Scripture: Psalm 51:5
5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Some thoughts:
With a verse like that, what chance do we have?! As a friend of mine said, “There is very little ‘original’ sin!” From the beginning we were sinners. Did you have to teach your children to say “MINE!” I rest my case. You may have a translation that reads “In sin did my mother conceive me.” The translation above is a far better, more accurate translation. Conception itself is not sin, it’s the beginning of life! But sin is present from conception! This passage means that everyone is part of the fallen human race. No argument there. David writes in another Psalm (143:2) “for no living thing is righteous before you.” No one has ever gotten it right with a single exception. We are not getting better as a human race. Being good is helpful, but it does not solve the sin problem.
Knowing what is right to do surprisingly does not equate with doing right (James 4:17). Our society and culture cling to the hope that with more education, more money, more studies, more time, more love, less hate, we’ll progress as a people and as a culture. Instead, our education has contributed to our problem, in fact, it is the problem, more money has made things worse, our studies are studying fallen human’s material rather than God’s material, the Bible, time is not a friend when one is heading down the wrong road, and our love and hate are self-selected missing the entire point. Do we need any more convincing that sin abounds in sinners?
My brother-in-law tells of an incident when he was flying from LA to San Francisco. He struck up a conversation with the man he was sitting beside. He asked the man how he would sum up the human situation in one sentence. The man’s response was “We are all part of the problem; we are all part of the solution.” Though the man never asked my brother-in-law for his sentence, he told him anyway! His answer? “We are the problem; there is one man who is the solution, and his name is Jesus.” It is only through Christ that we are given the solution to our sin problem.
Music: “There Is A Fountain” by Selah
www.youtube.com/watch?v=roArM2ldIZ0
Prayer:
God of mercy, you sent Jesus Christ to seek and save the lost. We confess that we have strayed from you and turned aside from your way. We are misled by pride, for we see ourselves pure when we are stained and great when we are small. We have failed in love, neglected justice, and ignored your truth. Have mercy, O God, and forgive our sin. Return us to paths of righteousness through Jesus Christ our Savior, Amen. —Worship Source Book, p.563