Sometimes people know they need help. There are times when the need for a savior is clear. At other times, however, people make sure to spend a lot of time being nice and accepting of others, and it can be tempting to look around and to feel really good about ourselves and our efforts. In times like these, we might not feel the need for any help or for a savior. In a spiritual sense, this is dangerous territory.
In his book, Mere Christianity, C.S Lewis makes this observation:
Niceness is an excellent thing. We must try by every medical, educational, economic and political means in our power to produce a world where as many people as possible grow up to be nice. But we must not suppose that even if we succeeded in making everyone nice we should have saved their souls. A world of nice people, content in their own niceness, looking no further, turned away from God, would be just as desperately in need of salvation as a miserable world – and might be even more difficult to save.
Mere improvement is not redemption.
We need a savior. The great news is that, even before we come to understand that, we have one. We have a savior ready to save, help and empower us as his children. That is the good news of the gospel.
One day, when all of our efforts at self improvement and niceness fade away, we will find ourselves in our Savior’s presence. Our efforts then will look foolish, but his work on our behalf will look glorious and will be eternal.
Even when we feel like we are being nice, we need a savior. The good news is we have one.
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
— Romans 5:1