Guilty!

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. –Romans 3:23

The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. –Romans 6:23

On a sunny September day, a stern-faced, plainly dressed man stood on a street corner in downtown Chicago. Pedestrians hurried by on their way to lunch, shopping, or business. This solemn-faced man would lift his right arm, point to the person nearest him, and intone loudly the single word “GUILTY!”

Then, without any change of expression, he would resume his stiff stance for a few minutes before repeating the same gesture again, raising his arm and pointing to another person, then pronouncing loudly that one word, “GUILTY!”

The effect that this strange man had on the people was almost eerie. People would stare at him, hesitate, look aside and then hurry away as if they had been caught. One man turned to another man and exclaimed, “But how did he know?” Guilty! We are all guilty. We have made some major mistakes in our life and many minor ones; we are all guilty.

When it comes to our relationship with God, we have all sinned and fallen short of His glory. To sin means to “miss the mark,” and we have all missed the mark of God’s perfection.

The good news is that sin and guilt are erased in Jesus Christ. There is a Scriptural principle which helps us understand the beauty of God’s forgiveness of our sin and guilt. It’s found in 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

You don’t have to live in the guilt of your past sins. You are forgiven. You are cleansed. Your sins are no longer remembered. Hallelujah!

GOING DEEPER:
1. According to Romans 3:23, who has sinned? Okay…now according to Romans 6:23, what are the wages of sin? Go to the next question!

2. We have established that we all have sinned and that we all face death because of that sin; but what hope does the second part of Romans 6:23 offer us? How can we be freed from the guilt of sin in our daily lives according to 1 John 1:9?

FURTHER READING:
Genesis 2:17; Romans 5:12; Galatians 6:7-8

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Jim Burns

Jim Burns is the president of HomeWord. He speaks to thousands of people around the world each year. He has close to 2 million resources in print in 20 languages. He primarily writes and speaks on the values of HomeWord, which are: Strong Marriages, Confident Parents, Empowered Kids, and Healthy Leaders. Some of his most popular books are: Confident Parenting, The Purity Code, Creating an Intimate Marriage, Closer, and Doing Life with Your Adult Children. Jim and his wife, Cathy, live in Southern California and have three grown daughters, Christy, Rebecca, and Heidi; three sons-in-law, Steve and Matt, and Andy; and three grandchildren, James, Charlotte and Huxley.

  • About HomeWord

    HomeWord helps families succeed by creating Biblical resources that build strong marriages, confident parents, empowered kids and healthy leaders. Founded by Jim Burns, HomeWord seeks to advance the work of God in the world by educating, equipping, and encouraging parents and churches. Learn More »

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