Many of us go through life without comprehending the seriousness of our sins nor do we comprehend that God hates sin. Our understanding of sin becomes too subjective to our feeling and not the absolute rule of standard that God has declared in His Word. His Word makes it clear that all of us have sinned against God. Paul in his letter to the church in Rome tells us that there are three categories of sinners.
There are the rebellious sinners (Romans 1:28-32). Although all sin is in rebellion of God, there are those who seem to “live” for it! Then there are the moral sinners (Romans 2:1-3). These are the ones who seem to thrive on getting their ego stroked. They are quick to point out the faults of others and look down on those who don’t meet their standards. Then of coarse there are the religious sinners (Romans 2:17-23). Religious sinner are the hardest to uncover, the hardest to see from the outside. Those who trust their good works to receive God’s love and favor. They strive to obey God, which is good and right, but their obedience is not because they have been justified by Jesus’ work and perfect life, but rather in an effort of self-justification.
Are you counting on your morality to be good enough in God’s sight to warrant His forgiveness? You may say, “I take care of my family, I work hard, I try to do the right thing” or “I go to church do ‘God’s work’ that will warrant God’s forgiveness.”
Romans 3:10 and Romans 3:19 brings a conclusion on the whole matter, “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. But the good news is that no matter what you have done or the sinful attitude you’ve displayed, God’s grace is bigger than your sin. Paul will go on to say, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. This means that if you are willing to repent from your sin, repent of trying to be your own lord and savior, and turn to God and believe in the person and work of Jesus Christ you will be saved. All this is a gift from God, to be received by grace through faith; it is not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9). So, in the words of Paul, We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.