The only way any human can live with God eternally is if they are righteous. The problem is that there are NONE righteous. Not Jews, not Gentiles, not Greeks, not leaders, not people in ministry. No one.
Perhaps one of the hardest things for people to understand is that there is no one righteous. Not one.
as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
13 “Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 in their paths are ruin and misery,
17 and the way of peace they have not known.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.
How can it be made any more clear?? No one is worthy. No one is righteous. Not one is holy before God. No one.
But it gets worse. NO ONE will be made righteous through the law.
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law no human being[c] will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
All the world will be held accountable to God. There will be a judgment. And rrighteous works and good deeds? They count for nothing.
It is the same in a court of law. When someone commits a crime such as robbing a bank, or raping, murdering or whatever, it isn’t about the good deeds one has done. A criminal cannot make the claim that he has done good things, therefore he or she shouldn’t be judged.
But a good judge will hold them accountable to the crime they have committed. And there must be justice according to that crime. A good judge will bring judgment to one who has done wrong, and a person’s good deeds don’t matter at all in these matters.
It’s going to get worse. Because God spells out the penalty of our sins.