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[size=large]The Human Condition[/size]
Read Romans 3:23. "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..."
Why is this message so easy for us, as Christians, to believe today? At the same time, what could cause some people to question the truthfulness of this text?
Amazingly enough, some folk actually challenge the idea of human sinfulness, arguing that people are basically good. The problem, however, stems from a lack of understanding what true goodness is. People can compare themselves to someone else and feel good about themselves. Even the mobster Al Capone was a saint compared to Adolph Hitler. However, when we contrast ourselves to God, and to the holiness and righteousness of God, none of us would come away with anything other than an overwhelming sense of self-loathing and disgust.
The verse also talks about "the glory of God." The phrase has been variously interpreted. Perhaps the simplest interpretation is to give the phrase the meaning it has in 1 Corinthians 11:7, "He [man] is the image and glory of God" (RSV). In Greek, the word for "glory" may be considered as loosely equivalent to the word for "image." Sin has marred the image of God in man. Sinful man falls far short of reflecting the image or glory of God.
Read Romans 3:10 - 18. "As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. The poison of vipers is on their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know. There is no fear of God before theireyes."
Has anything changed today? Which of those depictions best describes you, or what you would be like were it not for Christ in your life?
As bad as we are, our situation is not hopeless. The first step is for us to acknowledge our utter sinfulness and also our helplessness in and of ourselves to do anything about it. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to bring about such conviction. If the sinner does not resist Him, the Spirit will lead the sinner to tear away the mask of self-defense, pretense, and self-justification and to cast himself or herself upon Christ, pleading His mercy:
Read Romans 3:23. "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..."
Why is this message so easy for us, as Christians, to believe today? At the same time, what could cause some people to question the truthfulness of this text?
Amazingly enough, some folk actually challenge the idea of human sinfulness, arguing that people are basically good. The problem, however, stems from a lack of understanding what true goodness is. People can compare themselves to someone else and feel good about themselves. Even the mobster Al Capone was a saint compared to Adolph Hitler. However, when we contrast ourselves to God, and to the holiness and righteousness of God, none of us would come away with anything other than an overwhelming sense of self-loathing and disgust.
The verse also talks about "the glory of God." The phrase has been variously interpreted. Perhaps the simplest interpretation is to give the phrase the meaning it has in 1 Corinthians 11:7, "He [man] is the image and glory of God" (RSV). In Greek, the word for "glory" may be considered as loosely equivalent to the word for "image." Sin has marred the image of God in man. Sinful man falls far short of reflecting the image or glory of God.
Read Romans 3:10 - 18. "As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. The poison of vipers is on their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know. There is no fear of God before theireyes."
Has anything changed today? Which of those depictions best describes you, or what you would be like were it not for Christ in your life?
As bad as we are, our situation is not hopeless. The first step is for us to acknowledge our utter sinfulness and also our helplessness in and of ourselves to do anything about it. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to bring about such conviction. If the sinner does not resist Him, the Spirit will lead the sinner to tear away the mask of self-defense, pretense, and self-justification and to cast himself or herself upon Christ, pleading His mercy:
Ma Betty