Are You a Sinner?
Are you a sinner? If you ask most people you will get a variety of answers. If you tell them that sin is not living up to God’s perfect standard as revealed in the Ten Commandments, most would agree that they do “bad” things from time to time (lying, stealing, lusting, etc ...). What unbelievers have a hard time swallowing is that they sin because they are sinners at heart.
David understands his sinfulness when he says “my sin is ever before me” (51:3). He understands that his sin is foremost a sin against God, and understands the magnitude of what he has done. He has broken God’s law and committed great evil (51:4). He does not shy away from this fact calling his actions transgression, iniquity, and sin (51:1-2). Brethren, we must see that when we disregard God’s commands it is sin, and it is sin against God. No true believer will ever deny the fact that he commits sin (1 John 1:10).
David not only understands that he has committed sinful acts, but he understands that at heart he was born a sinner (51:5). Every person born since the Fall of Man is born into sin. Every thought & intention of the heart is tainted by sin (Ecc 9:3). Apart from God, all people are at varying degrees of depravity, depending on their social restraints and their exposure to the truth. Jesus tells Nicodemus in John 3:3, “...unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Brethren, we have been born again by God’s grace through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on a cross for our sins. Praise God that He “shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8).