Man’s State Before God

Regardless of what the world may say, man is not ultimately good.  Man may be capable of acts of human kindness, BUT, he is not capable of pleasing God.  Hebrews 11:6 says that “without faith it is impossible to please Him.”  Paul, in Romans 3:9-18, lays out the state of man…that of being totally lost and hopeless before God by nature. Romans 3:23 says, “For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  For starters, simply read the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 and take an honest look to see if you fit the bill on all of these all the time in every way.  I GUARANTEE you we do not even come close.  Leviticus 19:2 Says, “Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.”  In Matthew 5:48, Jesus echos that very scripture, “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  Holy, perfect…according to whom?  Man or the Creator of us all?  It is according to the standards of our Creator that we are to live and be holy, perfect.

Not Convinced Yet?

Let’s take a quick look at just a few of the 10 Commandments and see how we measure up.

The 1st Commandment: “You shall have no other gods before Me.” Exodus 20:3.  This commandment is echoed by Jesus Himself in Matthew 4:10 & Luke 4:8.  He also tells us, in Matthew 6:24 that you “cannot serve God and wealth.”  All these, plus many more in scripture, show us that nothing is to be more important than God in our lives.  What does your life revolve around?  Is it someone you love?  Is it YOU?  Is it drinking, drugs, sex, etc.?  Is it even something seemingly innocent…playing on video games day in and day out…to the point you would rather do that than go to worship, pray, read the Bible, or in some way serve and honor God?  Is spending time with other people or things more important to you than spending time with God?  There have been times in my own life, and even now, where I have let things take more priority than God in my life and I must confess and repent of those things.

The 3rd Commandment: “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.” Exodus 20:7  Now, have you ever in your life said God’s name as a curse word?  That includes the use of Jesus’ name in any innappropriate way…that’s called blasphemy.  Did you realize that taking the Lord’s name in vain does not simply mean only using it as a curse word?  It also means claiming to be His and living in a way that dishonors Him…claiming His name and then trashing it. Matthew 15:8-9  I think it would be easy to see how that we all, at some point if not currently in our lives, have been guilty of this.

The 5th Commandment: “Honor your father and your mother…” Exodus 20:12  Jesus speaks about this in several places, but, very plainly in Matthew 15:1-6 where He calls out the Pharisees and scribes for how they break this commandment.  Have you ever talked back to, been disrepectful to, been rude, mean, disobedient, or otherwise to your parents….ever?  I think it safe to say we ALL have at some point.  We have broken this one as well…

The 6th Commandment: “You shall not murder.”  Exodus 20:13  Now many to most would probably look at this and think, “No way no how am I guilty of THIS!  I’ve never killed anybody.”  But, the Bible calls, in 1 John 3:15, anyone who hates his brother a murderer.  Have you ever hated someone or, as Jesus put it, “angry with his brother without cause?” Matthew 5:21-22  says that you are guilty.  Who has not, at some point, been “angry with his brother without cause?”  The Bible calls us murderers at heart.

The 7th Commandment: “You shall not commit adultery.” Exodus 20:14  Did you realize that adultery begins in the heart?  It does not have to be committed to be called adultery.  Jesus said that if a man looks at a woman with lustful desire that he has committed adultery in his heart already! Mathew 5:27-28  Men and women alike, have YOU ever looked at anyone with lust?  If you’re human with ANY kind of sexual desires, you have at some point.

The 8th Commandment: “You shall not steal.” Exodus 20:15  Have you ever stolen something?  Not just a physical item that did not belong to you, but, maybe someone else’s idea? If you have, what does that make you?  A thief.  How many times does it take for someone to be called a thief?  Once.  The Bible has something to say about that too…that “nor thieves….will inherit the kingdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 6:10

The 9th Commandment: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Exodus 20:16  Have you ever told a lie before?  How many lies does it take to be called a liar?  One.  The Bible lists liars among those such as “sexually immoral,” “ungodly and sinners,” “unholy,” and even “murderers.” 1 Corinthians 6:8-11

As you can see, if you’ve taken an HONEST look at just these, and these aren’t all of them, you’ll see that NONE of us measure up to God’s standard.  Many of us can look at these and be called lieing, thieving, adulterous, blasphemous murderers.

Our Destiny 

What is the destiny of those apart from Jesus Christ?  Jesus says, in John 3:18, “whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

Romans 2:8 says, “But for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.”

Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death…”

There are many other references to the eternal destiny of the unbeliever, but, these make it clear that it is ETERNAL separation from our righteous and holy God in a place of ETERNAL torment.  Scary thought indeed…horrifying!!  What hope do we have apart from him?  None…none at all…  We only bide our time before the judgment.
HOWEVER, how you answer the question Jesus asks of you, “but who do YOU say that I am,” can change not only your temporary life, but, your ETERNAL destiny.  As you can see, we all, apart from Jesus Christ, are headed to eternal separation from Him.

Hebrews 9:27, “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.”

So, who do YOU say that Jesus is?

Jesus is God – John 10:30

Jesus is Holy – Isaiah 6:3, Colossians 2:9, Hebrews 4:15

Jesus is the Savior – 1 Peter 3:18, Acts 4:11-12

Jesus is the ONLY acceptable object of saving faith – John 14:6

Jesus is LORD – John 1:3, Colossians 1:16, Psalm 103:19

Jesus is the Judge – Acts 17:30-31, 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9

For more explanation, click here – Who Do You Think That I Am?

How Will You Respond To This?

If you have answered this question, “Who do you say that I am,” by affirming what the Bible says about Him and surrendering your heart and life to Him according to the Scriptures…pour out your heart to Him telling Him so.  A simple pattern to pray from, from your own heart and in your own words, “Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner lost in my own sin and am in need of the Savior Jesus Christ.  I acknowledge His death on the cross as the payment for my sin and that He rose again the third day and that He ascended to heaven.  I receive you now as my Savior and will follow You as my Lord from this day on.  Lead, guide, direct, and strengthen me by the power of Your Holy Spirit that I may know You, love You, and serve You always.  It’s in the name of my dear Savior Jesus Christ that I pray, amen.”

What We Have In Him

The first part of John 3:18 says this, “Whoever believes in Him is not condemned.”  Romans 6:23, mentioned earlier, also says, “BUT, the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 10:9-11 says, “because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.’”  Once we have believed, repented of our sin, and surrendered to His Lordship, we become HIS.  “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name” John 1:12.  Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundandtly,” John 10:10

The Bible also teaches us that trials and persecutions WILL come!  Jesus said in John 15:19, “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”  As you’ve undoubtedly seen, the world is becoming increasingly hostile and agitated at Christianity because it points out the sin people live in outside of Jesus Christ.  Living for Him, this will come your way in various forms…rejection by old friends, family, co-workers; sometimes violent or malicious actions/words…

However, as James 1:2-4 puts it, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”  Jesus Himself said in Matthew 5:11,12 “Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me.  Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

The Scripture shows us that though we were headed for judgment, His grace came that we may have LIFE!!  When we become His, we become His fully, not in part…but completely.  Our lives are His and we are to live for Him.  2 Corinthians 5:15 says, “and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.” REJOICE our new brother or sister in Jesus Christ, for you are a child of the King and eternally His!  Join in fellowship with your fellow believers for strength, support, growth, and most of all worship and adoration of and in Him!

We would love to help you with the next steps in your life for Christ.  The Biblical pattern we have laid before us next is Baptism and becoming a part of the body of believers, which is the Church.  We encourage you, and would love to help, to find a local body of Bible-believing brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ that you may grow and be encouraged in Him as well as learn from the Word what the Lord has for you in Him and what we are to be about doing for Him.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at Bryan@ItsTheMartins.com