We All Make Mistakes...We All Sin, Too

A few years ago, I noticed a trend among some church folk who were saying things like:

No one is perfect; we all make mistakes.
God knows we make mistakes and He loves us anyway.
Jesus died to pay for all of our mistakes past, present, and future.

All of those statements are true, to a certain extent. It's true that we all make mistakes. It's true that God loves us, in fact He loved us so much that he sent His son, Jesus, to die for us. (John 3:16) It is also equally true that we all sin, and sins are not the same as mistakes. Before going any further, let's take a moment to look at the definition of mistake and sin from Dictionary.com:

mistake

noun

1. an error in action, calculation, opinion, or judgment caused by poor reasoning, carelessness, insufficient knowledge, etc.
2. a misunderstanding or misconception.

sin

noun

1. transgression of divine law: the sin of Adam.
2. any act regarded as such a transgression, especially a willful or deliberate violation of some religious or moral principle.
3. any reprehensible or regrettable action, behavior, lapse, etc.; great fault or offense: It's a sin to waste time.

A mistake is when we do something unintended usually out of ignorance or carelessness, like when I have accidentally put soy milk instead of half and half in my coffee. I wasn't paying attention to which carton I was grabbing out of the fridge. I was careless. Putting soy milk in my coffee, while distasteful, is not a violation of God's law. Sleeping with my boyfriend (fornication) or lying to my mom are sins because they violate God's law. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Exodus 20, Revelation 22:13-16)

To even imply that our sins were merely mistakes is an affront to the cross of Christ. Jesus didn't die on the cross and shed his blood to pay for my mistake of putting soy milk in my coffee. But he did die on the cross to pay for every sin that I've committed, which includes: lying, taking God's name in vain, cursing, fornicating, drunkeness as well as many others.

Most of us don't like to dwell on the fact that we sin. Then there are some of us who beat ourselves up and focus exclusively on our sins, but that is another issue. (Incidentally, if this is you, please read Romans 8:1-4 and be encouraged.) The fact of the matter is that our sins separate us from God, and our sins offend God. Our sins, no matter how small in our eyes, are worthy of eternal damnation, so let's not sugarcoat that fact by saying our sins are merely mistakes. Our sins are the problem, but God has provided a solution:

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." -Romans 6:23

I want to emphasize that when you become a Christian, you are not instantly sinless. In the first of his 95 Theses, the German Protestant reformer, Martin Luther stated, "When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, "Repent" (Mt 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance." This lifelong process is part of the Christian life of dying to self and taking up our cross to follow Christ. We must turn from our way and our sins, and turn toward God and agree that His way is right. He is right and we are wrong. Praise God that we are not expected to do this on our own! God will graciously give you His Holy Spirit to convict you of sin, and to encourage you in your walk with Christ. God has also graciously given us His Word, the Bible, so that we are not left guessing.

We will never be perfect this side of heaven, but with the Holy Spirit's help, our lives will become less and less defined by sin, and more and more like Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). If you are thinking "I'm a sinner. There is no way I'm good enough for God. What must I do to be saved?", I'd like to invite you to read "How to Become a Christian" from the Southern Baptist Convention. May the word of Christ dwell in you richly.