This is an important question and its answer is one of the most profound doctrines in scripture. The answer is faith and its object.
The Jews were zealous for the things of God, but their faith was in themselves. They were trusting that they could earn God's favour by their acts of righteousness. On the other hand, the Gentiles had no holiness to trust in. So, when they heard the Gospel message that Jesus paid our debt for us, they readily accepted His
The same problem exists today. Millions of church people are trying to live holy lives, but they do not have a true faith in Jesus as their Saviour. If they were to stand before God and He was to ask them what they had done to deserve salvation, they would immediately start recounting all their acts of holiness such as church attendance, giving receipts, etc.
Regardless of how good our actions are compared to others, they always come short of the perfect standard of God. The only response to this kind of question that would grant us entrance to heaven is to say,
Post published in: Faith