We can’t achieve perfection.
One mistake ruins perfect.
Following the rules doesn’t make us perfect.
Following the rules is doing the bare minimum to be commonly good.
The problem is that good is not in us. This doesn’t mean we can’t do good things or people aren’t good to each other. People do good but the motivation for doing good can reveal the imperfection of the good done.
Some do good so they can feel better about something they regret having done. Or they do something good in case they later do something bad and the good can offset the bad. That’s self motivated and is done to medicate a feeling of not being good. Therefore they reveal that they are not good.
Some do good so they will one day have good done for them. They too are doing it for a selfish motivation. The intent of having the act returned to them doesn’t reveal good but selfishness, therefore revealing they are not truly good.
Good means doing something for someone regardless of what can be done for them.
Only God is truly good. Only He has demonstrated a good love that comes and does something for us, not to make himself feel better, but because He genuinely loves us. His love makes Him good.
His love for us reveals itself in the goodness He displays toward us.
He requires us to do nothing but receive His forgiveness and start following Jesus.
When we receive His salvation and follow Jesus, we draw near to God.
When we trust in Jesus and what Jesus has done for us, we receive His salvation and He makes us as if we are perfect before God.
The rules can’t make us perfect. Only Jesus can. That is our hope. That is the only way we can come near to God. We must receive that hope. Trust in that hope. And we must follow that hope.
“(because the Law made nothing perfect). On the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God…
This is why he can completely save those who are approaching God through him, because he always lives to speak with God for them.”
Hebrews 7:19, 25 CEB