We May Not Realize...Sample

... the depth of our sinfulness.

Most believers are familiar with Romans 3:23 - that all have sinned and therefore "fall short" of God's expectations for us - but many do not realize the depth and severity of our sin problem. We tend to rationalize our sinfulness rather than take ownership of it. We measure our personal "goodness" in comparison to others' "badness." We convince ourselves that God is okay with us just as we are, that on balance we're doing all right.

Nothing could be further from the truth!

We are fooling ourselves if we think we are without sin, or that we are in any way spiritually better off than anyone else. We are all in desperate need of God's relentless grace (1 John 1:8-10).

Most of us have no problem identifying and avoiding the "obvious" sins (Galatians 5:19-21). Many Believers do not realize, sin isn't just the things we do wrong; it also extends to the things we fail to do rightly. "Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it." (James 4:17)

Whether they be sins of commission (what we knowingly do wrong) or sins of omission (what we fail to do rightly), Jesus makes it clear we are slaves to sin either way (John 8:34). There is absolutely no hiding from this fact (Proverbs 28:13), nor is there any escaping the bitter truth that the penalty for our sins - any sin; all sin - is death.

Thanks be to God, Jesus already accepted that penalty on our behalf! (Romans 6:23)

Recognizing the sinfulness of the human heart can be overwhelming, so much so that many would-be Christians - and a few practicing ones as well - might be inclined to give up the fight altogether. But here's another biblical truth many do not realize: while our sins do indeed condemn us, Jesus came to save us and redeem us from sin's death sentence (John 3:17). What's more, there is no sin struggle so great that we cannot endure it in His strength, or that He will not help us overcome - to His glory and for our sake (1 Corinthians 10:13).