A Different View of Myself

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:6

What if I took a glass of the purest drinking water and put one drop of arsenic in it. Would you drink it? Of course not! That drop of poison would contaminate the entire glass of water, making it harmful to you.

Numerous times I have asked people the question, “Do you believe you will go to heaven when you die?” If they respond, “Yes,” then I ask, “Why?” Quite frequently I’ve heard the response, “Because I’ve been a good person.” Do you think you are a good person? Do you think your ‘good deeds’ have earned you a ticket to heaven? When you or I compare ourselves to other people, it is easy to find someone who is worse than we are. We can then conclude that we are good.

What does the Bible say about man being good? There is no one righteous, not even one…there is no one who does good, not even one (Romans 3:10, 12). All men are like that glass of water. All have sinned (Romans 3:23). Even one sin contaminates the whole being. If I took that glass of water and poured it into a larger container and continued adding pure water, the poison would still be present. No amount of good deeds can make us pure. Our sin has separated us from God.

Salvation is based not upon what you or I do, but upon what God has already done through Jesus Christ. He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior (Titus 3:5-6).

What is your view about yourself? Do you see yourself as good enough to go to heaven based on your own merit? How you see yourself is not important. What matters is how God sees you. Are you contaminated because of sin, or are you cleansed through faith in Jesus Christ?

Thank You, God, that complete cleansing comes through faith in Jesus!

Jan Burkhart