"But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal [fair]. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not My way equal [fair]? Are not your ways unequal [unfair]?"

-Ezekiel 18:24, 25

Picture this: A man is charged with murder, and there is do doubt in anybody's mind that he is guilty. When asked for his defense he admits to the crime, but then proceeds to give the judge a long list of all the good things he has done in his life. He tells of the time that he donated blood, the time he volunteered to help out at a nursing home, and the time he lent $5 to a friend - never to see it again. He recalls the time he helped an elderly woman that lived down the street, and the times he put money in the church offering plate. The list goes on and on, but he finally reaches the end and sits back down. After hearing all these things, the judge looks at him and says, "You know, I was going to lock you up. But, now I see that other than killing somebody you're a pretty good person, and I think I'll let you go this time." Would this man be a good judge? Of course not!

As crazy as this story may seem, many people today say that God is "unfair" for not being like this judge. The Bible says here, "All his [the sinner's] righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned" (verse 24). In other words, just as a judge looks at the crime that a criminal has committed - not all the good things - when a sinner stands before God on judgment day, their good deeds will not be able overshadow their sins.

There is only one person that has ever walked this earth Who never sinned, and His name is Jesus Christ. This same Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for our sin and rose again on the third day. All we have to do in order to partake of this forgiveness is to repent of our sins, and put our faith in Him (Acts 2:21).

Just like a skydiver doesn't just believe in a parachute, but puts it on; likewise we must "put on" Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:27).