Ecclesiastes 7:20
The scripture for today is Ecclesiastes 7:20
Ecclesiastes 7:20 For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin.
Man’s dilemma is plainly stated in our text today. We are born into sin; sin flows from the natural nature of mankind, a nature inherited from our first parents. In the natural state of mankind, sin is inescapable; try as we might, we cannot help but sin. Yes, mankind may do some good deeds, but the natural bent toward sin is still lurking inside and will soon find expression in the behavior. “Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?” Proverbs 20:9 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” Isaiah 64:6 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
The world is populated by sinners who are in need of a Savior. All of us fall into that category. But, along with the dilemma that we find ourselves in, God has made a provision for us through Christ Jesus. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:6
The story of mankind has a happy ending. Sin, which is our enemy, has been overcome by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is the only person who ever lived without sin. And because of His sinless life and perfect sacrifice, we, who were gross sinners, can come to Him, be cleansed, and become before God as if we had never sinned in the first place. That is what happens in the atonement of the blood of Christ. Sin is forgiven and washed away; for the children of God, it is no longer a controlling part of their existence. They are clean, and God no longer refers to them as sinners; He calls them saints; they are the redeemed, the cleansed, the pure in heart.
If we stumble after we have been redeemed, we can still be cleansed from that transgression and “go and sin no more.” “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
The wonder of what Jesus did is that He did not do it for Himself, but for us. His sacrifice had to be perfect and sinless. f He had committed just one sin, we would all be lost. But He did not sin, and the perfect sacrifice was made and the atonement for our sin has been received in heaven. We are free from the bondage of sin and free to walk as He walked, in loving obedience to the Father, living lives that abhor sin and reflect His glory.
God bless you as you continue in His service.
Tim