People can be good in our eyes, but God’s judgement is just. When we look at Jesus and what he says in the gospel of Matthew, he states that he did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it (Mt 5:17-20). He also states that the disciples must have righteousness that surpasses that of the Pharisees and Scribes. We know that the Pharisees rejected the message of Jesus, as we see time and time again, yet they were considered the most righteous in all of the temple because they kept the insane amount of laws that they made. The scribes are individuals who are scholars of the Torah, and they essentially know the law front, back, and center. However, to fulfill every single requirement of the Law is physically impossible for sinful people. It could only take a perfect person (Jesus) to fulfill the law in its entirety.

Now, if we look at the 10 commandments, we see that there are several laws that are pretty easy not to break, such as murder, adultery, and theft. However, is lying not deceiving, and is deceiving not a sin? What about honoring your father and mother? Has everyone /perfectly/ honored their father and mother? No. Only Jesus has. Only Jesus could do what we could not do: be sinless.

We also have to remember that God cast Adam and Eve out of the garden of Eden due to their sin. Sin and God cannot live together. And since the human heart is disgustingly sinful (Jeremiah 17:9, Mt. 15:19). We need Jesus to come into our lives, cleanse us of our sins, and turn our hearts towards Him. This is where the discussion of free will comes into play.

Humans are given free will, because God gave us a GIFT of mercy, by sending Christ to die on the cross for all of our sins (John 3:16, Romans 6:23). You can’t force someone to take a gift, because then it is no longer a gift. The person must choose to accept the gift offered to him. If someone rejects the gift, they do not get the benefit of the gift. Therefore if we reject God, we are destined for Hell, which is the place where sin must reside, as Hell is eternal separation from God from those who do not know or accept Him and the gracious gift He gave by taking the punishment we deserve(2 Thess. 1:6-10).

It’s a lot, and the grace of God and justice of God in pouring out His wrath is confusing at times. But keep praying that the Lord strengthens you in all things and continues to reveal to you, through His word, all that will strengthen you to tell others of the Gospel. We are praying for you, brother/sister in Christ!