!´ will be in danger of the fire of hell.” (Matthäus 5,21-22)

John explains further:

“Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.” (I John 3:15)

For God a heart of hatred is just as bad as murder. We can disobey this commandment by having the wrong attitude in our heart.

7. You shall not commit adultery.

The Bible says that adulterers and sexually immoral persons will not enter the kingdom of God. (I Corinthians 6:9). Jesus said:

“But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:28)

Have you ever looked lustfully at a person of the opposite sex, or actually committed adultery?

8. You shall not steal.

Have you ever taken something from another person without permission (e.g. at work, in school, at home etc.)? Perhaps it was something small. The value of the stolen object is not decisive.

9. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

How often does one have to kill to become a murderer? Only once! In the same way, the person who lies once is a liar. Perhaps you do not consider deception and sneakiness to be serious sins. God views it differently. One single sin, no matter which one, is enough to separate you from God.

10. You shall not covet … anything that belongs to your neighbor.

We should never covet something that belongs to someone else: for example a house, car, money, and certainly not the husband or wife. We should not be jealous of another person´s lifestyle, but rather be satisfied with what we have. Have you kept this commandment?

Taking Stock

Who can claim to have kept all the commandments and is not guilty of breaking one of them? The Bible says:

“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

Do you recognize your condition? Do you admit that you have sinned and are guilty before God? Does the fact that you have sinned against God trouble you?

The Bible says that because of our evil behavior we have become enemies of God (Colossians 1:21) and God´s wrath remains on us (John 3:36). Many people think that God is so good that He will ignore our sins, but that is impossible.

Just imagine that a judge would close his eyes to criminal acts and rape. Would you consider him to be a good judge? No, he would be considered to be corrupt.

God can not be a corrupt judge. Therefore, He will punish all murderers, thieves, adulterers, liars, sorcerers, idol worshippers, blasphemers etc. in hell, the place of eternal damnation. (Revelation 21:8)

Real Love

God does not want you to be eternally lost. He is loving and compassionate. That is why He prepared a way for you to receive forgiveness for your guilt. He invites you to come to Him and to accept His gift of forgiveness and eternal life.

Just imagine you are standing in front of a judge because you have committed multiple offences. The evidence is unmistakable and you have been proven guilty. All your good works in the past cannot compensate for the charges and you are sentenced to pay a fine of 500,000 Euros or sit a prison term. You have only five cents and are not able to pay the fine.

Now imagine that the following happens: There is a stranger in the courtroom who has heard the entire court case. After hearing the sentence, he decides to take the punishment. He pays the fine, the court accepts it because the law has been fulfilled, and you are declared to be a free person. Wouldn´t that be wonderful?

That is exactly what God did for you 2000 years ago! The Bible says that God sent His Son Jesus Christ to this earth. Jesus had never sinned in His entire life. He was innocent, but He took our guilt and punishment when he died on the cross of Calvary. The Bible says:

“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

Jesus died on the cross for our sins. God accepted this sacrifice and raised Him from the dead. That is why Jesus can say:

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

Do you understand how much God loves you? Do you recognize that you are guilty before God and that you need forgiveness? If your answer is “Yes”, do what God says in Acts 3:19:

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out.”

Whoever confesses his sin and turns to God will receive forgiveness from his sin. Turn from your sin and put your trust in Jesus.

Real Faith

Many people “believe” that Jesus exists, but they have not accepted Him as their Savior. There is a big difference between believing in your head and real faith.

What does it mean to believe in Jesus Christ? It means that you trust Jesus just as a parachutist jumps from an airplane in an altitude of 5,000 meters, and has complete trust in his parachute.

Faith in Jesus is similar to parachute jumping – it is a step of faith. Decide to live your life with Jesus instead of a life in sin. Ask Jesus to forgive your sin, to come into your life and to lead you through life.

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12)

If you would like to take this step, the following prayer can become your own personal prayer:

“Lord Jesus, thank-you for dying on the cross for my sin. I realize that I need you. Please forgive my sin. I am sorry for my sin. Lord Jesus, today I am deciding to accept you. From this moment on my life belongs to you. I ask you to come into my life. I trust you. Take over the control of my life. The Bible says that whoever accepts you becomes God´s child. I believe that. Thank-you for coming into my life and that I can be your child. Amen.”

It is not important that the prayer is perfectly formulated. It is important that you really mean it. A decision for Jesus takes place in your heart.

After you accept Jesus into your life, God will change you from the inside out. You will think and feel differently. God will give you new strength for your life. Read in your Bible everyday and obey God´s Word. We would be happy to hear from you!

Perhaps you still have some unanswered questions. But remember: You don´t have to understand all the functions of a parachute in order to be able to use it. In an emergency it is better to grab the parachute before taking a parachuting course. You may decided too late and be unprepared for eternity. Do not delay making your decision to trust Jesus. You don´t know how much time you still have to make this decision.

Living Waters Publications

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Original Title: Ein guter Mensch | Translation from German: Marian Winter

© Text: Living Waters Publications | Text adapted with permission from LivingWaters.com | © German edition: Bruderhand e.V.

Publisher: Bruderhand-Medien, Am Hofe 2, 29342 Wienhausen, Germany, Telefon: +49 (0)5149 9891-0, Fax: -19, Homepage: www.bruderhand.de

E-Book-Date: 12.03.2015. Best.-Nr. 38-3 | Englisch/English | 1st edition 2014