The Problem: Sin
Someone may say, “But I’m a good person. I try to be kind and considerate to others. I live by the Ten Commandments.”* That’s a great place to start. God set up these rules for our benefit, and they are his standard for what is good. Let’s take a look at a few of them and see how you measure up. (For more details, see the “good person test” link on the home page.)
”You shall have no other gods before Me.” Have you ever loved or desired something or someone more than you love or desire God?
”You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.” Have you ever used the word God as a swear word?
”You shall not steal.” Have you ever taken anything that is not yours, no matter how small, regardless of its value?
”Honor your father and mother.” Have you ever dishonored either one of your parents?
“You shall not commit adultery.” Jesus said if you even look upon a woman with lust in your heart, you are guilty of adultery.
”You shall not lie.” Have you lied even once? Be honest now.
These are only six of the ten commandments. If you’re honest with yourself, you will admit to breaking each of these many times. If you stood before God today, would he declare you guilty or not guilty of breaking his law? If you’re like every other person on earth, you have absolutely failed the test. The truth of the matter is that the Ten Commandments, or the law, as they are called in the Bible, were not given to make us look good but to make us realize how sinful we are. The Bible tells us, “No one can ever be made right in God’s sight by doing what his law commands. For the more we know God’s law, the clearer it becomes that we aren’t obeying it” (Romans 3:20). You might say that God’s law was given to show us that we are not good by God’s standards and therefore desperately need his help and forgiveness for our terminal condition as sinners. Romans 3:23 clearly says that “all have sinned.”
Think about it, if you only sinned three times a day, by the time you’re 20 years old you would be responsible to God for breaking his Law over 20,000 times. Are you ready for that day? To repeat what was said above, before we can truly appreciate what God did for us to solve our monumental problem, we must first acknowledge that we have a problem, in fact a very serious problem. Keep reading to learn about the greatest act of love in the history of mankind: God did something to solve our guilty condition. The hope for heaven is in His goodness, not ours.
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©Copyright, Greg Laurie |
