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An
Outreach Publication of the Church of Christ at
Creekwood |
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"Good
Isn't Good Enough" He
“was a devout man, one who feared God with all his
household, who gave alms generously to the people, and
prayed to God always” (Acts 10:2).
His name was Cornelius, and he was a good man.
Yet, he was told that in the sight of God there
were some things he lacked.
He was directed to Simon Peter who would tell
him what he must do (Acts 10:6). When
Peter came to visit him, Cornelius was waiting for him
with his relatives and close friends (Acts 10:24).
Peter taught Cornelius and his family and
friends about Jesus Christ – His
authority, His power, His crucifixion, His
resurrection, His future role as Judge of the living
and the dead (Acts 10:34-42). Why was a good man – a God-fearing man – told to believe in Jesus and be baptized (immersed in water) in the name of the Lord? Cornelius was a good man, but he was still a sinner; he needed forgiveness for his sins. So do you. So do I. “As it is written: ‘There is NONE righteous, no not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all gone out of the way; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one’” (Romans 3:10-12). Cornelius,
as well as many others, could declare:
“I am basically a good person. Cornelius learned that just being a good, moral person isn’t enough. He needed Jesus Christ and the forgiveness that is found in Him. Sin is not only breaking the law of God (1 John 3:4); it is also failing to be what God intended for us to be. There are sins of commission – sins we commit – and there are sins of omission – things we should do, but don’t. The truth is that no one can ever be good enough to earn salvation. Only through Jesus Christ can one be saved (Acts 4:12). God
wants us to be good (see Acts 10:35), but He knows –
just as you and I know – that we can NEVER be
perfect. Each
day we fall short in some way, either in
thought, attitude, word, or deed.
In short, WE
ARE SINNERS, and we NEED God, in His great love and mercy, gave us His Son to provide for us what we need the most: forgiveness. Through faith (Acts 10:43), repentance (Acts 17:30), confession (Romans 10:9-10) and baptism (Acts 10:48; 2:38), and faithfulness to Christ (1 John 1:7), we receive forgiveness in Christ. God loves good people, BUT being good isn’t good enough. ALL people EVERYWHERE – the good and the bad – need the salvation from sin which God has provided. We must not TRUST in our good works, but rather CONTINUE in them, while trusting and obeying Jesus Who ALONE has finished the work. God bless you!
David A. Sargent,
Minister To Subscribe to "Living Water" send a blank e-mail to:
HTML version: subscribe-livingwater@lyris.dundee.net Follow this link to locate the church of Christ nearest you: www.churchsearch.org Archived issues of "Living Water" can be accessed from our website at: www.creekwoodcc.org |