Isaiah 64:6 But we are all like an unclean thing,
And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;
We all fade as a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind

I would say from the beginning of mankind, there has been this notion that to believe God, to follow God, He must also see mankind as inherently “good” and overlook sin. Adam and Eve were kicked out of the perfect Garden of Eden for simply disobedience, but it doesn’t prevent those from thinking God was just bluffing when it comes to sin and His holiness.

If mankind was inherently “good” or had the ability to be sinless as some heretical religions propose, Jesus would have never been tasked to be a Savior. There would be no need for His sacrifice if that were the case. Rather, God’s aborrent view of our stains of sin and intolerance was the reason by His mercy, Jesus died on a lonely Cross.

Subjective worldly goodness is not God’s idea of goodness. Heavenly goodness equates to absolute perfection. This would mean every thought, every action, every deed, every inaction we would make would fall into absolute perfection. And once you understand this, you will then understand what Isaiah wrote “all our righteousness are like filthy rags”, because we ALL have failed that absolute perfection test.

Do You Think You Can Slide Into Heaven?

The prevailing thought from a degenerate and depraved society is that God will allow sin enter His heavenly kingdom by just either ignoring it or by viewing the scales between good and evil and if “good” outweighs the bad, the sinner slides in. Again, if you believe that demonic falsehood, ask yourself WHY Jesus would have ever needed to die on a Cross.

Some believe God is pliable like a politician. Not so! His promises have not changed. There is not an Old Testament God differing from a New Testament God either. He is the same God which sent the whole world to death, less 8 people, in the Great Flood. His view on sin and evil have never changed! He may have granted something called common grace and mercy for you to walk on earth, but this does NOT mean He owes you any salvation because of this.

There is just ONE way one can be saved, ONE way! It is by faith alone in the person and work of Jesus Christ. God did not send Jesus to the Cross on a gamble or a billboard display. There is just ONE Savior. And the sooner you realize it is His goodness which can save you instead of your own subjective filthy rags type of “goodness”, the sooner you shall be saved.