All men are sinful. No one loves God and our neighbours at all times. All fall short of God’s standard. Not just criminals. We all think someone else does it, but not ourselves. At least that’s those wicked criminals do.
Pride is the most serious sins in human heart. The angel Lucifer fell down from heaven to become the devil because of pride. The first two human beings did this which led to the epic fall in the garden of Eden because of pride. They were effectively saying, “We can do as good as you, God. We do not need you. Thank you very much!”
I am not here looking down on you or pointing a condemning finger on you. Just like what the Apostle Paul called himself the chief sinner, I am speaking here as what Martin Luther said, “a mere beggar showing other beggars where to find bread”, having a glimpse of the deepest blackness of my own heart, and knowing the desperate need of God’s salvation.
Are you aware of the darkness in your heart? Ask God to help you to see what your heart is like in His eyes.
God creates law, yet even before the law was given or without knowing God’s law, our consciousness already testifies that we do not always think and do what we know we should be doing.
Read with me in Romans 2:12-16,
“For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. For when Gentiles (all the non-Jews), who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.”
We may think that “I have failed my own standard this time. I promise I won’t do it again. I will do better next time.” We still miserably fail our own standard eventually, one way or another.
God is just. He will judge every rebellious sin in our heart. He would not let them go unpunished.
Just like what King David said in Psalm 51,
“Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” (vv 5)
“For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.” (vv 3)
Is there a way out for us?
We will continue in the next post, “Is There a Way Out for Humanity?“.
Jas 4 Christ 