Fallen Human Beings Can Rise Again
The Universality of Sin
Christianity teaches that moral shortcomings in human beings are universal and are influenced in every individual in every society by an inherent power that cannot be stopped except by divine intervention when it is sought. One preacher argued that people are sinners not because they have committed countable sins; rather, they commit those sins because they are sinners. Furthermore, an article on sin-universality rhymes with this teaching:
All human beings sin and are guilty in the sight of God on account of an inherently sinful disposition, which can be traced back to Adam. Acts of sin thus arise from a sinful human heart.1
The Predicament
Immoral behavior and all acts of disobedience to God are usually results of self-indulgence, that is to say, people wanting to do things their own way and wanting to have all they want or desire at any cost. This is a double-edged definition of “sin” and “sinner.” Anyone whom it fits must be warned about the certain ruin which is sin’s culmination.
There are some people who, by virtue of their religious zeal, assume that they are right with God. However, they cannot break away from their sinful nature. They are still guilty. What Paul wrote about the Jews of his day concerning their relationship with God reechoes: “âÂ?¦I can assure you that they are deeply devoted to God; but their devotion is not based on true knowledge. They have not known the way in which God puts people right with himself, and instead, they have tried to set up their own way; and so they did not submit themselves to God’s way of putting people right. For Christ has brought the Law to an end, so that everyone who believes is put right with God” (Romans 10:1-4, GNB).
Free Salvation
Paul in his communication above was dismissing the merits of the law, the requirements of which, people had failed to meet. He now wanted the Jews to understand that God had put in place new means of righteousness-Faith in Jesus Christ of the New Testament. It was now God’s new arrangement of dealing with human beings. This message reechoes to us today. While we miserably fail to keep the Ten Commandments by our power, we can now keep them by believing in Jesus Christ who saves us. The Bible has the incredible truth about this dispensation:
“But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirement of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.” (Romans 3: 21-22, NLT).
Our faith in Jesus Christ doesn’t make us less responsible or less God-fearing. On the contrary, it brings us closer to God in appreciation and gratitude for his free salvation. Furthermore, Faith in and loyalty to Jesus Christ revolutionizes one’s thinking and in the process generates in that person moral power for right living.
References
1 http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/dictionary-of-bible-themes/6023-sin-universality
