“All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the LORD.”    

– Proverbs 16:2

“I’ve done a lot of good things,” is the argument I usually hear when I talk to people about sin.  We can’t seem to get over the fact that our good deeds will never make up for the sin in our lives.  To be guilty of sin is to deserve the punishment for sin. In a courtroom, it doesn’t matter how many character witnesses speak up for the accused and say what a good person he or she was… If they’re found to be guilty, they will pay the price. The Bible tells us plainly that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). If we are all guilty and we all deserve death, then it doesn’t matter how much good we might do to try and counteract the verdict; we’re still guilty, and still deserving of punishment. Our guilt has been firmly established by a Judge who has personally seen everything we’ve done, heard everything we’ve said, and knows everything we’ve thought. There is no cosmic scale that we can balance with our good deeds.

Truth be told, even those “good things” we’re so proud of are tainted by our sinful nature.  Pride, vanity, jealousy… often times these are the reasons we act so benevolently toward others. Sometimes it’s for recognition.  Even just to hear someone say Thank You.  Other times it’s because doing good things makes us feel good.  In which case, it becomes more about our good feelings than about God’s glory.  Sometimes we try to build up spiritual credit and do good things because we want God to do something for us in return.  We try to manipulate God into forgiving us or answering our prayers, and this kind of thinking only shows that we don’t understand Him at all.  God knows the true motives of our hearts.              

The Lord doesn’t forgive you and answer your prayers because you’ve done good things.  We don’t have to manipulate God into loving us by buttering Him up with our “good deeds.” God forgives us and provides for us because He loves us. Our good deeds are worthless apart from Him. But THROUGH Him we can do all things (Philippians 4:13) and bear “fruit that will last” for eternity (John 15:16).  Have you ever truly confronted the sin in your life?  Not making excuses for it… Not ignoring it… But honestly recognizing your need for Jesus to save you?  If you humbly confess your sin before Him, He promises to forgive and to make you whole (I John 1:9).  He knows the true motives of your heart.  You can’t fool Him… you can only fool yourself.