A common idiom from the past is: The road to hell is paved with good intentions. The meaning, of course, is that attempting in sincerity to do the right thing does not assure that the end will be good. Like so many sayings of cultures the statement assumes some contexts that may not be standard experience for many persons. Further, so many sayings have a ring to them that invite careful attention. However, if knowledgeable, we retain more complete understanding that there are limitations, omissions, even errors in such statements unless the agreement between persons is on the same wave length. Even then mutuality may be limited. The saying does embrace a truth that intentions, no matter how honorable, do not assure the belief or action will achieve the desired goal or effect. We are not good/right because we are sincere.
We believe that intentions are good, bad and somewhere in between. Many move us toward good (common grace from God) and to God (divine grace from God). God relates to the motives, practices, intents of persons. He conducts himself toward them and their contexts in response to the contexts. Only God can know full meaning, so we appeal to him. Persons, if given adequate time for review, can make likely evaluations, but if wise to their limitations, become reserved, avoiding decision until prayer and weighing values, in response to much of human behavior. We want agreement on behavior. We do not build our thought processes, as Christians, in negative directions. Judgment is left to God, who judges righteously. Only God has enough information to be fair and just. Righteousness includes right. God does have grace to cover some violations. He offers no substitute for faith which sometimes functions in the dark. The person of faith rests everything for life and self in Jesus Christ – to divine justification.
Christians are ticketed by faith, not conduct. Even so we may expect some judgmental treatment if we violate righteous conduct (directed by the nature of God and notified from God to us in Scripture) – that alerts us to its import. Persons, no matter how good they may be, can’t reach God. There is no recourse than to believe that God rescues his children from an imperfect nature and situation. That dictates faith as the avenue. Faith is the way to God’s kingdom, as certified in Jesus Christ. We find it difficult to give up the idea that being good makes one acceptable to whatever God there may be. Goodness, which is the expected normal, helps one along, but is not the effective and final answer for justification. There are passages of Scripture in which the virtue of a person is sufficiently accented that believers pray for attention by God in behalf of decent (problem solving) persons. (Matthew 8:5 ff. / Acts 10/22) It appears to work for us.
As I would accept my children in love, even if they were not good, so God accepts his children even when they are not good enough. One can never be good enough for God, so God ministers to his children, by the Holy Spirit, through various processes to bring them along in an increasing (growing) acceptable, righteous conduct. If the process is not chosen, and time becomes a factor, one wonders if one’s announced faith is genuine. (A proof period of time was not available for the penitent thief on the cross to verify his faith.) Even in time evaluations, we may be humbled by possible errors in our judgment. God is the ultimate evaluator, putting major emphasis on the meaning, attitude and growth of righteousness in the person of faith. To cover any evasive differentials, the Catholic context of the Church includes a doctrine of purgatory to clean things up. Protestants feel that forgiveness of sin is so pervasive to Christians that death ends the matter in that context. There will be a toting up of accounts. The doctrine of justification is comforting. Gratification for persons ought to be explained. From the point of human logic we ought to at least agree that the risks of faith are to be preferred over future nothingness. This last includes our assumptions that to be righteous affects immortality in some way. Righteousness does not buy immortality but relates to it. In the end there is either faith or nothing relating to God. Of the options one protects his or her interest most in choosing faith. Even in mortal life, it serves well. I believe I would not be at peace without my faith, both human and divine. The story is long and convincing. This is very personal and has been partly fed by observing the decay of faith and hope in persons. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020