A Portrait Of Sinners

I was talking to a non-Christian a few years ago.

They had never heard about the Gospel. After spending some time building relationship with him, I had an opportunity to share about Jesus Christ. I shared, “Brother, God loves you and has a plan for you. But the Bible says that we are sinners and we need saving. So God sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross. And when we believe in Jesus, we can have eternal life and be with Him in Heaven.”

Now, again, he has never been to church and never heard about the Gospel ever. So he followed up with a question.

The first question, “Sean, what does being a sinner mean? I think I’m a good person; I try to do good things and be nice. So I don’t think I am a sinner.”

I was like, “Oh snap, that’s a good question!” Secretly, I was like, I’m glad he didn’t ask me to explain the Trinity!”

So I responded, “A sinner is all of us who want to be God and disobey God’s word. So, instead of living the way God desires, we do what we want in our external actions and internal motivations. So yes, murder is a sin, but hating someone in your heart is also a sin. Adultery is a sin, but so is the lust in your heart.”

The brother looked like he was in deep thought and confusion. I empathized with him because I knew what he was feeling. I always grew up in the church and tried to be a good person. I studied hard, went to church every Sunday, tried not to swear, and obeyed my parents. So when I first heard the Gospel, I, too, was perplexed. I felt like, why do I need saving? I think the murderers and drug dealers need Jesus, not me.

Max Lucado famously said:

If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. But since our greatest need was forgiveness, God sent us a Savior.

- Max Lucado

This is what Psalm 53 is getting at. Verse 1 says, “There is no one who does good.”

And verse 3, “All have turned away; all alike have become corrupt. There is no one who does good, not even one.”

This is what Isaiah 64:6 means when it says, “All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (KJV), or “All our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment” (ESV).

It requires the power of God and the mercy of God for me or you or anyone to acknowledge and recognize that we are sinners in need of a savior.

I believe the greatest miracle is for someone to confess this. Growing up in the church, for sure, is a blessing and has many benefits. But one of the challenges is really seeing how corrupt and messed up you are.

I’ll be honest, it was very easy for me to compare myself with others who were “worse than me.” But my judgment of them made me realize how corrupt of a sinner I was. My pointing fingers at others was used by God to point out my sins and my need for Jesus. That is a miracle only God can do!

Friends, this is the gospel work we get to do every day. There are many ways to evangelize and be Good Neighbors. But one thing is for sure: they will not realize their need for THE Savior if they don’t know that they are sinners. This requires prayer, it requires love, it requires time, and it requires perseverance. However, is there any other work you would rather do? In Heaven, only two things will remain, God’s Word and God’s people.

This is what I live for every day, and I hope you do too.

Pastor Sean

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