How do we know that we have sinned?
Majority of the people in the world today don’t believe that they are sinners because they don’t know what is sin. Many of those who believe that there is what is called sin, don’t believe that they are sinners, because they think sin is doing some horrible things like murder or committing adultery. Some of them compare their lives with other peoples’ lives and think that they are not as bad as some people are, so they ignore it and try to live a life that pleases their conscience. They measure their lives using their conscience or other peoples’ lives.
So they try to please their conscience by doing as much good as possible, so that they won’t feel guilty.
When we use wrong standards to measure our lives we will get confusing results.
This can be compared with measuring the length of a table using the length of our arm. In that case, each person will come up with different measurements. To get an accurate measurement of the table we should use a standard ruler.
What is sin?
The Late Dr. Bill Bright, Founder and President of Campus Crusade for Christ appropriately put it this way: ‘Man was created to have fellowship with God but because of his stubborn self-will, he chose to go his own independent way, and the fellowship with God was broken. This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference, is an evidence of what the Bible calls sin.’ Jesus said in John 16:9, “The world’s sin is unbelief in Me.”
The Holy Bible says in Romans 3:10-20,
“As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, 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. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.”
God has given us a standard instrument to measure our lives.
For example: Suppose you are driving a car and you reached a three-road junction where there is no Stop, Look, and Go, signboard. If you turn right or left without stopping at the junction, you don’t feel guilty of offending the law.
Suppose you reached another similar junction. This time there is a Stop, Look, and Go signboard there. What will happen if you turn to the left or right without stopping? Naturally you will feel guilty and will be anxious to know whether there was any camera or Traffic Police watching you. Therefore, the Law makes us guilty when we disobey it.
God’s instrument to measure our lives
The Ten Commandments that God gave us through Moses under great display of awesome power and splendor is the most important measuring instrument. It is recorded in the Old Testament, Exodus 20:1-17.
Laws 1-4 relate to our vertical (Man to God) relationship.
- “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery “You shall have no other gods before me.
- “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.
- “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
- “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
Laws 5-10 relate to our horizontal (Man to Man) relationship.
Exodus 20:12-17
- “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
- “You shall not murder.
- “You shall not commit adultery.
- “You shall not steal.
- “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
- “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Exodus 20:18-20, “When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, ‘Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.’ Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.’”
When we examine our lives against these God given laws as a standard measuring Instrument we can see that we have come short of God’s expectations and we have broken the commandments of God. That makes us all sinners.
We can never become righteous before God through the observance of these laws, because no one can obey them 100% all the time. That is why the Bible says in Romans 3:23, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” And in Romans 6:23,“For the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
God’s provision for man’s sin
Romans 3:21-24, “But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
Jesus Christ is our righteousness. He died in our place. When we receive Jesus Christ, God will forgive our sins and accept us as His children and give us eternal life. Have you taken time to examine your life in the light of God’s 10 Commandments and see whether you have disobeyed any of them? You will surely find you have. That tells you that you have sinned against God and you need a Savior. Come to Jesus Christ without further delay. Take a step of faith and receive Jesus now.
If you are ready to receive Jesus Christ, here is how you can receive Him.
