The Bible Problem

The Problem

This week while reading the Bible in the book of Psalms, I came across this phrase in chapter 143, verse 2, the second part of the verse. (Psalm 143:2b)

For in Your sight no one living is righteous.

For in God’s sight no one living is righteous. No one living before then, then, or after is righteous. The verse always has and always will apply.

This chapter is marked as, “a Psalm of David.” This is the man who was referred to as a man after God’s own heart. David is saying that no one is righteous, or sinless.

This phrase, I think, is the key to the message of all the Bible, and is a major theme throughout the Bible. I think the Old Testament is mostly about proving that no man is righteous, or sinless. We are all sinners. The Bible starts with man’s rebellion against God in the Garden of Eden, after a brief description of creation.

We inherit sin. It’s a part of us. A newborn baby soon starts showing signs of selfishness. They cry when they don’t get their way. And throughout our lives, every sin is an act of selfishness. Every act of selfishness is an act of sin. Of all the sins listed in the Bible or anywhere else, aren’t they all just some sign of selfishness? Think about breaking public laws, breaking a law boils down to selfishness.

Let’s look at the fall of Satan in Isaiah Chapter 14.

12  “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations!  13  For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north;  14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’  15  Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit.

We are all just like Satan. We have the same problem. “I will.”

I WILL donate to this cause. Why? Deep down, it’s usually to look good or to feel better about something we’ve done. Even if we don’t admit it to ourselves, it was really a selfish reason.

Look at what Isaiah says about our best behavior in chapter 64.

6  But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;

All our good, righteous acts or like nasty, filthy rags before God.

This is the key to God’s message to mankind. We have sinned and separated ourselves from God. This is the problem. The problem that the Bible is explaining how to fix. How we get back into God’s favor. It’s not a droopy doom and gloom book. It is not all about what not to do. It’s about what God did for us. The greatest love story over. A father’s love for His children.

All this has been what caught my attention as I read that one little phrase, but we can’t leave it at that because the Bible doesn’t. So while that’s what I wanted to share with you today, I have to continue on.

The Consequences

The Bible also explains the consequences.

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death.

I think Isaiah 59:2 describes what this means pretty well.

But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.

We will spend eternity separated from God. Hell, and eternal punishment for rebelling against Him.

The Solution

The Bible does not stop there, it also tells of the solution. Jesus lived a perfect life and was punished for sin, for us. He took all our sin unto Himself and took the punishment. We can go before God as if we had lived that perfect life.

Romans 5:8

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 9:10-11

9  that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  10  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  11  For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”

The Result

The Bible also explains the result of our salvation through Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:1-2

1  Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,  2  through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Romans 8:1

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,

Our debt is paid. We are no longer seen as sinful filthy creatures. We can now spend eternity with God who sees us as if we had lived the perfect life that Jesus lived. We are now perfect in His eyes.

The Conclusion

All of this to show that the key message of much of the Bible is to show us we are not right with God. He sees us as dirty, filthy sinners who reject Him through our selfishness. And He begs us, each one personally, to accept His fatherly gift, to renew our relationship with Him.

Have you ever seen yourself as God does? Have you ever admitted this to Him? Have you ever accepted His gift to make you perfect in His eyes? Nothing we can do will be perfect enough to fix this, only He can repair the damage. We must each allow Him to do so.

If you have not, but understand the problem, see the consequences, understand the solution and desire the result, would you pray with David as He seeks forgiveness?

Psalms 51:1-4

1  Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions.  2  Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.  3  For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me.  4  Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight— That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.