New Believers Bible - Flipbook - Page 86
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A13
HOW YOU CAN KNOW GOD
What exactly is “God’s glorious standard” that Romans 3:23 says we have
failed to meet? God’s “glorious standard” is absolute perfection. Jesus said,
“But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew
5:48). In other words, anyone who is not as good as God is not acceptable
to him.
One definition of sin, derived from the Greek word hamartia, is to
“miss the mark.” As far as the mark of perfection goes, we miss it by a
mile. Although our sinful nature makes it impossible for us to live up to
God’s standard, we cannot blame sin on our nature alone. Sin is also a
deliberate act.
2. Sin Is a Deliberate Act (see Ephesians 2:1-3, page 1064). Another word
for sins in Ephesians 2:1 is transgressions or trespasses. This word speaks of
a lapse or deviation from truth. In contrast to simply “missing the mark,” this
is a deliberate action. Because sin is a deliberate action, we cannot blame
our sin on our society or our environment or our mental or physical state.
Everyone has chosen to do what was wrong. If we protest this point, “we are
only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth” (1 John 1:8).
3. The Ultimate Penalty for Sin Is Death (see Romans 6:23, page 1011).
According to the Bible, we have offended a Holy God. We have not done this
once or twice, but so many times that we are unable to keep count. Romans
6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death. . . .” Wages are something you are paid
for work rendered. In other words, you earn your wages. Because we have all
repeatedly sinned, we have earned the penalty of death, which is eteral
torment and punishment in a place called hell.
Amid all this talk about sin and death, there is some good news. God has
given us a way to escape the penalty of our sin. He has made it possible for
us to have a relationship with him and enjoy the hope of eternal life without
punishment.
God understood our problem and knew that we could
do nothing about it. Because God loves us, he sent his
own Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to bridge the chasm of
sin that separates us from him.
