The Bible says that we
have all sinned and have fallen short of God's glory (see Romans 3:23). Two
dimensions explain why everybody is a sinner. The first is the fact that we've
all not been able to obey the commandments of God. We have lied; we've all stolen
something before, have not respected our parents 100% and have worshiped other
gods apart from the almighty God because anything that takes the place of God
in our lives becomes a god to us.
Some of the
things that take the place of God in our lives are not all bad at all. Some are
actually good things such as education, jobs, marriage, and even children. For
instance, a lady may be praying to God for a husband but as soon as she gets
married she stop seeking God. Again, the Bible teaches that anyone who hates
his brother is a murderer. Most of us have hated on at least one person before.
So we are all liars, thieves, fornicators, adulterers, idolaters, disrespectful
to parents and so on. Each of us fits into at least one of the above categories
of sinners.
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In James
2:10, the Bible says that if we keep the whole commandment but fail in one
point, we are guilty of all. This is so because the same God who said,
"Thou shall not lie" also said, "Thou shall not kill." So
if we have never killed but have told countless number of lies, then we cannot
say we are just before God.
The second
dimension that makes everybody a sinner is the fact that we are not only
sinners because of the wrongs we do but also because our very nature is sinful.
We were conceived in sin and birthed into sin (see Psalm 51:5). There are
people who are naturally principled and very moral. They don't cheat others,
don't steal, don't lie and don't do many things that are considered to be sin.
Yet no matter how upright we attempt to live, the fact that we are sinners
still holds because we were born in sin.
There are consequences for sin
Just as
there are consequences for wrongdoing in every country, there are also
consequences for sins. Rom 6:23 says, "The wages of sin is death..."
The 'death' referred to in this scripture is not the physical death but rather
the death of eternal separation from God. God told Adam and Eve that the day
they eat the forbidden fruit they will die. For a fact they didn't die
physically after eating the fruit. However, they experienced a spiritual death.
They became separated from God.
Similarly,
if we continue in our sins and do not repent then we will be eternally
separated from God. Assume that you owe a bank a huge sum of money, and out of
the blue, someone opts to pay the debt for you. You will ONLY be debt-free if
you allow the person to settle the debt on your behalf. However, if you
disagree then your debt will remain and you will face the consequences thereof.
God has a better alternative for
everyone who believes
Even though
the wages of our sins is death, God is giving us a better alternative. The
second part of Romans 6:23 says, "... but the gift of God is everlasting life
THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD. Everyone had sinned and everyone will go to hell
if those sins (debt) are not atoned (paid). Jesus' death on the cross and the
shedding of his blood is the only thing that can atone for our sins and that is
why every sinner must believe in Jesus Christ to be saved.
Why is
Jesus' blood the only thing that can atone for sins? The answer to this
question can be found in Leviticus 17:11-12 and Hebrews 9:22. In Leviticus, God
established to the Israelites that "life is in the blood" and that He
had given it to them to atone for the soul. Base on this, the people of Israel
used the blood of animals like sheep, goat, cattle etc. to atone for their
sins. However, as sin multiplied, the blood of animals were not sufficient to
atone for the sin of man and that is what necessitated the coming of Jesus and
his subsequent death and shedding of blood. The shedding of blood is necessary
because "almost all things are by the LAW purged with BLOOD, and WITHOUT
THE SHEDDING OF BLOOD THERE'S NO REMISSION" - Hebrews 9:22. The word 'purge'
means "to make clean" or "to make pure" This means that
only the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse our sins and make us pure.
"For
God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believe in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" - John 3:16. Read
verses 17 and 18 as well. God sent Jesus Christ to die to save mankind because
He loves us greatly and don't want any one of His creation to be eternally
separated from Him. As much as God loves us, He cannot force us to believe in
Him. That choice is given to us and He wants us to CHOOSE Him willingly. If we
choose Him we will have eternal life and if reject Him then we will be
condemned forever. He himself will not condemn us but our sins will, because
nothing that is sinful can come close to God. The choice is in your hands!
Jesus Christ
is ever ready to receive you. You have struggled with religion for so long, you
have search for truth for a long time, and now I have good news for you. The
GOOD NEWS is that Jesus is Truth. His death on the cross and the blood that He
shared for all mankind is available right now to wash and cleanse you from all
your sins and make you pure and whole before God. All you have to open your
mouth right now and speak to Him. Tell Him you are sorry for your sins and
repent from them from now on. Tell him to come into your life, forgive all your
sins and be your Lord and personal Saviour. Tell Jesus you want to start a new
relationship with Him and ask Him to help you endure to the end. Jesus Christ
is waiting to forgive all your sins and transform your life for the better.
Surrender everything to Him and speak to Him right now!
Should you need any further information, feel
free to Contact us.
