My mom is a "Christian," but she has made some adaptations to the definition. Her favorite line is "...but I am a good person..." She is also under the belief that everyone will go to heaven if they are simply "good" people.
"Good" people murdered Jesus. The Pharisees were, in their culture, "moral." They were obedient to the strictest of laws, heck they were even circumcised. If that doesn't a "moral" man make, I am not sure what does.
Paul says in Romans 2:29 that "a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart- by the Spirit, not the letter..." According to this guy, religion is actually an enemy of Jesus. An institution that would cause self-righteousness and pride, and reliance on one's own power is in direct opposition to the message of the cross. By GRACE Jesus died and offers forgiveness of sin.
First of all, we NEED that grace. If we could do it on our own, God wouldn't have bothered with a savior. Second of all, Jesus did not die to impose a law, but to fulfill it. We need a savior. God sent a savior. And now we can have life by his name! There is no being "good enough." That does not exist. There is only grace.
Paul finishes that section by saying "His praise (the real Jew) is not from men but from God." This makes the most sense of it all. When we are in exile from God, cut off in sin, we seek satisfaction, love, all that God gives, from our idols. We live in a world that, because it is ruled by Satan, praises that which Satan praises. Our culture will tell us that we are naturally "good" people, and many take that praise and run with it. It is a lie, and the satisfaction, love, and praise will all fail. Jesus alone is good, and he offers his own righteousness to us. That is good news.
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