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Am I a Good Person?
A Personal Testimony

Like most people, I used to believe that I was basically a good person and that I would make it to Heaven on my merits.  I thought that treating people fairly was all that matters.

So, how would I answer these questions?  (See if you would answer them differently than I did):

·         Have I ever taken the name of God or Jesus Christ in vain?  Unfortunately, I have.  That’s called “blasphemy,” a violation of God’s Third Commandment.

·         Have I ever looked at someone with lust in my heart? Yes, I have.  Jesus says I've committed adultery in my heart, a violation of the Seventh Commandment according to God’s Law.

·         Have I ever said I hated someone?  I used to.  God’s Word says that hating someone is as if committing murder, a violation of the Sixth Commandment.

·         Have I ever told a lie?  More recently than I care to mention.  The Ninth Commandment declares this as a sin against another person.

·         Have I ever taken something that didn’t belong to me? I probably have, some time in my life. That means I’ve violated God’s Eighth Commandment.

Since I answered “yes” to all these questions, what does that make me?  If I'm honest with myself, I would have to conclude that I am (or at least was) a blasphemous, adulterous, thieving, murderous liar.  Suddenly, I don’t look like such a good person, do I?  Where do you suppose that will put me - in Heaven or in Hell?  I would have to conclude that Hell is surely my destiny.  Not a pleasant thought, is it!

But isn’t our God a loving and forgiving God?  He’ll forgive me, won’t he?  Consider this:  If I were guilty of a crime and appeared before a judge, would the judge say he forgives me, even though he knows I'm guilty, and let me walk out of that courtroom without paying a fine or serving a sentence?  Not likely.  God is at least as Just, so when I violate God’s Laws, he will judge me the same way, and I will have to pay the fine or serve the sentence.

But God did something incredible.  He sent his sinless, perfect son Jesus Christ into the world to take on all our worldly sins, and to suffer and die on the cross as a substitute for us all.  Then, as a testament to God’s promise of everlasting life, Jesus rose from the grave and walked on the Earth for at least another forty days, as reported and documented by over 500 firsthand witnesses in various books of the New Testament and other ancient documents.

So even though I am a sinner (meaning simply that I have violated God's Laws), I've been given the opportunity to accept and trust Jesus Christ to be saved from an eternity in Hell.  When I've done that, God promises that He will forgive and forget all my past sins, and make me a new creature in Jesus Christ.  That’s what Jesus meant when he said I have to be “born again.”

It is not enough to believe in Jesus.  It is a matter of trusting Him.  You can believe in a parachute, but putting one on and trusting that it will save your life and carry you to safety is taking that belief a step further.

What do I have to do to receive forgiveness for my sins and everlasting life?  Just two things:

1.   Believe in my heart and declare that I accept and trust in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.

2.  Repent - change the direction of my life away from my sinful past.

The first part is easy.  The second part takes a little more effort, (sometimes a lot more effort.)  But I understand that God doesn’t want anyone to perish in the eternal fires of Hell, so He will help us along the way.  All we have to do is ask for His help.  God has been with each of us all of our life.  That’s why we are alive and well right now - so that we may yet receive this message of salvation and forgiveness.  With Jesus Christ on my side, my life is guaranteed to change for the better - and so can yours, starting today!

Mr. Dana Johnson
 Inspired by Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort (“The Way of the Master”, Trinity Broadcasting Network)