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In the last couple of units, we talked about the Old and New Testaments. We explained how God gave us the law and its real purpose. We also discussed how the New Testament provides freedom from the penalty of breaking that law.
It’s really very simple: we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. So, we should all be thrilled to receive salvation through Jesus. But not everyone sees it that way.
All Have Fallen Short
Romans 5:12
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Romans 3:9-10
9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; 10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Romans 3:23
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Christians are sometimes called hypocrites because we preach about righteousness, yet we sin. We desire to follow God and do what is right, but we don’t always succeed.
When we point a finger, there are three other fingers pointing back at us. Does that really make us hypocrites? It would if we tried to pretend we were innocent of those things ourselves. But we are not, nor should we pretend otherwise.
There is only one man who has ever lived a sinless life. Other than Jesus, everyone who reaches the age to know right from wrong has committed sin. Even Christians, who try to walk as closely to God as they can, still sin.
This means that when we preach repentance from sin, we should not be lifting ourselves up as if we were the moral standard to attain. No, we need Jesus too.
Why Preach Repentance
Why do we preach repentance from sin? Why do we tell people they are in sin and must repent when we also still sin? It’s because the only way for both them and us to be saved is by walking with God.
Amos 3:3
3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
God says the law is good and holy. It is His word. Can we walk with Him if we disagree with that? The Bible says we cannot.
Here’s the reality: if we want to walk with Jesus, we have to admit that the law is good. We also have to admit that we break the law. We must agree with Him.
The problem is that if we agree with Him, we must acknowledge our own sins. We can’t pretend to be righteous. And when we admit the law is good, it means we must obey it. In short, we have to confess our sin and submit to the authority of God.
This is why Christians preach repentance from sin. We know all have sinned. It’s not about making others do what is right. It’s about showing them their need for Jesus and then bringing them to Him. It’s about giving them a chance to repent and be saved.
The Saved and the Lost
This divides humanity into two groups. As the Bible says, Jesus will separate the sheep from the goats. The sheep are those who agree with Him, trust Him, confess their need, and follow Him. The goats are those who disagree with Him, do not trust Him, try to hide their sin, and refuse to obey.
One group wants to obey the law because they agree with it. The other wants to reject the law because it disagrees with them. But the bottom line is that both groups still sin. Both groups need Jesus.
Isaiah 64:6
6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
There is no amount of good we can do to cancel out the bad. The sweetest person you’ve ever known still isn’t innocent of sin. And the biggest reason people won’t come to Jesus to be saved is that they don’t want to submit to God’s authority.
People try to fool themselves into thinking it’s not about avoiding submission. They try to be the best person possible, hoping that God will forgive them because they were “good” overall. Yet even that sweet little old lady who “loves everyone” has sins she has committed.
The Penalty Is Death
There is only one end result of sin: death. The Bible is very clear about this.
Romans 5:12
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
1 Corinthians 15:56
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
Ezekiel 18:4
4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
The result of sin has always been death. It only took one sin, and death flooded the earth. We are all guilty before God.
In 1 Corinthians 15:56, we see that sin is like the arm of an executioner. It is empowered by the law to strike with the blade of death. None of us is safe from it because one sin is all it takes.
Hebrews 9:27
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Have you noticed that everyone dies? We all fall under the blade of death. This is part of the consequences of one simple sin. All of us are guilty before God. It doesn’t matter how good we try to be; we are all called sinners because we all commit sin.
Matthew 19:25-26
25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? 26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
It is impossible for any of us to be saved through our own righteousness! There is no exception to this rule, other than Jesus Himself!
You may ask, But what about children? What about those who are just babies? Why do they die?
The consequences of one man’s sin can be felt throughout the entire world. That one sin had a ripple effect. Because of that sin, others—even if they have not yet committed sin—suffer. This suffering came because of sin and its effects on the world, not because of God.
Some believe we are born and are immediately seen as guilty. This is not what the Bible says. If it were true that all humans are guilty of sin even before they take their first breath, then there would be no hope of salvation—because Jesus was human too.
But sadly your sin has an effect on my life. My sin has an effect on your life. That is why children die. They aren’t being punished. They are suffering the effects of our own actions. We will discuss this further in the next study.
Continue To Unit 2:7 – What Is Original Sin – Are We Born Guilty? OR
Return To Christianity 101 Unit 2 – Sin and Eternal Judgment
carmine d'agostino
pamela mcdonald
Jason Evans
pamela mcdonald
Glenn V Lynch
Jason Evans