“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
“Well, I am not a sinner!” she loudly proclaimed. “I am a good person. I’ve always been a good person,” the lady protested to both of the ladies who were following up in a personal visit. “Listen. I like your church. I even enjoyed your service that I visited. But I am not going back there ever again. I don’t like being called a sinner. Why, I’ve given large amounts of money to feed the poor. I contributed to the building of libraries. I even secretly gave a donation to help people overseas,” the lady said as she folded her hands. Fortunately the ladies were not flustered. The conversation was sweet as Brenda said, “I am a sinner. I’ve lied. I’ve had bad thoughts. I’ve been unthankful at times.” She listed several more situations and then brought it back to the self-righteous lady by asking this question. “Do you think it is a sin to say that the Bible is wrong?” There was silence for a moment. Brenda then said, “You said you are not a sinner. Let me show you Romans 3:23. Your statement shows that you, too, are a sinner,” Brenda said quietly. Instantly the lady was stricken and convicted. The message of the gospel is offensive to those who are self-righteous. But to those of us who know Christ, the truth of Romans 3:23 propels us to proclaim the need we have for the Savior.
For today: How does this affect you today? Aren’t you glad that the Lord Jesus is our Savior?