Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - BRIBERY

BRIBERY

Bribery is considered to be that act of giving to or doing something for someone in an effort to persuade them to act or do something in your favour. Now, the Bible clearly states that:

Jesus said to him, 

“I’m the way, the truth, and the life. 

No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

(John 14:6)

The Bible also states that:

By grace you have been saved through faith, 

and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of god. 

(Ephesians 2:8)

Now, if we are saved by grace alone, not by our own efforts, and if the only way to God is by means of Christ, then what do we make of all those people who are good, by our standards at least, and who do so much for others but have not accepted God’s Son? They often are on the boards of charitable institutions and give greater or lessor amounts to philanthropic causes. Such people may be good family members, law-abiding citizens, and good community members; people we think would certainly be heaven bound because of their deeds and good works.

But will that be the case? If God states that the only way to the Father is through Jesus, does He take into account any of what we do on earth as being of any meaning without Jesus? After all, it does state that:

  

There is none who does good, 

No, not one. 

(Psalm 14:3, 53:3, Romans 3:10, 3:12)

And if there are none who do good in His eyes, then what does it benefit us to do what we consider good if…

 

We are all like an unclean thing,

And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags…

(Isaiah 64:6)

After all, God may say He loves the whole world as an entity, but nowhere does He say that He loves an individual except in Christ. So, if one has not accepted Christ, does He consider the doing of good deeds and works merely an attempt to bribe one’s way into heaven by circumventing the manner God intended?

It’s not up to me to say, but if no one can obey fully the Law as laid down by God through Moses, it’s hard to see how anything else we do by ourselves would win His favour and admit us through those gates of pearl.

It’s better to take the path that has been laid out for us and be sure than to take any chances.

At least it is certainly something to think about.