This week, David Marvin taught us out of Romans 3. He addressed a very common and popular belief in the world today: good people go to heaven. While that sounds good and loving, he reminded us that that idea—good people go to heaven—is not rooted in Scripture. It’s forgiven people that go to heaven, and the only way to be forgiven is through Jesus.
1.“No one is good enough for heaven. The human standard for good is a lot different than heaven’s standard for good. Our standard of good is based on comparison, and wherever we put the line, we tend to put ourselves on the good side of the line.” In what areas of your life do you compare your “goodness” to that of others? Identify one way you can remind yourself that the ground is level at the foot of the cross and that you need Jesus just like everyone else.
2.“Doing good won’t make you good enough for God. No justice system on the planet works based on your good works outweighing your bad…and God’s justice system is no different. Doing good doesn’t make up for the times we’ve broken God’s law. On the flip side, your past sin won’t keep you out of heaven.” What sin are you prone to overlook and make a small deal out of, or, what sin are you prone to make too much of and minimize God’s love and forgiveness? Share this with your community group and come up with one way you can move away from making too little or too much of your sin.
3.“Only God can make us good. No good judge looks the other way. God bridges the gap for us because He knows we can’t. The Bible teaches that whoever believes gets into heaven, not whoever behaves.” Where and when are you prone to forget that it’s belief—not behavior—that puts you in right standing before God? This week, what’s one way you can remind yourself of God’s lavish love for you?