The Good Deed
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Single-Fold Tract
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Text of Tract |
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Does God take into consideration our good deeds in deciding whether or not He should allow us entrance into heaven? Does he judge us solely on our good deeds or does he weigh the good next to the bad? Can He forgive us based upon the good things we have done? Just what role do good deeds play in our salvation? Read on for the answers to these questions…
Good Deeds Can’t Close the Gap…
It is very important you understand that salvation is a gift from God; therefore, it isn’t something you can earn by doing good deeds. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” No matter how many good deeds you have done, or will do, it will still never earn God’s favor. The reason? “For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23) No matter how many good deeds you do, they are still done by a sinner who has fallen short of God’s perfection. Good deeds can never close the gap between God’s perfection and your imperfection.
...Or Cleanse You of Your Sins
“Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?” (Proverbs 20:9) There is only one thing that can cleanse the sin from your soul; it is the blood Jesus Christ shed on the cross when He was sacrificed for all mankind, including you. Jesus states this fact when He tells His apostles at the Last Supper, before His crucifixion, “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” (Matthew 26:28) In another place the Bible tells us, “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7) There is not one verse in God’s Word which says God will forgive you of your sins if you are a “good” person or if you do enough good deeds in your lifetime. If God could forgive you on the basis of the good deeds you have done, then He wouldn’t have had to send His Son to die on the cross for your sins. Without your sins forgiven, you will be judged guilty by God and will never enter heaven. “...but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.” (Ecclesiastes 11:9)
THE Good Deed
So what are you to do in the light of God’s judgment pressing down on you? It’s been made clear that your good deeds are unable to deliver you. The good news is that God loves you and doesn’t want to judge you guilty on judgment day. He sees your sins and knows you are unable to cleanse yourself of them. So God sent His Son into the world to take care of your sin problem through His death and resurrection. Only this can save you from an eternity in hell. But why is salvation made possible only through Christ? Because Jesus “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15) This shows He lived a perfect, sinless life; therefore, He was worthy to take our sins upon Himself and become our substitute and die in our place on the cross. “Who His own self bare our sins in His own body.…For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Peter 2:24; Romans 6:23) Notice once again the word gift is mentioned just as in Ephesians 2:8, showing you that eternal life in heaven is not based upon your good deeds but upon what Christ has done for you on the cross. That is a good deed you and I will never be able to match. So when you try and justify yourself before God by your good deeds, look to the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and His sinless life, and see if you can compare. In leading a perfect, sinless life, He closed the gap between God’s perfection and your imperfection. He is your bridge to God and heaven. In shedding His perfect, sinless blood, you have the solution to having your sins cleansed and forgiven. So you can see, your good deeds play absolutely no role in your salvation. It is Christ who has truly done The Good Deed. This is God’s free gift to the world.
What Must You Do?
Repent! If you really want to be saved, you’ll want to turn from sin. Today, make a conscious choice to turn from your sins and self-reliance. “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out.…” (Acts 3:19) Place your trust in Jesus Christ and ask Him to come into your life as your Lord and Savior. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)
What will you do with the knowledge you learned here today? Will you still rely on your good deeds to get you into heaven or will you trust in Christ alone? We pray you trust in Christ alone.
