Our Problem: All Have Sinned
The gospel makes sense when we understand the problem it solves. Scripture says that every person has sinned and stands guilty before a holy God.
- Define sin from Scripture.
- See the universality of human guilt.
- Understand why comparison with other people cannot justify us.
- See why even our own righteousness cannot erase sin.
Sin is the transgression of God's law
1 John 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
Sin is the transgression of God's law. He is the Creator, Lawgiver, and Judge. Lying, coveting, hatred, theft, sexual sin, dishonoring God, misusing His name, and every other violation of His commands are offenses against Him.
No one is righteous by nature or record
Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Romans 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
Romans 3:12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
God's glory and righteousness are the standard. By that standard, all have sinned. The moral person and the openly immoral person both need a Savior. The religious person and the irreligious person both need a Savior. A child raised in church and a person with no church background both enter the world as members of the same fallen human race.
One violation is enough to establish guilt
James 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
James teaches that the law stands as a whole and the lawbreaker is guilty before the Lawgiver. One offense establishes guilt before the law. Perfect righteousness cannot be built from a record that already contains sin.
No one can claim a sinless life
Ecclesiastes 7:20 For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
Even the person whom others would describe as decent or respectable has sinned. Any sin establishes guilt before God's law, and Scripture's verdict is universal.
Our own righteousness cannot cleanse our guilt
Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
People often point to good deeds: “I help people. I work hard. I love my family. I give. I try to do right.” Those things may be commendable in human society, yet they leave the record of sin untouched. A judge evaluates the offense itself rather than balancing it against unrelated days of obedience.
Isaiah's language is intentionally strong. Even our righteousnesses cannot become a cleansing agent that removes our iniquity. We need a righteousness and a salvation that come from outside ourselves.
Sin and death entered the world together
Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Sin brings death. Death entered because of sin, and death passed upon all men. Because sin is universal, the wages and judgment connected with sin are matters every person must face.
Why comparison is a dangerous refuge
Human comparison cannot establish righteousness before God. Another person's greater failures do not remove our own sin. God's holiness is the standard, and every person falls short of His glory.
The gospel removes boasting because everyone begins in need. No one enters salvation with a superior spiritual résumé. Every saved person is a sinner saved by grace through Jesus Christ.
Compare Scripture with Scripture
Scripture trail: 1 John 3:4 • Romans 3:10 • Romans 3:11 • Romans 3:12 • Romans 3:23 • James 2:10 • Ecclesiastes 7:20 • Isaiah 64:6 • Psalm 119:9-11
Do not rush past the references. Open them, read the surrounding verses, and make the Bible carry the weight of the conclusion.
Think it through
- Which words in these passages state what God has done, and which words state what the sinner must believe?
- Where does the text place works, religious rituals, or human merit in relation to receiving eternal life?
- Could you use these passages to explain the gospel clearly without adding another saving condition?
Teach it back
Without looking at the lesson explanation, summarize Our Problem: All Have Sinned in two or three sentences and support your explanation from Scripture. If you cannot explain it simply yet, return to the passages and work through them again.
Slow down and work the text
Reopen 1 John 3:4, Romans 3:10, Romans 3:11, Romans 3:12. Read enough before and after each verse to see the setting. Do not settle for remembering a slogan when you can inspect the wording for yourself.
- Write the main claim of Our Problem: All Have Sinned in one sentence.
- Underline or write down the exact words in the passages that support that claim.
- Compare at least two of the passages. What truth becomes clearer when they are read together?
- Ask what could be misunderstood if one phrase were isolated from its context.
- State clearly what a sinner must believe to be saved, and keep works or religious rituals out of the saving condition.
Every person has sinned against God. Human comparison cannot justify us, and our own good works cannot erase guilt. The gospel begins with the honest recognition that we need a Savior.
- How does 1 John 3:4 define sin?
- According to Romans 3:23, how many people have sinned?
- Why does comparing yourself with another person fail to answer the question of guilt before God?
- What does James 2:10 teach about the person who offends in one point?
- Why are good deeds unable to erase previously committed sin?
The Wages of Sin and the Need for Salvation
21 min