Convinced of God's Love

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.

Man's Word vs. God's Word

I have seen this meme on Facebook. When I first read it I thought, "Strange words from a man who claims to lead the church." But in reality, Pope Francis does not lead the Church; he leads the Catholic Church, but that is not the Church. These words are devoid of Biblical truth, and more importantly, they are devoid of the Gospel.

Edit: According to Snopes, this meme is inaccurate. Nevertheless, I will examine each line because many people hold similar beliefs to those expressed in this meme. My goal is to encourage believers to test everything they hear and read using the word of God as the standard.

"See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ." - Colossians 2:8

Let's briefly take each line one by one and compare them with God's word. (Note: When I quote a verse from Scripture I have linked it to the entire chapter from which the quote is taken. Ex: Colossians 2:8 is from the second chapter of Colossians, verse 8. I have linked to the entire chapter 2.)



It is not necessary to believe in God to be a good person.

In some ways this is true...if you are comparing yourself to other people. The Bible says that no one is good except God. Therefore, God is the standard for goodness, not other people. His standard is 100% perfection for 100% of the time. There is no one on earth who meets that standard (Romans 3:23). Furthermore, the goal is not to be a good person; the goal is to be saved by faith in Jesus so that the Holy Spirit can begin the sanctifying work to make you more and more like Christ - which will not happen if you do not believe in God. Why in the world would a Christian want to give unbelievers the notion that it's OK to simply be a "good" person?

"You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!" - James 2:19

"And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone." - Mark 10:18

"And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." - Hebrews 11:16

"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit."- 2 Corinthians 3:18

In a way, the traditional notion of God is outdated.

I don't really know what this means. What is the traditional notion of God and why is it outdated? Certainly, God's opinion of Himself doesn't change. The apostle John said that God is love. Is that a traditional notion of God that is outdated? It is true that the Bible says that God is a consuming fire (Deut. 4:24) - He cannot and will not tolerate sin because He is love. Yet He is merciful and patient and provides us with every opportunity to repent of our sins and to believe the Good News!

“For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed." - Malachi 3:6

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." - Hebrews 13:8

"God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?" - Numbers 23:19

"Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." -1 John 4:8

"The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." - 2 Peter 3:9

One can be spiritual but not religious.

I used to spout this all the time before I came to Christ. Honestly, I don't even really know what it means, but at the time it sounded good. It is true that we have a spiritual nature. Those who are in Christ will have the Holy Spirit to guide them; unbelievers do not have the Holy Spirit. When you become a Christian (that is when you repent of your sins and trust in Jesus' sacrifice on the cross), you are born again (John 3:3, 1 Peter 1:23), you are a new creation who becomes a citizen of heaven (2 Corinthians 5:17). You will no longer trust in yourself and your power, but you will live your life by faith in Jesus, the Son of God:

"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you." - John 14:16-17

"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." - James 1:27

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." - Galatians 2:20

Further reading: http://www.gotquestions.org/religion-spirituality.html


It is not necessary to go to church and give money - for many, nature can be a church.

This demonstrates a lack of understanding about what the church is. The church is not a building nor is it nature. The church is the Body of Christ - those believers who have put their faith in the finished work of Christ's perfect sacrifice on the cross. Believers gladly meet together to encourage each other and most importantly, to worship and glorify God together:

"For as in one body we have many members,and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another." - Romans 12:4-5

"Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit." -  Ephesians 2:20-22

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." - Hebrews 10:24-25

Some of the best people in history did not believe in God, while some of the worst deeds were done in His name.

Who are these "best people in history"? Name some names. The problem with this statement is the same as the first statement in that it is using other people as the standard for goodness. Additionally, no matter what these "best people" accomplished, they were still dead in their sins if they were not in Christ:

"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.' " - John 14:6

I agree with the latter part of the statement that horrible things were done in the name of God, but the people who did these things were not of God. The Bible also speaks of these pretenders and deceivers:

"They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God." - John 16:2

"I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive." - Romans 16:17-18

Why do atheists and non-Christians like Pope Francis? Because the pope is speaking their language, which is the language of the world and not of God:

"They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them." - 1 John 4:5

"Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil." - John 7:6-7

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, please test all things using the word of God as the standard not the words of men. May the word of Christ dwell in you richly.