By Any Other Name

Bible Reading: Ephesians 2:1-9

“Come on, Trevor. Eat your beans.” Nevaeh was trying to get her baby brother to finish his supper, but Trevor turned his head away, his mouth firmly closed.

“He thinks he doesn’t like beans, so call them something else,” said Matthew. He spooned some of the baby food and held it out to Trevor. “Here—have some ice cream, Trevor.” But his little brother just looked at the squashed beans on the spoon and turned away.

Nevaeh laughed. “What a silly idea,” she said. Then she quoted a line she had heard her older sister use. “‘A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.’” She laughed again. “And beans by any other name would taste the same. Even Trevor knows that.”

Dad looked up from the pot of stew he was stirring on the stove. “And a sinner by any other name is still lost in sin.” Nevaeh and Matthew looked at him in surprise. “I was thinking of a conversation I had with a couple of people at work today,” explained Dad. “They’re both nice, decent guys—in fact, they’re so ‘good’ that it’s hard to get them to see they need Jesus.”

“What do you mean, they’re so good?” asked Matthew. “The Bible says nobody is good. Right?”

Dad nodded. “I mean that they see themselves as being good,” he said. “Phil is a hard worker and a faithful, active member of his religious community. Jeff isn’t religious at all, but he’s active in promoting good, moral causes. He manages a Little League team, heads the fundraising committee for the city youth center, and volunteers every week at a soup kitchen. Each of them thinks he’ll get to heaven because of all the good things he does.”

“So what did you tell them?” asked Nevaeh.

“I told them I used to think the good things I did would get me to heaven too,” replied Dad. “But then God showed me through His Word that a sinner by any other name—like ‘good person’—is still a sinner. I realized the good things I did would never be enough to get me into heaven, and that the only way to get rid of my sin and spend eternity with God was to trust in Jesus.” – Hazel W. Marett

How About You?

Are you a “good” kid? Are your parents and teachers proud of the way you act and the things you accomplish? That’s nice, but it’s not enough to get you to heaven. God says everyone has sinned and done wrong, including you, and sin can only be washed away by Jesus. You can only make it to heaven by trusting in Him. (See “The ABCs of Salvation” on the right column of this page.)

Today’s Key Verse:
Romans 3:12 There is none who does good, no, not one. (NKJV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Being good doesn’t save you