For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves.
Romains 2:12 (NASB)
Some people think that if someone has lived an upright and honest life following the teachings of the Bible, they will have the merit or privilege of being raptured with Christians and thus entering the kingdom of God. We do not find such a teaching in the Scriptures. If that were the case, God would not have needed to provide the ultimate sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. He would simply have asked us to respect and obey the Word.
God had tried this strategy of obedience to the law in the Old Testament. The people failed miserably, resulting in the sacrifice of the cross. Encountering this same way of thinking, after the cross, Paul responded to those who still wanted to believe it. A moral life, no matter how upright, will never guarantee God’s salvation. Jesus Himself said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.” It is not a life of integrity that saves, but faith in Jesus Christ.
If you live according to the moral principles of the world, you are at peace only with the world and with yourself. In the very next verse (v. 15), Paul makes this clear when he says that those who naturally do what the Bible laws teach are only proving the work of God’s Word in their hearts. Even then, their minds accuse and defend themselves as to what is right or wrong. It is not your righteous attitude that will save you, it is your total submission to Christ and obedience to the will of God. A life of integrity without Christ does not guarantee your admission into the kingdom of God.
May the grace and peace of God be with you all.
Amen