State of Man - Fallen

Romans 3:9-12 (ESV) ⁹ What then? Are we Jews^[a] any better off?^[b] No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, ¹⁰ as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; ¹¹no one understands; no one seeks for God.¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”

“At least I am not as bad as he is!”

This is a statement that I have heard countless times over the years. I can even say, admittedly, this statement has left my own lips before…in one way or another.

A quick glance at the evening news can demonstrate the horrendous depths of depravity in the human soul. It can very quickly lead us to have this sentiment. That our sin is “watered down” compared to the unspeakable things that happened in that story. Most recently, and still quite fresh in my mind is the actions of the FedEx driver who abducted and performed atrocities on 7-year-old Athena Stand.

As a father, it fills me with fury and deep grief all at once…then we fall into the trap…that “animal “that “monster “not realizing in the moment that our own sin is just as egregious before a holy God.

Please do not take this out of context. There certainly are “degrees” of sin. Stealing that sweet pen at the hotel lobby front desk in comparison to murdering someone is pretty lopsided as far as how they stack up here on earth. Yet, we need to approach the state of mankind with a truckload sized measure of humility.

Why? Because in God’s eyes, sin is sin. It is an afront to Him and an act of rebellion against His throne and His crown. We can “water it down” all we want. We can heap good works after good works after good works on top of the pile to attempt to smother our sin so it doesn’t look quite so bad. It is futile…

At the start and end of every day, each and every person who has ever drawn breath has done so as fallen. We are not righteous. We are not good. In the scripture above, Paul is demonstrating this very point to a group of people who see themselves as what I like to call “the better thans.”

They’re Jewish! They’re God’s chosen people! Their actions are far less wicked and horrible because they are His People! A covenant people! A promised people! A blessed people! Do you see how this can cause one’s ego to swell so large that it blinds them to the truth? Hard reality check…we are absolutely no better off.

We, like those who Paul is speaking to in the book of Romans…and all of his letters and writings…exist under the same banner. Each of us is fallen, broken, and unrighteous. Each of our hearts is in a state of imperfection that is desperately in need of a heart surgeon.

Even more severe is that as we see in the scripture, man doesn’t seek out the surgeon…Praise God that the surgeon does house calls! He seeks us out so as to bring His redemptive promises upon our very souls…

Soli Deo Gloria!!!!