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I think that these individuals whom you would consider genuine Christians, would not consider themselves 'good', if they are in fact genuine. One day Jesus was called 'good master' (Matthew 19). He replied, " why are you calling me good, there is none good but God".
We have no righteousness in and of ourselves. Any righteousness that we have, apart from Christ, believing that we are 'good' people, isn't actually righteousness. Few have kept the commandments, and those who have tried to live by the law, have not truly comprehended the gift of grace.
Our moral codes and the outward appearance of holiness contributes little to the true holiness which begins within the heart once we receive the Lord Jesus as Savior. This is the reason Jesus, when speaking about John the baptist, said, 'the prostitutes and tax collectors will enter the kingdom ahead of you' (Matthew 21).
When the message of John was preached, those who thought they were 'good' didn't acknowledge their need for repentance, because they were 'good', but the prostitutes and tax collectors received John's message and repented, acknowledging that they had sin in their lives.
The bible teaches that there are none righteous, and that our righteousness is like filthy rags. Without Jesus there would be no Christianity, and without the righteousness that only he can give, all of us would be hopelessly lost, no matter how good we believe we are.
Meg,, we are all a work in progress, none of us are capable of judging the heart. Who am I to judge one of God's children? Even a christian who has fallen, can rise up, and God is able to cause him to stand.
Simply because we 'don't curse, don't chew or run with folks that do', this, in and of itself, does not constitute goodness, nor does it gain entry into God's kingdom. Until we realize that it is only by God's grace that we are saved and not through our own morality, we won't fully grasp the meaning of salvation and righteousness. I believe that we must consider carefully what we mean when we say 'genuine Christian' or when we call someone a 'good person'.
We have no righteousness in and of ourselves. Any righteousness that we have, apart from Christ, believing that we are 'good' people, isn't actually righteousness. Few have kept the commandments, and those who have tried to live by the law, have not truly comprehended the gift of grace.
Our moral codes and the outward appearance of holiness contributes little to the true holiness which begins within the heart once we receive the Lord Jesus as Savior. This is the reason Jesus, when speaking about John the baptist, said, 'the prostitutes and tax collectors will enter the kingdom ahead of you' (Matthew 21).
When the message of John was preached, those who thought they were 'good' didn't acknowledge their need for repentance, because they were 'good', but the prostitutes and tax collectors received John's message and repented, acknowledging that they had sin in their lives.
The bible teaches that there are none righteous, and that our righteousness is like filthy rags. Without Jesus there would be no Christianity, and without the righteousness that only he can give, all of us would be hopelessly lost, no matter how good we believe we are.
Meg,, we are all a work in progress, none of us are capable of judging the heart. Who am I to judge one of God's children? Even a christian who has fallen, can rise up, and God is able to cause him to stand.
Simply because we 'don't curse, don't chew or run with folks that do', this, in and of itself, does not constitute goodness, nor does it gain entry into God's kingdom. Until we realize that it is only by God's grace that we are saved and not through our own morality, we won't fully grasp the meaning of salvation and righteousness. I believe that we must consider carefully what we mean when we say 'genuine Christian' or when we call someone a 'good person'.
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