Isn’t it funny how none of us are ever personally the “bad guys”? No nation, no race, no religion, no denomination, no political party on earth ever thinks itself morally worse than its opposing side. A young Native American pastor pointed this truth out to Dr. J. Vernon McGee (1904–1988) years ago at a Southwest Bible Conference in Flagstaff, Arizona. The young pastor remarked, “You know, Dr. McGee, in the old days when my people would raid a village and kill some of the Whites, it was called a massacre. But when the Whites raided a Native American village and destroyed all of my people, it was called a victory.”
Personal rankings. It is truly fascinating how we always rank ourselves as the “good guys.” But are any of these personal rankings accurate? Are any of them true?
The Word of God wholly speaks otherwise. Romans 3:10–17, 21–26 (ESV) reveals: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known. . . . But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
Beware of personal rankings. God, alone, is good (Luke 18:19). Jesus, alone, saves (Acts 4:12). The rest of us? Well, . . . “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away” (Isaiah 64:6 ESV). We all have need to be saved by grace through faith; we all desperately need the gift of God's mercy and forgiveness (see Ephesians 2:1–10).
— Adapted from the Book “Why, God? Why?!” (pp. 20–22) by Ron Metheny
Bible Verse: What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin.
— Romans 3:9 KJV
Quotable Quote: If God were to wait until He found a human instrument that was worthy or fit to be used by Him, He would go on waiting until the end of time. God is sovereign in this, as in everything. The truth is that God uses whom He pleases.
— Arthur W. Pink (1886–1952)
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