Romans 3:22b-24 “There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
Ecclesiastes 7:20 “Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.”
1 John 1:8-9 “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
It’s true, we are sinners. We always have been. Even after our sins are washed clean by the blood of Christ, we still sin. We must accept this as fact to truly understand what Christ has done for us, for without Christ we would simply live and die in our sinful state with no hope of redemption. Think about what Christ has done. Jesus Christ is not only the Son of God, but also God Himself as part of the Triune Godhead (Father, Son & Holy Spirit). He stepped down from His throne, became man and willingly went to a criminal’s death on a cross for you and me. There are none righteous … NONE. If we don’t believe that then we are deceiving ourselves. We cannot save ourselves. We are unable to pay the sin debt owed to Almighty God. Our hearts are dark and wracked with evil. Left to our own devices we would crawl back to sin like a dog returns to its’ vomit. We need a savior, and we have one.
Jesus Christ gave Himself as a sacrifice for all mankind. He bore our sins and the weight of them was excruciating. His temporary separation from the Father was agonizing. He went to hell and came back with the keys to death and the grave. His resurrection completed God’s plan for the redemption of all creation. However, some feel they aren’t in need of forgiveness. They say Christianity is for the weak-willed, the feeble minded. It’s for those who cannot pull themselves up by their own bootstraps and make it on their own in this life. Some folks believe in anything but that which can truly set them free. Our free will to choose allows that. What a sad day it will be when Christ comes, and millions are left behind because they refused to see what was laid out right in front of them. Search your heart and ask God to reveal Himself to you, for He doesn’t wish that any perish, but that all come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). The clock is ticking.
For the believer, your sin has been removed. Your sin debt has been paid in full. Rejoice in the fact that God’s love is so great and unending that He bought you with His own blood to redeem you from yourselves. We can do nothing without Christ, but we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.
Richard Keller
Bread of Life Ministries
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