Are you a good person? Most people would say yes, but they fail to compare themselves to God’s perfect standard (Exodus 20). Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever stolen anything even if it’s small? Have you ever taken God’s name in vain? Jesus said that even if you are angry or hate someone, you have murdered them in your heart (Matthew 5:21-22). According to Jesus, even if you haven’t physically murdered someone, you have murdered them in your heart. Jesus also said that if you look at someone with lust, you have committed adultery with them in your heart (Matthew 5:27-28).

The Bible says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and that “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.” (Romans 3:10-11) This is our biggest problem because God is perfect and holy, and He rightly demands that we perfectly obey His entire law. James 2:10 says, “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.” This means that even if you tell a single lie or steal something very small, you have broken God’s law and will stand guilty before God.

Because you have broken God’s law, you are deserving of eternal punishment in hell. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

What did God do for sinners so that you wouldn’t have to go to hell? The answer is Jesus Christ, our perfect, sinless substitute. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For our sake He made Him to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” Jesus is fully God and fully man, therefore He was able to live a perfect and righteous life. He never sinned, not even once. At the end of his earthly life, Jesus willingly went up to the cross, died the death that you deserve to die and bore the wrath of God you deserve to bear for your sins. The Bible teaches that God can punish Jesus in your place for your sins, and impute Jesus’s perfect righteousness to you if you would believe. Then when God judges you, He sees the righteousness of Jesus Christ instead of your sins.

3 days after Jesus died in our place, God raised Jesus from the dead, showing that He approved of Jesus’s sacrifice and that those who trust in Him will be resurrected to enjoy eternal glory with Christ forever (Ephesians 1:19-20, Acts 2:24, Revelation 20:6).

How do you respond to this? The Bible says that you must repent of your sins (Acts 3:19) and trust in Jesus and believe in Him alone (John 3:16), and you will be saved from hell and given eternal life in Christ. If you stand before the throne of God trusting in your own good works, you will stand condemned. Isaiah 64:6 says, “all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment.” Ephesians 2:8-9 says “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” I pray you would repent of your sins and trust in Jesus today.