The Problem: Sin and Separation
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The Bible's diagnosis is honest and universal: "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). This is not a statement that everyone is as bad as possible, but that no one is as good as God's standard. Even our best efforts fall short: "there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not" (Ecclesiastes 7:20).
What Is Sin?
Sin is more than breaking rules. It is rebellion against our Maker, living as though He did not matter. Sin includes wrong actions, wrong words, wrong attitudes, and also the failure to do right: "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin" (James 4:17). It began in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3), when the first man and woman chose their own way over God's word, and it has marked the human story ever since: "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (Romans 5:12).
The Consequences
Sin has three effects:
- Separation from God. "But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear" (Isaiah 59:2).
- Slavery within. Sin is not only something we do but something that grips us. "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). Paul describes people as spiritually dead: "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1).
- Death and judgment. "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23). The first half of that verse names the problem and the second half names the solution.
On the final outcome of those who reject God's offer, Christians agree that the Bible warns of serious consequences (John 3:36). They differ in how to understand its nature, whether as unending conscious punishment, or as final destruction, and thoughtful believers hold each view [4]. What all affirm is that God takes sin seriously and that He has provided a remedy.
Why Good Works Cannot Fix It
Many people hope that their good deeds will outweigh their bad ones. The Bible says this does not work. "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). The standard is not a majority but perfection: "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all" (James 2:10). A man in a deep pit cannot lift himself out by his own bootstraps; he needs someone to reach down.
An Honest Pause
Many people dislike hearing that they are sinners. But consider what a doctor does: before prescribing, the doctor must make a diagnosis. A sound diagnosis, however unwelcome, is a kindness. And the Bible does not diagnose in order to condemn but in order to heal. Jesus said, "They that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick" (Luke 5:31).
CHAPTER 4