A typical, nominal Christian

Churches have lots of people who are Christians only in name. They have never been born again. That is not a question they usually consider, but they are satisfied that they believe in the true God, and that God must be generally happy with them. The reason they give is typically like this, "I am a good man. I read my Bible every day, say my prayers regularly, and attend church. I have not killed or raped anyone, I have not robbed a bank. Because I am a good man, God cannot refuse to take me to heaven." If you ask them if they are good enough for God, they say, "I am not worse than anybody else. Of course, if you ask me, occasionally I have told lies, shouted at my wife, or looked at some woman with lust. But everyone does that. God can't refuse me because of that. Then there will be no one in heaven!"

If you ask them, you will also see that they believe Jesus died for the sins of the world and rose again. For some Christians who have not thought deeply about such things, this is faith, and these people are already children of God! They can't understand the fuss I seem to be making.

But what makes us sad to see is that while they see that Jesus died for sinners, they do not see themselves as sinners. They think they are good people! They think that it would not be difficult for God to overlook their little sins, and that it would be unfair if He found fault with them.

"And Jesus answered and said to them, 'It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance'" (Lk.31,32). Actually no one is righteous in God's sight, and every one of us is guilty. In that sense there is no one for whom Jesus did not have to come. But what He meant was that He could not help those who were actually sinners but who imagined that they were righteous! He could not be Saviour to those who did not think they needed any Saviour.

If we just think of why Jesus had to die on the cross, things will become clear. Why didn't God just send prophets and teachers telling people to change their behaviour so that they could become acceptable to God? Why did Jesus have to suffer like He did, and actually die?

Jesus was making a payment for sin. What we must see is that sin is so deadly in God's mind that only death could pay for it. What we have not understood is that severity of sin, if we think that our sins are minor and we are actually good people. He loved us so much that He was even willing to pay the price of His own death to redeem us from sin (Jn.3:16).

It is then that we will see ourselves as sinners, and when we will understand the depth of the love of God for us. It is then that we will loathe ourselves for thinking we were good, and humbly confess the truth to God. We will feel so relieved that Jesus came for us. Then we will ask for forgiveness, and express our desire not to sin again. That is when God gives us a new birth and calls us His children.