While as humans we have different levels of what we consider right and wrong, God shows in his Word that he requires perfection, "Be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). Because of the Fall of Adam and Eve into sin, there is "no one" who is righteous, "not even one" (Romans 3:10-12). To illustrate the point, imagine that you had a huge container of water and someone put just one drop of poison in the water. As a result, the whole container of water would be contaminated. This is the case with each of our lives. This initial poison is original sin that is present in our lives from the Fall. Each time we say an unkind word, think an impure thought or do anything that is not filled with goodness and love, we commit a sin -- thus another drop and another drop and another drop of poison goes into the tank so that the whole tank of our life is completely contaminated.
Since God is holy and requires perfection (Matthew 5:48), we cannot have a relationship with him regardless of how hard we try to do good works and be good (Isaiah 52:9). Unless we are perfect, which we've seen is impossible, we cannot enter his presence (Leviticus 19:1). This is where Jesus comes in. He is the perfect God-Man, who lived a sinless life, died an atoning death on the cross to pay the just penalty for our sins and then rose again to make a way for us to receive his gift of salvation through repentant faith (1 John 2:2, Isaiah 53:4-5). When we come to him and receive this gift of salvation, he brings us into this family and gives us his Holy Spirit, who then empowers us to live and walk in newness of life, just as the prophet Ezekiel prophesied (2 Corinthians 5:17, Ezekiel 36:26). The Father declares us not guilty and innocent through the blood of his Son, Jesus, which enables us to stand in his presence and enjoy fellowship with him (Romans 3:24).
This is why the Gospel is called Good News, because it reveals God's miraculous provision for sinful humanity to be eternally restored to their original design as children of God -- who are forgiven, accepted and beloved of God.
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1).
