Lost without remedy.
When a sickness is diagnosed, we immediately ask the question: “Is it serious?” Even more so we have to ask that question concerning our “spiritual sickness – sin”. We easily admit that we are “sinners” because we don´t really know what it means. We think in terms of the general imperfection of human nature, or we hide behind the sentence: “Everybody does it!” But with these explanations we in fact avoid the real question: How bad is our state actually? The Bible gives us a clear answer.
The Bible says that we are wicked through and through.
This doesn´t mean that we couldn't do anything good. But the Bible states that sin has infiltrated every aspect of our human nature – even our thinking, our feeling, our desire, our conscience, our mind, and our imagination. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9) The main problem is not what we have done in a particular situation and what could perhaps even excuse us. The problem is what we are. We humans sin again and again, because we are tempted by our own nature. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. (Mark 7:21-22)
In God´s eyes every sin is severe.
It is remarkable that in this Bible verse thoughts, words and deeds from all areas of life are listed. Sometimes we limit our view of sin on crimes like murder or robbery. But the Bible doesn´t give us the right to such a limited understanding of sin. Everything that doesn´t measure up to God´s standard is sin. Everything imperfect – what we say, do or think, is sin. Be honest: Who can say, “I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin”? (Proverbs 20:9) Can you?
Sin is rebellion against God´s authority and his laws.
Everyone who sins, also practices lawlessness; to sin means: to disobey God's commandements. (1. John 3:4) No law forces us to lie, to deceive, to have impure thoughts, or to sin in any other way. You decide to do these things for yourself. When we step over God´s good orders, and thus disobey God deliberatly, this is severe, because God cannot let us get away with it. God is a righteous judge. (Psalm 7:11) God will never condone sin. We can be sure that not a single sin won´t get punished. To some extent God´s punishment for our sins reaches us in this life. But the final punishment will take place after death on Judgement Day. So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. (Romans 14:12)
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