Not enough

This week, our pastor was talking about two of the most significant conversions recorded in the Bible. That would be Saul, soon to be Paul, (Acts 9) and Cornelius (Acts 10).

He pointed out that Saul, though we have a very negative image associated with that name, was a well-respected, well-intentioned man. In fact, the very reason he persecuted Christians was out of his zeal for God and protecting God's name. He was sincere, but sincerely wrong.

Cornelius, a Roman centurion no less, was a devout man. He prayed to God, he sought to do what was right. He was a good man, but he wasn't good enough.

These days, sincerity and goodness are two of the most admirable traits a person can have. But as the stories of Saul and Cornelius point out, that's not enough. Both needed to undergo a personal conversion experience through Jesus Christ.

For Saul, it was a bright light, a voice and blinded eyes that made the difference.

For Cornelius, it was his vision of an angel, Peter's vision of unclean animals lowered from heaven and the broken taboo of Jew associating with Gentile that brought change.

Locally, there was a recent flap about some signs being put on city buses. An atheist group paid to have signs saying, "You can be good without god." Other groups rallied against it, lawsuits were filed, but ultimately the atheists got their way.

When I see those words on a bus, I think that in a way they are right. You can be good without god.

But I also know, you can't be good enough. Saul wasn't, Cornelius wasn't, I'm not and you're not. But Jesus was, and that's enough for all of us.