Mankind is easily lured to rely on mere human logic. We often seek justification by comparing ourselves with others instead of comparing ourselves to God’s perfect standard. Deflection of the truth is a common tactic of the guilty. It is obvious that some men are better than others, but without exception, all fall short of perfection (Romans 3:23). Many false gospels promote the concept of self-improvement and gaining greater merit than demerit during your lifetime. False teachings of earning God’s favor through meritorious obedience to God’s Word are common even within Christian churches. However, God’s message is clear: Sin is the problem — not the lack of meritorious works (Genesis 3:17-19). Because we are sinners, all the merit we can accumulate will not matter (Romans 11:6).
Those who achieve a high moral standard hoping to be declared righteous based on their superior record will be disappointed. They will actually increase their own condemnation (Romans 2:1-29). God is communicating these things to us ahead of time, and we would do well to listen to His warnings. Sin is not cancelled out by goodness or weighed against obedience. Sin requires death—that is the final word on the subject! Failure to acknowledge that fact is the first step towards condemnation.
Perhaps an analogy will be helpful to emphasize this critical point. Imagine two boys in front of a vending machine wanting a soft drink that costs $1.00. One boy has three quarters and the other a nickel. Which one will be able to purchase the drink? Neither. It is the same way with mankind. Some men are morally better than others but neither have Divine approval because we all come up short. It does not matter that some have a greater moral record than others any more than one boy having more money than the other. Neither boy will get the soft drink, nor will any son of Adam receive God’s approval based on his own merit or good works (Romans 1:1-4:25). God has revealed himself as Perfect, Righteous, and Sovereign. His message to mankind is that we are sinners so we fail His standard based on that fact. We fail before any consideration is given to how morally acceptable or immoral we may be. The veracity of this conclusion is confirmed by the cursed world in which we live. We are cursed with sickness, deterioration, and despair. Existence in this life whether rich or poor, happy or miserable, pleasant or discontent, is nothing more than a grand exercise in futility because we all end up dead in the end (Ecclesiastes 1:1-12:14). Exclusion from God’s Presence is what we justly deserve. Life sucks—then you die! That is not just an obnoxious bumper sticker; it is an accurate paraphrase of what God said to Adam in the Garden of Eden after he sinned (Genesis 3:17-19).
The main thing to remember about personal sin is that personal sin is not what condemned us; it is merely fruit of the sinful nature inherited from Adam. What we are condemns us, not what we do. Because we are sinners, we are dead. Without help from an outside source, we would have no hope.
Next Section: Awareness
Table of Contents: The Last Adam
Text for this post has been borrowed from my Kindle eBook The Last Adam (Book 1 of the Grace and Knowledge Series), by Brother Woody Brohm. Copyright 2012.
I’ve included the full text of the book on this blog and you are free to read the book in this format if you please. Just follow the Next Section Link or view the Table of Contents to skip to wherever you prefer.
All Scripture quoted from:
New International Version (NIV)
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