Why None of Us Are Good People

At every funeral you have ever been to in your life, what is said about the deceased? That they were a good person? That they are "in a better place now"? Do a man-on-the-street interview with random folks, and aside from those who are knowingly struggling with an issue, ask them whether they think themselves to be a good person. What kind of answers do you think you will get?

Francis Chan said it best when he said that the two biggest lies the world tells us is that 1) we are good, and 2) God does not punish.

Why are these the two biggest lies, you ask? Isn't everyone basically good? Why would a God that people proclaim as loving also be a God that punishes us? To those without understanding, it makes no sense. Sure, when a human compares his or herself to another human being, it is easy for us to say that we are, in a very basic sense, good. Keep in mind that this is because comparing humans to other humans puts us all on an even plane where we are not quite as free to judge one another's sins--and this is because we all have very similar behavioral patterns to one another.

To put it briefly, our human point of view gets in the way of the reality of ourselves.

From God's point of view, He sees our imperfections in a most glaring fashion. He sees sin, and He hates sin. God and mankind were meant to be in perfect communion together, but sin disrupted everything. It caused our behavioral patterns to be detrimental towards ourselves, others, and God. It has been running rampant for quite some time now, devouring all that is good. It's even within our DNA coding--sin is a practically inescapable reality for us in our own power.

Combine this with God being at the most perfect standard of holiness as only He can be, and we have ourselves the truth of the matter--we (humanity) are not even close to being good. Not when compared to the true standard.

The other lie, that God does not punish, is a farce because God throughout Scripture takes on a very parental role with us. Any good parent has to punish their child from time to time so that their child learns right from wrong. Crazy kids like us also have a propensity to get into trouble often, which then requires more punishment. Yet another sad fact is that the vast majority of the human population never actually learns from their mistakes anymore--either they take it too lightly or too harshly.

It is imperative that we all realize these facts about ourselves; not only that we're not perfect, but also that we are not even remotely good. Not a single person on this planet is exempt from these facts. In doing so, it helps us realize our need for God on a moment-by-moment basis so that we know the truth.