I enjoy going to the movies but, at the risk of sounding like an old person, I can’t believe how much it costs these days! At our local cinema it will set me back $17 to see a movie at the moment. Let’s say that, despite the cost, you and I still want to go and see a movie. If you have $10 and I have $4, neither of us can make it. You miss the mark by $7 but I am much further away than that. It looks like neither of us is going to the movies any time soon!
When it comes to being good enough the Bible’s perspective is that “Everyone has sinned. No one measures up to God’s glory” (Romans 3:23). Just like us trying to go to the movies, you might have lived a better life than I have but both of us have missed the mark. We have fallen short.
In the end, however, the message that none of us can be good enough is only half the story. Pleasing God is not about trying to be good enough for God but rather responding to his un-earned mercy and love towards us in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). And that’s good news for bad people like you and me!