Being a Good Person is All that Matters

Sep 13, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The Spelling Test That Revealed Our Need for Perfection

A restaurant glass with one drop of poison becomes undrinkable. So too does one sin make us unfit before God’s holiness. Scripture rejects the idea of grading spirituality on a curve—no one reaches God’s standard of perfection through incremental improvement. Like students who missed a single question on a pass/fail test, humanity’s efforts fall short. Righteousness isn’t earned through moral achievement but received through Christ, who alone scored 100%. [58:04]

“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
(Matthew 5:48, NIV)

Reflection: Where have you been striving to “improve your grade” with God through behavior? How might embracing Christ’s perfection free you from the pressure to earn approval?

Day 2: When a Single Drop Poisons the Whole Glass

A waiter’s warning about tainted water mirrors sin’s contamination: one rebellion corrupts entirely. God’s justice cannot overlook even minor sins, for holiness requires purity. People often minimize their failures by comparing themselves to others, but Scripture declares all hearts equally infected. The remedy isn’t diluting sin’s potency but accepting the antidote—Christ’s sacrifice. [06:07]

“For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.”
(James 2:10, NIV)

Reflection: What “small” sin have you rationalized as harmless? How does recognizing its gravity deepen your gratitude for Jesus’ cleansing?

Day 3: The Judge Who Sees Beyond Charity and Kindness

Standing before a courtroom, good deeds hold no power to cancel guilt. Similarly, God’s justice demands payment for sin, which moral resumes cannot satisfy. The rich young ruler’s obedience and the Pharisee’s religious resume both failed because hearts clung to self-sufficiency. Salvation comes not through stacked achievements but through surrendering to Christ’s finished work. [10:13]

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
(Ephesians 2:8–9, NIV)

Reflection: What “resume item” do you subtly rely on to feel secure before God? How can you shift that trust to Jesus alone?

Day 4: The Tax Collector’s Prayer That Opened Heaven

Two men prayed: one listed accomplishments, the other begged mercy. Only the broken sinner left justified. Humility, not moral performance, unlocks grace. God isn’t impressed by religious checklists but responds to honest confession. Like the tax collector, we must stop comparing ourselves to others and start agreeing with God about our need. [14:35]

“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’”
(Luke 18:13–14, NIV)

Reflection: When have you disguised insecurity with spiritual boasting? What would it look like to approach God today with raw honesty?

Day 5: The Debt Paid While We Were Still Bankrupt

A million-dollar debt erased by another’s payment mirrors Christ’s substitution. We bring nothing to the transaction—He died for us while we were still rebels. Grace isn’t a reward for reform but a gift for the guilty. Our role isn’t to balance scales but to receive the One who tipped them forever in our favor. [12:07]

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
(Romans 5:8, NIV)

Reflection: How does knowing Jesus paid your debt before you “cleaned up” change your motivation to live for Him? Where can His grace overflow to others today?

Sermon Summary

The belief that it does not matter what a person believes, as long as that person is sincere and tries to be good, rests on a mistaken idea about what God desires. God is not impressed by religious box-checking, outward actions, or a system of rules that leaves the heart far from Him. God desires a real relationship with people, a relationship made possible through faith in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ.

Sincerity does not determine truth. Evil men have been deeply sincere in their convictions while doing terrible things, and God judges by truth rather than personal opinion. The common claim, “I’m a good person,” usually grows out of comparing one sinner with another sinner. God does not compare people to criminals, dishonest politicians, or the person down the street. God compares every heart to His own holiness and to Jesus, the only perfect person ever to walk this planet.

Paul’s words in Romans 3 shut down the whole idea of earning heaven through good intentions: “No one is righteous. No, not one.” God’s standard is not a curve where a 98 is good enough. God’s standard is perfection, and every person has failed that test. Isaiah’s image of filthy rags does not mean good deeds have no value. It means good deeds cannot erase sin before a holy God.

Sin is more than breaking rules. Sin is rebellion against what God says is right, good, and true. Jesus shows in Matthew 5 that hatred, unforgiveness, lust, and hidden motives matter before God just as much as outward actions. The glass of water with one drop of poison shows how even one sin contaminates the whole person and leaves that person guilty before God.

The gospel meets that guilt with both justice and mercy. Jesus lived the perfect life nobody else could live, took the punishment sinners deserved, and paid the debt nobody could ever repay. Salvation comes by grace through faith, not through church attendance, baptism, family heritage, morality, intelligence, or good works. Good works do not lead to salvation, but salvation produces good works as God changes a person from the inside out.

Jesus’ parables expose the difference between religious pride and humble faith. The Pharisee trusted his accomplishments, while the tax collector cried out for mercy and went home justified. The rich young ruler looked moral on the outside, but his wealth held his heart. The question remains simple and personal: What is being trusted, has sin been admitted, and has Jesus begun changing the life?

Key Takeaways

1. Sincerity cannot make error true. Sincerity can feel convincing, especially when it is tied to strong emotion or lifelong habit. Truth does not bend around personal conviction, and God does not judge according to whatever feels right to a person. Jesus alone is the truth that brings sinners into a right relationship with God. [49:12]
2. God does not grade on a curve. Human comparison always finds somebody worse, and that comparison can make a sinful heart feel respectable. God measures every person against His own perfect holiness, not against another fallen person. A 98 may look impressive in a classroom, but God’s standard of perfection reveals that every person needs mercy. [57:21]
3. Sin is rebellion, not mere mistakes. Sin is not simply a collection of bad decisions that can be balanced out by better behavior. Sin reaches into motives, thoughts, desires, pride, hatred, and the parts of the heart hidden behind a good mask. God sees all of it, which is why self-improvement cannot solve the deepest problem. [62:26]
4. Jesus paid the debt sinners owed. Justice requires that guilt be dealt with, and good deeds cannot dismiss a real offense. Jesus took the punishment sinners deserved and went to the cross where justice and mercy meet. Grace is not God pretending sin does not matter, but God providing the payment through His sinless Son. [71:09]
5. Salvation produces works, not the reverse. Good works become evidence of God’s involvement in a changed life, never the price paid for salvation. Christ changes how saved people see the world, love others, and live before God, even though perfection still remains out of reach. The goal is not to make people look at personal goodness, but to help them see Jesus.

## [72:54]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[47:26] - The Good Person Objection
[48:48] - God Desires Relationship, Not Religion
[49:12] - Sincerity Does Not Determine Truth
[51:31] - The Cosmic Scale of Good Deeds
[54:29] - No One Is Righteous
[57:21] - God’s Standard Is Perfection
[60:22] - The Real Problem Is Sin
[64:18] - God Sees the Heart and Motives
[66:07] - One Sin Contaminates the Whole Life
[67:15] - Grace Through Faith, Not Works
[71:09] - Jesus Paid the Debt
[74:35] - The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
[75:39] - Three Questions to Consider
[78:29] - Trusting Jesus Alone

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Romans 3:10-12
“As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.’”
[54:29]

Ephesians 2:8-9
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”
[01:07:15]

Matthew 5:48
“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
[00:59:22]

Isaiah 64:6
“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.”
[00:59:46]

Luke 18:9-14
“To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: “God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.” But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.’”
[01:14:35]

Observation questions

What repeated words and descriptions does Paul use in Romans 3:10-12 to show the condition of all people before God?
In Matthew 5:48, what standard does Jesus give, and how does that differ from comparing one person’s behavior with another person’s behavior? [57:21]
What does the Pharisee point to in his prayer, and what does the tax collector ask God for in Luke 18:9-14? [01:14:35]
According to Ephesians 2:8-9, what are the source and the means of salvation, and what is specifically ruled out? [01:07:15]

Interpretation questions

If no one is righteous before God, what does that reveal about the common claim, “I am a good person”?
Isaiah 64:6 does not say that good deeds have no value. What does it mean that righteous acts cannot erase sin before a holy God? [01:00:07]
Why does salvation by grace through faith leave no room for boasting, even for a person with a strong religious background or a morally respectable life?
Why was the tax collector justified while the Pharisee was not, even though the Pharisee could point to visible religious actions? [01:14:40]

Application questions

When the thought “I am not as bad as that person” shows up, who is usually being used as the standard? How can God’s holiness and Jesus’ perfection reshape that comparison? [57:13]
Is there any area where outward obedience looks better than what is happening in the heart—such as anger, unforgiveness, pride, lust, selfishness, or hidden motives? What would honest confession to God sound like in that area? [01:05:26]
What is most tempting to trust for acceptance with God: personal goodness, church attendance, baptism, family heritage, financial security, abilities, or something else? What would it look like to place that trust in Jesus alone? [01:15:46]
The tax collector prayed, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” What keeps a person from praying with that kind of honesty, and what helps a person come to God humbly?
Good works are evidence of God’s work in a saved person, not the price of salvation. Where has Jesus already been changing attitudes, actions, relationships, or priorities in life? Where is growth still needed? [01:12:54]
Who in everyday life may believe that heaven is earned by being sincere or doing more good than bad? How could the truth about grace, sin, and Jesus be shared with that person gently and clearly?

Sermon Clips

32s

#NeedASavior

“The world's solution is try harder or just do better, which is all about what we might be able to do for ourselves. The Bible says you don't merely need improvement or strategies to save yourself. What you need is a savior. That's what we all needed at one time, and maybe some of us still need today, a savior.”

58s

#SalvationByFaith

“So I want you to notice that Jesus didn't go to the cross. He didn't suffer and die for good people. He died for sinners. He died for us. The salvation comes through faith, not through moral achievement. Good works doesn't lead us there, salvation does produce and or lead us to good works. This is where a lot of people get confused. Christians don't do good works because we're trying to earn our salvation. We're trying to not because we're trying to buy our way into heaven or to get favor from God. Christians do good works because that we know we've already been saved. We've already been forgiven and restored in our relationship with God through Jesus Christ.”

41s

#JusticeSatisfied

“The truth of the matter is this, justice has to be satisfied, and good deeds do not cancel guilt. In case you didn't know, our god is perfectly just. That means that he is completely fair and morally right all the time, and sin must ultimately be judged, and he's the only one that can do it. So here's the beauty of the gospel. Jesus lived a perfect life, the kind of life none of us can live. He met God's high standard.”

34s

#SavedByJesusOnly

“If you died and went to heaven today and the Lord looked at you and said, why should I let you in? I'm guessing a lot of people would answer with a similar response. They'd say something to God like, well, I've I've tried to be a good person. But scripture most definitely teaches that not one of us is justified by our goodness. Only by our relationship with Jesus.”

84s

#GodsStandardNotPeople

“People will always compare themselves to other people. That's a given. We tell ourselves, I'm better than common criminals. I'm better than drug dealers. I'm better than all those dishonest politicians I see. I'm better than that guy I work with who's always cussing and telling lies. As long as people can point at somebody else, somebody they believe in their heart of hearts to be much worse than they are, then they feel pretty good about themselves. The thing is, God doesn't compare us to other sinners. He compares us to his own holiness. He compares us to the example that was set by Jesus, the only perfect person to ever walk this planet. Neither of which, any of us, could ever possibly come close to imitating no matter how hard we try.”

48s

#GoodWorksReflectChrist

“Any good that we might do in this world comes from the result of his influence in our lives, and it serves to be a reflection of Jesus Christ and his love. Not so that people can say, at me and look at how good I am. Look at all these wonderful things I have done. No. It's so that people will look beyond me and hopefully, hopefully, see Jesus in some form. God God produces good works in us. He does good things through us. Good works are the evidence of God's involvement, never the cause of our salvation.”

35s

#GoodWorksDontSave

“And don't get me wrong. Yes. Yes. Indeed, good good works are important in the life of a believer, but they can never save us from the eternal consequences of our sins against the holy God. If that were true, none of us would even need a savior, and God would never have sent Jesus into this world to die for our sins. Not if we could earn that way, earn our way there ourselves.”

75s

#WeAllFailWithoutChrist

“Now, okay, I want you to imagine for a moment we've all taken a spelling test. One student gets a 98 on that test. That's the highest grade in this class, the 98. All of the other students, all the rest of us, we score somewhere between that 98 and pastor Troy who probably got a 52. Okay? So we score somewhere between ninety eight and fifty two, all of us, on that spelling test. Most of you have made a's and b's and are quite proud of yourself. When compared to each other, these grades are all very, very different. But what if I tell you that this isn't a numeric scale? This is one of those pass fail tests, and you only pass with a score of a 100%. If that's the case, every last one of us who took that test failed. Even the kid who got the 98.”

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