HOW DO WE TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE ALL NEED A SAVIOR, NO MATTER HOW GOOD WE MIGHT BE?

I raise this question because many claim: “I am a good person most of the time, and even when I am not, God knows that I am trying my best.” How do we break through this self-confidence to show them that they are sinners in desperate need of the mercy of the Savior?

In many ways, the Bible claims that we all fall far short of God’s standards (Romans 3:23):

·       as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:10-12)

According to Jesus, even the slightest infraction can send us to hell:

·       “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” (Matthew 5:22; James 2:10; Deuteronomy 27:26)

Even though this concept is scripturally clear, I think that we need to bring home the reasonableness of this teaching. Here’s how I do it:

·       What if you push your wife down and she says, “What you did was wrong. You need to apologize. And what if you responded, “Well, God knows that I am trying the best I can, and you have to accept this also.”

This will not satisfy the wife. Both parties know that this response will not suffice. Instead, the husband must humbly confess his sin and sincerely grieve over what he has done. Instead, what if he responds:

·       “You are making a big deal over nothing. I’ve never done this before. So why are your picking on the one time that I pushed you? You are just being picky.”

This also will not suffice. Instead, we have to take full responsibility for every sin we commit. God taught the Israelites the same lesson. Every sin required the sacrifice of an animal to stand in place of the punishment we deserve. No free rides! Any sin could have damned the Israelite.

All of this teaches our utter need for the mercy of God and our inadequacy of ever being good enough to bypass this need for His mercy.