For years I ministered to an elderly neighbor. Though she was a professing believer, she resented several people and often blamed others for her problems. When I would address her personal need for forgiveness, she would make excuses.
One day I asked her if she thought she was good enough to go to heaven. “I most certainly do” she replied. I then asked if she had always obeyed God’s 10 Commandments. She said “Yes.” I asked if she had ever lied. She said “Only white lies.” I explained that God wants us to always tell the truth and that it only takes one lie to make us liars. Then I asked her if she ever hated someone. With conviction, she nodded yes. I explained that God views hatred as murder and that “no murders shall inherit eternal life.” From then on she looked at the ground and didn’t say another word.
The Bible tells us that the moral law will stop the world’s excuses and expose their sin against God. So ask someone today if they think they are good enough to go to heaven? If they say yes, use God’s commandments to expose sin. Their excuses will stop and they will see their desperate need for the Savior.
By the way, the Lord arranged for me to be at my neighbor’s side right before she died. Her heart seemed softened and we held hands as she let me pray for her. So remember, “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul.”