Our goodness and guilt is based in comparison to the words of Christ (John 12:48). If we compare our lives with the words of Christ, which is the standard by which all men will be judged, then we realize that we have fallen short of His standard. We are guilty. The Bible makes known that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). By God's standard, we are not good; we are guilty of breaking His purpose and commands. In fact, our sins deserve death. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). The sins we have committed merit us nothing but eternal death and punishment in hell.
So are you a good person? If you still think that you are let me ask you a few questions?
1) Have you ever lied? Yes or No?
a) If yes, then you are a liar - Revelation 21:8
2) Have you ever stolen anything, even something small? Yes or No?
a) If yes, then you are a thief - 1 Corinthians 6:10
3) Have you ever loved anyone or anything more than God? Yes or No?
a) If yes, then you are an idolater - 1 Corinthians 6:9
4) Have you coveted what someone else had - thus being envious or jealous? Yes or No?
a) If yes, then you are a greedy person - Ephesians 5:5
5) Have you ever hated anyone? Yes or no?a) If yes, then you are a murderer. Jesus considers those who hate others as murderers - Matthew 5:21-22
6) Have you ever lusted? Yes or No?
a) If yes, then you are an adulterer. Jesus considers those who lust after someone as adulterers - Matthew 5:27-28
If you answered "yes," to just one of those questions, then you are a sinner - you are guilty as each Scripture next to each sin specifically specifies that that kind of person does not enter the kingdom of heaven. If you are like most people, you would have said, "yes," to most or all of those questions. So judging from an objective standpoint of comparing your actions with the laws of Christ, are you innocent or guilty? You would have to admit that you are guilty. By saying, "yes," to any of those questions you have made a self-condemning acknowledgment that you're guilty and deserve to go to hell.
Now you may be thinking, "God is a loving God and wouldn't send anyone to hell. Yeah I made some mistakes, but nothing worth going to hell for." But in response to that, you must remember that God is a loving God but He is also a just God. In order to maintain His "just" nature, He must punish those who are guilty. Imagine this scenario, let's say your mother or child got hit by a drunk driver? Would you desire justice and have that drunk driver thrown in jail? Absolutely you would. Would you let the drunk drive go if he said, "I know I was drinking and driving but this was the only time I have ever done it." Would you allow that argument to bypass justice and let that man go just because he only once drove drunk? No, you would want justice to be served. Now does having that desire for justice nullify your goodness at all? No it doesn't. So in the same way, God pronouncing judgment on the guilty doesn't nullify His goodness and love. In fact, its because of His love that He demands justice for He is defending and protecting that which is good for the benefit of all.
Now in view of that, let me ask you again, are you good? Because according to the way you answered the questions above you most likely admitted to being a lying, thieving, idolatrous, greedy, murdering, adulterer. Does that sound like a good person? Does that sound like a person that deserves heaven or hell? If you answered, "hell," then you would be correct.
So in response to the question, "Do I even need Jesus in my life?" The simple answer is "yes" because you are sinner not deserving of heaven, but is one worthy of hell.
