So why is that? It’s because people are wicked! God reveals himself to them in many ways. Everything around them talks about God. But they’ve closed their minds. 

There are two types of people in this world. One type worships what God has made. They think this makes them wise, but they become fools in the process. By excluding God, they sink into moral perversion. Their sins destroy their minds. They carry death with them everywhere they go. They become good at doing evil, and they enjoy seeing it in others. 

The other type of people in this world are those who create their own righteousness. They brag about their good works and think they’re experts in what’s good and bad. They judge others for the evil they commit, while doing the same type of sins behind the scenes. They think that judging others will help them avoid God’s judgment. 

All of us find ourselves in one of these two groups, and God’s anger is hot toward both of them. Both groups are sinners. They argue about who is better, but the truth is that the whole world is totally given over to sin. There’s not one person who is righteous, not even one. We all stand guilty before God’s judgment. 

That’s why God sent his son, Jesus Christ. He provides his goodness to those who put their faith in him. It doesn’t matter who you are. Everyone is a sinner in need of redemption. 

The Jews are the most confused about this. They claim that Abraham is their father. Yet if you look closer, he’s really the father of faith. He didn’t have a relationship with God based on his own goodness. No, he simply believed God, and God was pleased. 

The Jews hold David up as their great king. But he delighted in God’s goodness, not his own. Both men were righteous because they believed God. 

In the same way, we’re made good only by faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. Through him, we have peace with God and access to his grace. This is how we can be happy even in our trials. We know God is using them for our good. 

Now here is my point. Christ did this for us when we were wicked! This shows how much God loves us. Christ died for us when we were disgusting sinners. With that in mind, how much will he do for us now that we’re pure in his sight? 

Think of it this way. We all came from one man, Adam. We’re all sinners because of him. Death and judgment are on the head of everyone who has ever lived—because of him. 

Now there is another man—Jesus. Because of him, we can be made righteous. Because of him, we can have grace and eternal life. 

I can hear someone saying, “So, if our good works have nothing to do with our being pure before God, then we can sin as much as we want.” Absolutely not! 

Baptism is a picture of this truth. Going under the water shows how we die to sin and are buried —just like Jesus died for our sins and was buried. When he rose from the dead, he left sin behind. Our coming out of the water is a picture of his resurrection, but it is also a picture of us leaving sin behind. We’re to live a new way of life. 

We stay away from sin because it enslaves people. When you give in to it, you become a slave to it. In the same way, when you submit yourself to the grace of God, you become his slave. 

Either way, you’re not free to do what you want. So you have to choose. Which one will you submit to? Sin brings death, but God gives you eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Someone is bound to ask, “Wasn’t the Law of God given as a way to make us righteous?” You must be kidding! It’s impossible to obey the Law. It was given to reveal our sinfulness, so we’d know that we’re hopeless and in need of help. 

When I look to the Law for help, I suddenly have a problem. I want to be good but don’t know how. I don’t want to do evil but find that I’m doing it all the time. I’m a slave and have no choice. I cry out, “How can I get free?” 

Praise God! We’re free through Jesus Christ who died for us. We’re no longer condemned, and we have the power to resist sin. 

Continued in the next story