Admit Your Sin - May 19

Read Romans 3:23-25a

…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.

Reflect

How well do you tend to recognize sin in your own life? When you become aware of your sin, how does it make you feel?

Do you want to be immediately unpopular? Say that all humans are sinners from birth. Trust me, I’ve learned from experience on this.

I get it. No one really wants to admit that we have a sin problem. Society is quick to admit that no one is perfect, but calling people inherently sinful? That seems a little harsh, doesn’t it? Aren’t most people mostly good? I mean, sure, they make mistakes sometimes…And what about little babies? Are sweet, innocent little children sinners, too? Yes. That’s why they need godly discipline from loving parents at such a young age. Even more than that, they need a Savior, and so do I.

It may not be popular, but when we go back to the Bible, we see that it’s true that all humans are sinners from birth (See also Romans 5:12-21). Today’s verse confirms that everyone has sinned and all people fall short of God’s glory. He is holy and His standard is perfection.

Paul wrote that the only way for us to be made right with God is through faith in Jesus Christ. We must trust that God sent His perfect Son to atone for our sin. Our blood deserved to be shed to pay the price for our own sin. But His blood was shed in our place to redeem us. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

I have found that many people love the idea of Jesus being their Savior. They love how much He loves us. They love His grace. They love that He is merciful. But they don’t like to be reminded of why they needed a merciful Savior in the first place. They don’t like to think too deeply about why His love and grace is amazing.

Never forget this: the God of the universe created us and gave us everything. But we disobeyed Him. We disrespected Him. We transgressed His law. We betrayed Him. Over and over again. We desperately needed His mercy and His forgiveness. What’s so amazing about His love and what makes His grace actual grace is that we were undeserving of His favor. But He loved us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8).

You see, the major danger with the false idea that people are inherently good is that people who think they are good don’t think that they need God. If you don’t believe that you are a sinner, you won’t admit that you need a Savior.

The apostle John put it this way: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:8-10).

You see, admitting that You are a sinner who needs a Savior is an important step of faith. Without this understanding, you will never fully comprehend why it matters that Jesus suffered and died in your place. Admitting this truth may be difficult but once we do we are ready to receive the gift of His amazing mercy, grace, and love.

Respond

Lord, I confess that I am a sinner. I have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed. But I also know that You died in my place. You took my sin upon Yourself to pay the price that my sin owed. You redeemed me! Thank You for Your amazing mercy, grace, and love. Amen.

Reveal

Many people have embraced the false idea that most people are good. Be ready to reveal the truth about human sinfulness and God’s gift of our Savior, but do so with gentleness and respect (Ephesians 4:15, 1 Peter 3:15).