Christianity has morals but isn’t based on being moral. Or holy or right; perfect or sinless.
That which gets you in is that which keeps you.
Most understand its only faith in Jesus that gets us into the family of God. But we also judge or analyze our maturity in terms or morality or spiritual disciplines.
Living by works is incredibly tempting and natural. In most every area of our lives, evaluations are based on what we do or don’t do.
I find it hard but necessary to fight works and morality as judge of my walk with God. I wrestle with every idea that takes the center away from the grace, initiative and sustaining of God.
God’s goodness makes people desire to walk moral lives- it conceives a heartfelt response to the Holy Spirits conviction. Without this priority of unctions, we respond to scripture as a self-help book and live divorced from the work of the Holy Spirit.
The fact is, we need to be moral and not just behave morally. Especially in the context of others. If we say to ourselves or about others, this act makes us -weak- or -fake- or -she can’t be a Christian becaus of an immoral act- we falsely define Christianity.
The entrance is the grace of God. And only grace is our judge. Yes, this grace affects behavior, but the Kingdom happens, slowly and in secret. The affect of the Kingdom takes place outside of our religious toil. In fact, when God is at work in a life, the way he finishes are infinitely greater than how things start.
What am I saying here?
1. We have to stop beating ourselves up and/or judging our relationship with God on moral successes or failures.
2. We discount the grace of God and fail to rely on his ability to finish and sustain what he starts.
3. When living in the reality of points 1 and 2, there can be much more encouragement and joy in our lives; not because we see ourselves in a better light, but we never loose sight of Him who holds all things in his hand; and our trust is based on his faithfulness not our ability to learn, change or perform.