In 1 Timothy 1:15, Paul, perhaps the most well known of all the New Testament characters, makes an amazing confession. He said: Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst. I believe I can give him a run for his money. Really, though, it isn’t even worth discussion who is the “worst” or most egregious sinner. All of us, regardless of how “good” we perceive ourselves to be, are no more than filthy, rotten, dirty and pitiful sinners before God.
I often hear Christians say things like, “I am a sinner, saved by grace.” Yes, this is true, but I believe that most people who have not been in church for very long have a difficult time understanding what that really means. I also believe that they (what we Christians call “the world”) have a difficult time believing that we really mean it, as it is one of those “churchy phrases” that roll off our tongues without much thought. In this article, I want to offer a little bit of perspective for both the Christians who read this blog and I hope to provide a little bit of understanding for those who are “on the outside looking in” (those who are NOT Christians). There are actually two words that I think are difficult for both Christians and non-Christians alike. These words are “mercy” and “grace”. Both of these words describe attributes of God, but they are NOT the same. In the simplest of terms, “mercy” is shown when you do not get the punishment you deserve, while “grace” is shown when you receive blessings you do not deserve. The Bible is clear in it’s teaching that we have all sinned. Just a few verses:
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 1 John 1:8
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23
Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins. Ecclesiastes 7:20
Just as clear is the concept that our sin deserves punishment. That punishment is death.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23
So, the reality is that if God’s justice was served upon us, there would be NO survivors. We are ALL deserving of death. At some point, I may deal with the topic of “original sin”, but for the moment, let’s just consider those things that we can actually point to in our lives. At a very early age, there are probably none of us who did not, at least once, fail to give proper honor to our parents. It is likely that every one of us have failed to give proper honor to God’s name at all times. It is most likely that each of us have stolen SOMETHING or lied. Probably most of us have spoken against people around us or engaged in the spreading of lies about those people at one time or another. Think about YOUR life. Even recently, I can think of things I’ve done that I KNOW are sinful. I’d wager that the same thing is true about anyone who reads (or even those who DON’T read) this post. (Yes, the “wager” thing is a pun regarding gambling… 🙂 ) At any rate, the truth is that in spite of how “good” we may think we are, if we take time to think about it, our sin is VERY CLEAR to us. Each of those things you just thought of were brought to your mind by the Spirit of God. One of the purposes of the Holy Spirit is to bring about repentance and the first step toward repentance is our recognition of our sin. I realize I have strayed a little from the original point here, but let me get back to it. We are ALL sinful people and sin is deserving of DEATH. It is God’s MERCY that we are alive at all. Death is the JUST punishment for our actions, but by the mercy of God, He forgives us! How is it that he is able to bring about this forgiveness? I mean, if God is truly Just (and he is), then how is it that He can simply overlook our sin and forgive it? This is where one type of Grace is delivered. We call it “saving grace”. We are completely undeserving of any considerations from God. He doesn’t owe us ANYTHING. In spite of that, He sent Jesus to the earth to die in our place. You see, God is completely just. This means that he CANNOT overlook sin. The punishment for sin HAS TO BE PAID. God, in the person of Jesus Christ, PAID OUR SIN DEBT. By Jesus’ death, God’s justice was served. Read this verse:
and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:24
Isn’t that AWESOME? You see, God figured out a way to satisfy the requirement of death for our sin WITHOUT THE NEED FOR US TO PAY! We did not deserve it, but because of God’s grace, offered FREELY through Jesus’s act of redemption, we are able to be forgiven and receive mercy. The above proclamation of justification comes right after the statement that condemns us. If you want to dig a little deeper into this idea of God’s fulfillment of his justice, read Romans 3:21-26. You may have to read it several times to get it to “soak in”. Here it is in the Bible In Basic English translation:
But now without the law there is a revelation of the righteousness of God, to which witness is given by the law and the prophets; That is, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, to all those who have faith; and one man is not different from another, For all have done wrong and are far from the glory of God; And they may have righteousness put to their credit, freely, by his grace, through the salvation which is in Christ Jesus: Whom God has put forward as the sign of his mercy, through faith, by his blood, to make clear his righteousness when, in his pity, God let the sins of earlier times go without punishment; And to make clear his righteousness now, so that he might himself be upright, and give righteousness to him who has faith in Jesus.
SO…here is the reality: All of us are sinners and deserve death. Paul was, I am and so are you. The specifics of what Paul did or what I did are not what is important. Before a HOLY and JUST God, we fail to measure up. We are not even CLOSE. The difference in my sin and that of Paul, when compared to the holiness of God, would be similar to adding an extra mile or so to the distance between here and Sirius, the Dog Star. (Just so you know, that is 8.6 light years away.) An extra mile is SO MINISCULE compared to the whole distance that it isn’t even worth considering. Likewise, the difference between MY sin and that of Paul, you or a serial rapist is JUST AS MINISCULE. When I consider my own sin, if it were not for the grace of God that lifts that burden, I would be crushed by the weight of it all. SO, when you hear me say, “I am a sinner, saved by grace”, you should not take it lightly. I am sincerely grateful for God’s mercy AND grace.
As a final thought, if you are reading about this thing that Jesus did for YOU for the first time, or if you are being convinced by God’s spirit that you need to accept the saving grace offered in Jesus Christ, PLEASE DO NOT WAIT! The bible teaches that today is the day of salvation. That means that while God is offering you his grace and showing you that you need it, you should act immediately. Accepting this call to salvation is very simple. In fact, it is as simple as “ABC”
A. ADMIT you are a sinner. I have shown you the verses that prove it. If you really thought about the actions YOU have taken, then you will realize that these verses are about YOU.
B. BELIEVE that Jesus’ act of redemption was for YOU.
C. CONFESS your sin to God and CONFESS that Jesus is the Lord of your life. Let me quote one more passage. It comes from Romans 10:9-10
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
You can do these things by repeating and meaning the words of a simple prayer like this:
God, I know that I am a sinner. I realize that I am completely guilty of sin against you. I know that you do not owe me anything. I recognize that Jesus came to the earth to die for my sins and that following his death, he was raised again. I want you to come into my life and be in charge. Thank you for forgiving my sins. Thank you for sending Jesus. Amen.
If you have prayed a prayer such as above, I would LOVE to hear about it. You can send me email at [email protected] to let me know or just leave a comment here. It is important that you find a church congregation that will support you and help you to learn more about what it means to be a christian. Most Baptist churches have a solid doctrine in this regard and would make a good place to begin your search for someone to help you take the next steps in your walk with Jesus. If you live in Malden, I would love to meet you at MY church. I attend the First General Baptist Church. Their website is http://www.fgbcmalden.org.
As always, feel free to share this on your favorite social media outlet. Leave me a comment below to let me know if this was helpful to you in any way.