Let me ask you: If you stopped the average person and asked them what it takes to be a good Christian, what would they tell you? I guarantee you nine out of ten would say, "Live a good life; be a good person; don't commit any crimes; be nice to your neighbor," or something along those lines.
That's because we all live in a performance-driven world, and therefore we think we earn our way into God's favored circle by performing well, or at least better than the next person. The most difficult thing for people to accept in coming to God is that they can never impress Him with their performance nor perform up to His standards.
Paul wrote to the Romans: Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin (Romans 3:20).
Recently I was reading the Old Testament book of Leviticus, which is just one legal requirement after another. And as I read it I began to think about what living under law is like. It is burdensome; it is impossible. The one word which pops up all through that book is GUILT! Every time the Israelites broke one of those laws, they were reminded that they were guilty. And how did they know they were guilty? Because they had all these laws.
So why did God give the law? He had to know we couldn't live up to it. Be sure you understand this: God did not try out the law to see if it would work, and then discovering that we were incapable of keeping the law, come up with Plan B. No, God knew from the beginning that we could never keep the law and earn a relationship with Him through performance. The law was given to show us how far short we fall in our performance, no matter how good we think we are or how hard we work.
I look at the standard and I know I have never fully kept it and I never will. Without the law, I might think I was okay by comparing myself with others, etc. But as Paul puts it, through the law I become conscious of sin and realize that I'm a sinner.
But never did God intend for me to earn favor with Him by performing to His expectations, because He knows I can't do that. Therefore, if I'm going to have a relationship with God, it has to come some other way, not through performance. If I'm going to be accepted by God, I can't do it by being better than the next person. The good news is, I don't have to keep trying to perform.
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