Jesus saith unto him, …no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. —John 14:6
These milestones are very helpful in guiding our walk on the right road and keep us headed to our final destination. A wrong turn here would be disastrous.
Milestone Two – Romans 3:10-11, 23
“As it has been written, ‘There is none righteous, no not one! There is none that understands, there is not one that seeks after God.’ … For all have sinned, and come short of the glory [what pleases or makes God happy] of God.”
The second milestone exposes a serious Problem: Sin. What is sin? Sin is any action against, or failure to act in accordance with, the will of God. Sin is our very nature. Sin is a state (or condition). We could say, “sin is me being my own boss.” Sins are “the results of me being my own boss.” Do these verses mean that everyone is a sinner?
Yes, everyone is a sinner, in three ways. God has declared the whole human race to be in a state of complete absence of righteousness, without merit, and utterly condemned. No one is exempt. Why? Because every human being has inherited a sin nature from our forefather, Adam. This sin nature is received and passed to each succeeding generation. People do not become sinners by sinning, but we sin because we are born sinners.
To make matters worse, being born under the power of sin’s control, we have each personally sinned against God. It is a vicious cycle that we have no ability to put to an end. Our actions, our thoughts, our attitudes, our words reveal that we all still choose to do things contrary to God’s will. Our wrong actions are displeasing to God, because God is holy. Romans 3:10-18 gives a detailed picture of what sin against God looks like in us. Our natural desire is to always choose to rebel against God, our owner. However,…
Most people think they are “not so bad,” at least, “not as bad as others.” It is true that in comparison one person may not act as wickedly as another. Appearances are deceptive because the standard of measure is not what God has established. Anyone that believes they can and will become “better” by their own will doesn’t fully understand how completely this problem of sin permeates each one of us to the very core of our being.
Those on the only road to spiritual life understand Jesus Christ has a “zero tolerance policy” when it comes to sin. He will tolerate no mis-deed, no offense, no rebellion. He knows that by nature his creatures (that is us) choose to live in opposition to him, whether it be what our society might call a “minor” infraction or something more heinous. This is not an easy milestone to pass. No one likes to be accused of doing wrong or being in the wrong. Sin is a hopeless condition to be in. We have no way out and must admit to ourselves and God “I am a sinner.”
Let’s hurry to the next milestone. Anything has to be better than this.…Milestones, part 3
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