10 Ways to Know If You Are Truly a Good Person

 

Are you a good person? Almost everyone thinks they are–including you. But that’s the wrong question to ask according to the 10 commandments.

Almost everyone thinks they are a good person. Including you.

But the question you should be asking is not “Am I a good person?” but, “Am I good enough to go to heaven?”

How would you know? The way to find out is to ask yourself if you have obeyed the .

Most people say, “Well, I’ve broken one or two, but nothing too serious. The guy down the street, now….has he broken some laws!”

But I don’t care about him. I care about you right now. So let’s go through them and see how you would do.

1. You shall have no other Gods before me.

Have you always put God first in your life?  love God with all your mind and all your heart.  Have you ever failed to put Him first in your life? I know I have. Millions of times.

2. You shall not make an idol for yourself.

Does God get the backseat to your life while sports, shopping or work rule your life? Are you obsessed with money, fame or power?

There was a time when I thought about nothing else accept winning the Nobel Prize for Literature. I tried to fit God into these plans, but He wouldn’t fit. So I neglected him…and idolized fame.

3. You shall not take the name of God in vain.

Ever combined a curse word with God’s name, even when you were alone in the garage? If so, then you are a blasphemer. The  “God will not hold him guiltless who takes the name of the Lord in vain.”

4. Remember to keep the Sabbath Day holy.

God commands that we set aside one day in seven to meditate upon Him. How often do you do fail to do that? If you’re like me, at least twice a month. When you and I do this, we show that sports, shopping or work dominate our life.

5. Honor your father and your mother.

Think back to a time when you were a teenager in your parents’ living room. They’ve just grounded you for staying out late the night before. How did you respond?

If you blew up, you dishonored your parents. And when we don’t honor our parents in a way that’s pleasing to God, we’ve sinned.

6. You shall not murder.

“Nope, doesn’t apply to me,” I hear you saying. Think again.

 “Whoever is angry with his brother without cause, is in danger of judgment,” and , “He who hates his brother is a murderer.”

All of Jesus’ comments on the Laws gets down to the motive, the heart. That is the core of who we are. So you and I are murderers–even when we haven’t killed anyone–if we hate someone.

7. You shall not commit adultery.

 “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust

Scholars consider Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount to be the New Testament type of Moses receiving the Ten Commandments on Mt. Zion.

for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Have you ever looked at someone with lust? God says that adulterers and those who have sex before marriage will not enter heaven. That includes those who lust.  Whoa.

8. You shall not steal.

Have you ever stolen anything? Something small when you were little?  is still theft. If you’ve ever taken something that belonged to someone else, then that makes you a thief.

9. You shall not lie.

How many murders do you have to commit to make you a murderer? Just one. How many lies do you have to tell before you become a liar? Again, just one.

The  that all liars will have their part in the lake of Fire. Heavy stuff for bending the truth.

10. You shall not covet.

 means to want something that belongs to another person. Their house, car, money, lifestyle or wife. In other words, envy. Or jealousy.

I can’t tell you how often–especially in this keep-up-with-the-Jones world–I’m plagued by this. You?

What Happens If You Get One or More of These Wrong

So, how’d you do? Are you truly a good person? Will you get in heaven if you died today?

If you’re like me, you’ve broken them all at one time or another. By my own confession I’m a lying, lustful, envious, murdering and idolatrous thief. That makes me a sinner.

What about you? Are you a sinner? Perhaps you think God is good and because of his goodness He will overlook your sins?

You could beg him for his forgiveness. Why not? He’s a a good God–he’ll let you off the hook.

If that’s your thought, one thing we would have right: he is a good God. And that means he cannot let sin go unpunished.

What kind of judge would excuse a serial child molester–a notorious monster who sliced the throats of the children he raped–simply because the criminal said, “Look, judge, I know you’re a good judge, a forgiving judge. I’m really, really sorry. From the bottom of my heart.”?

Would that judge be good if he turned a blind eye to those crimes? No. That would be a wicked judge.

In the same way, because God is a good judge, he’ll never let sin go unpunished. He will punish all the rapists, murderers and thieves. But He won’t stop there.

He’ll also punish all the lustful liars, adulterers, idolators and blasphemers.

And the punishment? Hell.

Fortunately, Jesus paid the penalty for our sins over 2,100 years ago. You don’t have to withstand the wrath of God or pay for your sins. God sacrificed his life for your life.

But you have to repent and trust in Jesus. You have to become a Christian.

**Part of the Curmudgeon’s Guide to Sharing the Gospel series.**

2 thoughts on “10 Ways to Know If You Are Truly a Good Person

  1. Anna

    Ack! That’s not the gospel! We need Jesus’ death burial and resurection in there! 1 Cor 15. Also, what about being born again?

    Reply

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