Week Seventeen-Day Three: Knowing Human Beings - Sinners

Something is clearly wrong! It seems like we should all be able to just get along. Is that so hard? But apparently it is! I mean, if you examine the history of humanity from a completely objective perspective – forget about religion altogether – you cannot escape the impression that something in our basic wiring is off. Something is clearly wrong!

The Bible offers this explanation: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”[1] Remember two days ago we said that God created us for His glory? He created us as one of His favorite things. He created us to demonstrate His character and His power. We have missed the mark … badly!

Grudem defines sin as “any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature." We could also define it as anything we think, do or say in which we seek our meaning, purpose or pleasure apart from God.

Let’s look at what Paul says about it in Ephesians 2. This is one of the clearest explanations ever written. The end of this passage gives us an explanation of the very good news available to us who have trusted in Christ, but let’s focus on the bad news this morning. (Sorry to be a downer.)

¹ As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. ⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. 

1. We learn something about Paul’s concept of sin by the complementary term he uses for it here.He uses “transgression” as a complementary term in verse one.This word can also be translated “transgression” and even “disobedience”.What does this add to the notion of “sin”?
2. So Paul divides our life into two periods.How would you describe the two periods?What did we pattern our lives after in the first period?Who controlled our lives in the first period?
3. What does Paul’s image of death and brought to life suggest about our sin?
4. What does the fact that we are saved “by grace … this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” say about our life in the first period?
5. In fact, let’s not overlook Paul’s prevailing image: we are saved.What does the fact that he describes our connection to God as being saved say about our condition in sin?

The fact that we are sinners who fall short of God’s glory does not mean that we are as bad as we could be. There is great good in human beings. For example, human beings have a tremendous capacity to help, to create beauty and to act nobly.

All of that has to count for something, right? But here’s the tricky part: we were created for God’s glory and for His love. Anything done apart from that context is a basterdization of our design. If we are acting nobly and creating beauty apart from a connection to God and without moving attention in His direction, then we are hijacking the purpose of the universe for our own desires. We are glorifying ourselves. We are advertising ourselves.

Isaiah put it like this: “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.”[2]

That’s right, our righteous acts are like filthy rags … I repeat, the best of what we have to offer is like a filthy rag … until He brings us to life.

BEFORE YOU START YOUR DAY

1. Reread Ephesians 2:1-10.What is your part in God’s resurrection project in your life?
2. Spend some time confessing to God right now.Ask God to show you all of the sin that remains in your heart and life.