This free church bulletin article was written by Brian Humek from Irving, TX. You are free to use this in church bulletins, church emails and on church websites. No credit needs to be given. Simply clicking one of the books on our suggested reading list will help more free content to be placed on this site. Donate your own bulletin article here.
Bible Passage: Romans 5:18-19 Ezekiel 18 Luke 23:50
I’ve been hanging around some folks who think we are terrible people. They say there is no good in us at all. Therefore we need Jesus to save us. I agree with part of their statement. I believe we cannot do enough good to get to heaven on our own and so we need the blood of Christ to cover our sins. If he had not died for our sins, we’d never get to heaven. But saying that we, God’s creation, are just terrible people, goes beyond everything I’ve ever thought about God.
I thought we were made God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27). I thought little children were good when they were born. Why else would Jesus say one has to be like a little child to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 18:3)? The King of Tyre was told by God that he was not guilty of sin until he had actually sinned (Ezekiel 28:15).The Apostle Paul told the pagan poets in Athens that we are all the “offspring of God” (Acts 17:29). I can’t believe that as his offspring, we are terrible people. Then I love the passage that speaks about the good/righteous man who has a bad kid and that bad kid has a righteous/good kid (Ezekiel 18). The point Ezekiel makes is that we won’t be punished for anyone’s sins but our own.
God promises that we won’t pay for what someone else has done. Look at it this way, if my Dad cheated on his taxes, I wouldn’t go to jail or pay a fine for what he did. God promises that won’t happen. That would be like Adam, the first man in the world, sinning. Because of his sin, we hit the evil jackpot and all of us when we are born, become terrible people. That’s sort of sounds as ridiculous as someone saying my Chicago Cubs are going to win Baseball’s World Series this year, or any year for that matter.
The Bible does say that because Adam sinned, we all have experienced death and sin entered the world (Romans 5:12). Looking further down the page at Romans 5:18-19, the Apostle Paul writes that through one man, all people everywhere were condemned. Let us say we were all sentenced to death because of Adam’s sin. It doesn’t say that we are all terrible people. Then Paul writes that because of one man, Jesus, and his act of righteousness, his dying on the cross, we are found “not guilty” so that we can have eternal life.
—> Support our free content ministry by purchasing the 5 Star rated Leave it to God on Amazon today.
After looking at these verses closely, it becomes so clear. Jesus’ death didn’t bring righteousness to everyone automatically. His death upon a cross brought an opportunity for us to be found “not guilty” and to be given an eternal life. Just like with Adam; his spiritual death (sin) didn’t make everyone a terrible person. Adam’s fall gave us the opportunity to sin and have our lives, the beautiful masterpieces God originally created, covered up with muck and dirt and soot. Therefore, we need a savior like our wonderful Jesus who waits for us to submit to him and become his children. We sin, we pay. Could it be as simple as Ezekiel 18 says it is? Oh, by the way, I was reading the Bible the other day and just happened to come across Luke 23:50 which says Joseph (the man who buried Jesus’ body) was a “good and upright” man. Now did that mean he was “good and upright?” Maybe.
Remember this phrase about how God created us and our eternal need for Jesus, the prhase: “Good, not good enough.”
Related posts:
To put your mind at ease, the absolute and only answer is NO! In the past, I’ve heard people wonder if the God of the New Testament is different than the God of the Old Testament. But he’s the same Go...
Saturday I read a book about leadership. It was a great read and made me realize we are all lead by something or someone. At the same time, we are all leading/influencing someone else, whether we know...
Sunday, a return guest to our congregation was having problems. Like her previous visits, she sat on the back row near the door. She came for a quick dose of encouragement and an even speedier escape....
I am proud to announce that I now sit at a clean desk. I find it amazing that my desk was clean just a few weeks ago. It WAS clean. It WAS spotless. But then I began my normal routine and the clutter ...
I hate to admit it, but I waited for years to have a girl fall in love with me. I always had bad experiences with girls. In 5th grade Andrea really acted as if she liked me. We were going on a field t...
I often ride an exercise bike. While I do so, I spend time talking to God, reading the Bible, or I drift back to the Wild West by reading a western from Louis L’Amour. Well, today I had a very simple ...
Reading through the first four books of the New Testament is difficult at times. My wife and I are embarking on this journey again this month. I encourage you to do the same. In doing so, one of the m...
Work is hard sometimes, one may even say it is unbearable. We have a savior that can identify with us in so many ways. He was hungry. He was thirsty. He was angry. He was tempted. He had a pretty dema...
