I fail the test of being good. I have failed it every day I have lived. Oh, on a vertical level, I am a little nearer to God’s standard of goodness than some. I have not killed anyone (outwardly at least). Compared to mass murderers like Hitler or Stalin, I guess I am doing quite well, but I am still so far short of God’s standard that I am not even close to measuring up! That’s right, not even close!

You see, Jesus never taught that my fellow man was the standard. He never said, “do better than Hitler and you will be fine.” The standard is the perfection of God’s character, His absolute holiness and majestic glory. The standard is a life lived in full devotion to God, loving Him with all the heart, soul, mind and strength and loving others as I love myself.

You see, not only have I failed in terms of bad words, thoughts and deeds each day, I have failed by even attempting to gain right standing with God by the things I do. Even the “good” things I have done have been tainted by motivations that were never 100% pure. I never did anything motivated entirely by the glory of God alone – not 100% anyway. My good works are filthy before God, not just my sins.

Am I just a psychological pessimist, down on myself, feeling I can never measure up?

No, I don’t think so. Not at all, in fact. I just take the Bible seriously when it says “all our righteousness is like filthy rags” (Isa 64:6), that “there are none that do good, no, not one” (Romans 3:11), and that Jesus said “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no way enter the kingdom of God.”

The gospel is not “do good and you will make it” – and even if it were, I would not make it, because in and of myself, I am just not good enough.

God gave us His law to show us His standard of righteousness and to show us that we were sinners, incapable of keeping it. None of us have kept even the first commandment of loving the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.. and that’s huge, because that is the greatest commandment; and if so, failing to do that is the greatest sin.

So, it is a healthy thing, in light of God’s holiness to recognize that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23)… none of us have lived like Jesus. Its healthy to have an honest and acurate assessment of oneself.

But recognizing this and admitting the bad news that I fail the test of being good, God has not left us to this depressing news. The message of Christmas and of the good news of the gospel is that God has stepped into history to give us the greatest news possible. There is someone good enough!! There is someone who pleased God every moment of His life… God was able to say about this man “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”

Now, he could not say that about me.. and though I do not know you personally, I know (from Scripture) this is also true about you.

So after living a totally sinless life, Jesus, on the cross, fulfilling the picture of the Lamb in Old Testament times, all the sins of all the people who would ever believe in Him were transferred to the back of Christ, and He bore the punishment for them.. He died “for our sins” because the wages of sin is death. These sins, were real, and so was the punishment handed out to Christ for them.

Isaiah 53:3 says, “He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

But that’s not all that happened… there was a double transfer, as not only were our sins laid on Him, but all the works of Christ – all He did in fulfilling every requirement of God to obey His law – the perfect righteousness of Christ, was transferred to the account of everyone who places their faith and trust in Christ.

Then Jesus rose from the dead thereby showing that God’s eternal plan to make sinners right or just in His sight had worked. Christ’s work was perfect and had fulfilled the demands of God’s justice.

So though I fail and never measure up, Someone else did everything required.. someone else was perfect.. and that person is the Lord Jesus Christ. Christmas is wonderful, but lets remember that the child grew up and lived the most amazing life in human history, but He was rejected, despised and handed over to a cruel and tortuous death, FOR US.

Christianity does not say “be good enough” but says, “you are not good enough, admit it. But then remember, there is One who was and is good enough.” As the angel announced, “there is born this day, in the city of Bethlehem, a Savior who is Christ the Lord.” As the angel said to Joseph, “You shall call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.” (Matt 1:21).

So, do you admit that you failed too? If you do, there is hope for you. Not by you trying to do what only Jesus did. Not by living a perfect life. But there’s hope found only in the One who lived and died for sinners like you and me.

If you, like me, admit that you failed and that you never did and never could measure up, and more than that, admit that this actually matters – that every act of failure is an act of high treason against a just and holy God.. if you will do that, and will abandon all attempts to justify yourself before Him.. and then place your entire and total trust in the work of Christ as your sin bearing Substitute, God will transfer the achievements of His Son to your account.

Why?

“For He (God) has made Him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin, so that in Him, we might be made the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is the gospel.

God is holy and I am not. That’s the bad news… made worse by the fact that God is good, totally good, and as a good judge, must punish every sin and not negotiate his holiness by treating it in a cavalier way.. but while perfectly just and good and holy, sent His Son into the world to save guilty sinners from His own wrath.

In His love, God sent Jesus, to save us from… God.. to save us from the holiness of God, knowing that a holy God must punish sin.

Why? Because God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, so that all those who believe in Him, would never in any way perish, but have everlasting life.

Will you, like me, turn from all attempts at justifying yourself, and please your faith and trust in Christ? If you do, you will have Christ’s very own righteousness as a gift, a righteousness better than any scribe or Pharisee ever possessed – a righteousness that means, God can say to you.. You are just in my sight this very day! Now, because of this, go and share my love with others.. and do good.. not to gain right standing with Me, but because now, by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, you already have!

Christmas reminds me, I am not good enough. It reminds me that God knew I was not good enough. And it reminds me, that God loved me enough to send His Son into this world, not only to give me Christmas, but Easter too… Jesus came on a mission to live a perfect life, and die an atoning death, for all those who admit, they could never get to heaven by themselves but need a Savior.

Christmas tells me “John you are not good enough” but God knew that and sent someone to rescue you who was good enough FOR YOU! Just believe in and trust in Him. He is the perfect Savior!

Oh and what a Savior He is!

“Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works…” Romans 4:4-6

“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. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:8-10