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Stockton Baptist Church

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HOW GOOD IS GOOD ENOUGH? The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 3:12,'thereisnonegood.' I was talking recently with someone who told me of a person who was an atheist. However, this atheist was a really good person. In fact, they were so good that they gave a body part away to an unknown person who had a serious need for it. Then came the question. 'Even though that person is an atheist, won't God see their goodness and forgive them?' My response was, 'Well, how about we look at an example from the Bible.' Can you think of someone in the Bible who was genuinely a good person? The one who came to my mind was Nicodemus. He was a Pharisee. He therefore was a stickler for keeping all of God's laws. It was Jesus who revealed that scribes and Pharisees even paid tithes of their 'mint and anise and cummin' (Matt. 23:23). In other words, again, they were real sticklers for obeying God and therefore they tithed of the herbs and spices in their gardens. Nicodemus was also a member of the Sanhedrin— a group of 70 men plus the High Priest. They served as the Supreme Court of Israel. These men were the best of the best in society. They were very highly respected among the people. Plus Nicodemus was apparently the best and most respected teacher of the Old Testament Law in his generation. In short, there was no one more highly respected within the Jewish culture than Nicodemus. He truly was the best of the best. He was a genuinely good man. When Nicodemus came to Jesus at night, as recorded in John 3, the Lord essentially told him, 'Nicodemus, I know that you're the best of the best. I know that you're a good man. I know that you're generous toward others. I know that you strive to keep God's Law. However, despite the fact that even I respect you and appreciate how good you are, you're not even close to being good enough for heaven. Even you, Nicodemus, must be born again!' Only Jesus was infinitely good enough to pay for sin.