Jeremiah 3.13 commands, you must confess that you have done wrong, and that you have rebelled against the LORD your God. You must confess that you have given yourself to foreign gods under every green tree, and have not obeyed my commands,’ says the LORD.

Somehow the definition of Christian has become those people who live perfect lives and attend Church. Of course no one lives a perfect life. The impossibility of living perfectly is why Christians are called hypocrites and what is often used by non Christians to justify their continued lifestyle of defiance against God. The premise however is all wrong.

Christians are not those who live perfect lives and attend Church. Christians are those who confess to God that they have done wrong, that they have rebelled against God, that they have served the false gods of pleasure and pride and have failed miserably to obey the commands of God.

As a result of these confessions, Christians are those who admit to their need for a Savior, One Who will pardon them from the just judgement to come that will rightly end in their condemnation if such a Savior does not step in and provide mercy.

A christian admits that they have failed to seek God and obey His commands choosing instead to live life as they deemed best for their own personal ends. After admitting to disobeying God and receiving His pardon through the perfect life and work of Jesus the Savior, true Christians now work to live lives pleasing to God.

Most non Christians see themselves as good people living good lives not in jeopardy of being condemned by God. In their own mind, these non Christians are the ones who define good and they are the ones who define what God will judge and find to condemn in humanity. They have no basis for their opinion other than it seems good to them to think and feel this way about themselves and their world. They believe when they meet God He too will come to the same conclusion they have always had about themselves ie. that they are good and worthy of praise not condemnation.

Real Christians believe God has defined what He requires from humanity and has intentionally recorded those requirements in the Bible so that all people everywhere are without excuse for both knowing and doing what pleases God the way God has defined. God will not declare us good because we think we are good. God will declare Him good who obeyed what God declared good.

If we want peace with God on that fateful day when we meet God for judgement we must have done what He requires for peace since He is God. Fortunately what God requires is simple though not easy.

Peace with God is obtained through a relationship with Him Who is the Prince of peace, Jesus the Savior.