◄ A Veiled Understanding ►

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
Romans 3:23

Imperfect Sinners

Every one of us has sinned which makes each one of us less than perfect. Whether big or small sins, many or few – the verdict remains the same – we are all sinners and so it is impossible to reach the mark of perfection God requires.

Righteous God

God requires each of us to be holy and righteous, just as He is holy and righteous, but we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We all fall short of His perfection and it is impossible to meet God’s perfect demands. Without His saving grace, we would remain dead in trespasses and sin – but thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory over sin and death – in Christ.

Redeemed by Faith

We started out dead in trespasses and sins, but Christ redeemed us by faith, in Him. We were enemies of God but have been transferred into His kingdom by faith in Him. By faith we have moved from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light:- from the kingdom of death to the kingdom of life;  from the kingdom of sorrow to the kingdom of joy – from the kingdom of fear to the kingdom of love.

Condemned by God

If God were to deal with us as sinners He would convict us of sin. God convicts all men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. John 16:8  1) of sin.. for we are all sinners and all fall short of the glory of God. 2) of righteousness.. for there is only One Who is righteous and we fall short. 3) of judgement.. for we all deserve judgement - for the wages of sin is death. The commandments of God, the witness of nature, and our consciences all condemn us.

Convicted of Sin

Were God dealing with us as sinners, the Spirit would use the law as a schoolmaster, for the Law is a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, and we all fall short of God’s law. The law exposes our sins and contrasts it with the sinlessness of the Lord Jesus:- personal sins, faults and transgressions, filth and foulness would be our fallen focus. He would convict us of sin, of righteousness and judgment.

Declared Righteous – in Christ

But God is not dealing with us as unsaved sinners. God is treating us as saved believers. We are now covered in the righteousness of Christ. The judgement we deserve was poured out over Christ, Who bore our sins, and we have been declared righteous by God, and because He is righteous, we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

No Condemnation – in Christ

We are sinners saved by grace and there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. There is now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom 8:1. Past present and future sins are forgiven, forgotten, and flung into the fathomless sea.. and 1 John 1:9 reminds believers to confess any sins we commit in our lives: for if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.

Forgiveness and Fellowship

Although all our past, present, and future sins were forever forgiven at the cross God can never look on any sin – even a believer’s post-salvation sins. Sins we commit after salvation are forever forgiven but break our fellowship with Him. When we confess those sins, we return immediately into communion with the Father.

Grace of God

Transgressions big and small must be confessed daily to maintain sweet fellowship:-  that thoughtless word;  that selfish thought;  that mean streak;  that proud attitude;  that faithless action. Were we still unsaved, God would use the law as a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. He would use the law to convict us of sin, of righteousness, and of judgement. But we are sinners saved by grace and there is no condemnation – there is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus the Lord.