For all have sinned

Romans 3:23-26 (NLT)
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

The apostle expresses that everyone in the world falls short of God’s standard for righteousness. Yet God by His grace and mercy had a plan to make right the sin of the world. God looking ahead planned to give His Son Jesus Christ as a sacrifice for sin. Those who believe in God’s plan are made right in His sight when they believe in Jesus Christ.

There is a concept some often do not understand: There is no one in this world that can live up to God’s glorious standard. The Ten Commandments was the simplest form of the laws given. These laws include not having any type of idol, keeping a love for God and His law, not taking God’s name in a vain in any way for self-purpose, keeping a holy day of worship, honoring your mother and father, not murdering, not stealing, being truthful, and not desiring what does not belong to you. If you are like me there is at least one or more of those laws that have been broken. By those laws alone I fall short of God’s standard for righteousness. I miss the 100% mark and if I were only judged by the law I would be found guilty and condemned. Fortunately Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world that we might be found justified and righteous in God’s sight. All of us will continue to sin in this world and some sins will have greater consequences in this world than others. But those who have faith in Jesus Christ know they are justified and made righteous by Christ. We no longer fear missing God’s mark; for Christ has redeemed us in God’s eyes. Our love for God and Christ gives us a desire to follow His ways, but yet there will be times we will still fail. However, God in His loving mercy and grace always forgives even if those in the world cannot forgive us for our sin.