John MacArthur wrote,"God receives sinners. The flip side of that truth is that He refuses the righteous. Not that there are any truly righteous people, of course (Romans 3:10). But those who think they are good enough, those who do not understand the seriousness of sin, cannot respond to the gospel. They cannot be saved, for the gospel is a call to sinners to repent and be forgiven."
Jesus said, "I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance" (Luke 5:32). His gospel is for sinners only, and that includes all of us (Romans 3:23). Those who are self-righteous see no need for a Savior from sin. They foolishly think that they are good enough without the gospel.
The apostle Paul wrote, "It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all" (1 Timothy 1:15, NASB). That's the gospel of Christ, that God receives sinners.
Before Paul was saved by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, he was a Pharisee. He thought that he could please God with his self-righteousness. Only when he saw himself as a sinner was he saved. MacArthur warned all who are self-righteous. "They cannot be saved, for the gospel is a call to sinners to repent and be forgiven."
