A Sinner's Confession

Today I am reminded that sin is sin, and that I too am a great sinner. There is nothing I can do on my own to cleanse myself and become acceptable to be in the presence of the Most High. I cannot boast for the only reason I am a child of God is because He chose me. Otherwise, I would not have it in me to seek Him. My nature is to seek darkness, physical pleasure, comfort and the things of this world. If left to my own devices I would always gravitate toward the mud. Filth would be my comfort. The divine spark…the divine essence in me…were it not ignited by He who endowed it to me, would be covered in pestilence. And the worst part is that I would not even realize that I am not cleaned. I would not have enough consciousness to see I am rolling around in waste. I would not see that I am grotesque.

This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners"--and I am the worst of them. 1 Timothy 1: 15

It is all because of His decision to wake me up that I am aware. It is all because He chose to reveal Himself to me that I am out of the pit. It is because He came down from Heaven to become flesh, implant Himself among the filth to reach out to me that I am free!

…For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.… Romans 5: 7-9

That’s the good news! It is nothing we do…we cannot save ourselves. No matter how much the enemy deceives us into believing that we are good. No matter how much lies have been manipulated and turned into accepted realities. No matter how much the Devil has made us believe sin is no more. Truth is Truth, and it is because God is Love that He sent Jesus to save us. Which means that we do need a Savior…which means we do need to be saved from something…and that something is the Holy Wrath of the Most High.

There’s no way around it. He is a Holy God. He is also a Merciful God. But His Mercy doesn’t make Him less Holy. His Mercy doesn’t diminish His Wrath. His Mercy brings Hope to those He chooses. His Mercy led Him to design the plan of salvation. His Mercy moved Him to become the Emanuel, God with us in the person of Jesus Christ so those who believe in Him would be spared. But His Mercy doesn’t deny that He is still the Great Judge. That is why we need an advocate to plead our case. That is why, thanks to His Great Mercy, He, Himself, has given us the greatest defense attorney in the Heavenly Realms.

It’s not what we do or do not do. It is what He does. Sin is still sin. The enemy is enjoying his hour. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6: 12 … But in the time of God, the war is already won.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3: 16

This is my confession…as a sinner redeemed by Grace, I believe the Bible is the Word of God. I believe God is unchanging. Sin is sin. Truth is Truth. Love is God. Among the sinners I am chief and that’s why I need a Savior.

No One Is Righteous

What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. 10 As it is written:

“There is no one righteous, not even one;

there is no one who understands;

there is no one who seeks God.

All have turned away,

they have together become worthless;

there is no one who does good,

not even one.”

“Their throats are open graves;

their tongues practice deceit.”

“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”

“Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”

“Their feet are swift to shed blood;

ruin and misery mark their ways,

and the way of peace they do not know.”

“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. Romans 3: 9-23