There is a passage in Luke 18 that I keep coming back to.

Every time I read the story of the Pharisee and the publican, I seem to see something else in it that challenges me personally.

Jesus begins the parable by telling us exactly who He is speaking about:

People who “trusted in themselves that they were righteous.”

That statement is important because the Pharisee wasn’t someone who appeared to be living a terrible life.

He was religious.

He prayed. He fasted. He gave his tithes. If we were looking at him from the outside, we might have called him a good man.

Yet Jesus said it was not the Pharisee but the publican who went home justified before God.

Why?

The publican wasn’t trusting in his own goodness.

He simply cried:

“God be merciful to me a sinner.” — Luke 18:13

Good Works Cannot Save Us

This becomes even more sobering when we compare Luke 18 with something Jesus said in Matthew 7.

Jesus describes people who will come to Him saying, “Lord, Lord.”

They will talk about prophesying in His name, casting out devils and doing wonderful works.

These aren’t people who believed they had done nothing.

They believed their record demonstrated that they were alright.

Yet Jesus says:

“I never knew you.”

That’s difficult to read.

And Jesus doesn’t say this will happen to just a handful of people.

He says many.

That’s why I believe we have to take this seriously.

The problem isn’t doing good. We should do good.

The problem is believing our goodness is what makes us right with God.

Look at the Thief on the Cross

During our discussion, someone brought up one of the clearest examples in Scripture: the thief on the cross.

Think about it.

What good works could he perform after coming to Christ?

He couldn’t build a long record of service.

He couldn’t spend years helping people.

He couldn’t demonstrate how much his life had changed.

He was dying.

Yet Jesus told him:

“Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.”

His salvation wasn’t based upon accumulating enough good works.

He came to Christ.

Humility Says, “I Need Mercy”

At the end of the parable in Luke 18, Jesus tells us:

“For every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”

So we spent some time asking what humility actually looks like.

Humility is being honest about ourselves.

It is recognizing that we need God’s mercy and grace.

It’s understanding that even the things we’ve accomplished didn’t happen independently of God.

If I’ve built something, God gave me abilities.

If I’ve accumulated resources, God gave me strength and opportunity.

If I woke up this morning, He put breath in my body.

Humility says:

“This isn’t all about what I did.”

That is very different from the Pharisee standing before God listing his accomplishments.

If We Love Them, We Have to Tell Them

But this message isn’t only about examining our own salvation.

It gives us a responsibility toward other people.

We all know people we would describe as good people.

They may be wonderful family members.

Great friends.

Generous neighbors.

People who would give you the shirt off their back.

But if good works cannot save us, then simply looking at someone and saying, “They’re a good person, so they’ll be alright,” isn’t enough.

If we truly love them, we should want them to know Christ.

That doesn’t mean forcing our beliefs on anybody.

It doesn’t require standing on a street corner shouting at people.

Sometimes it begins with a simple conversation.

Share your testimony.

Tell somebody what Christ has done for you.

Extend an invitation.

Tell them about the hope you’ve found.

Our Job Is to Share

Something came to me right at the end of our session.

Sometimes we hesitate to share Christ because we think we have to convince somebody.

We don’t.

Paul explained that one plants, another waters, but God gives the increase.

I cannot change someone’s heart.

Neither can you.

That’s God’s work.

Our responsibility is to share.

So maybe the question for us isn’t:

“Can I convince somebody to believe?”

Maybe it’s simply:

“Do I love them enough to tell them?”

The Gospel is good news precisely because none of us could save ourselves.

The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Christ died for our sins.

He rose from the dead.

And our hope is not in becoming good enough.

Our hope is in Jesus Christ.

We’d love for you to continue growing with us through our Light House Bible Studies and Sunday sessions.

Visit https://www.iamlighthouse.com for upcoming dates and times.

The Light of the Lord shines on me, lives in me, and passes through me to others.