And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)…

                                                                                    Ephesians 2:1-2, 4-5 

If I asked you what you thought was the greatest obstacle to the gospel, what would you say? Perhaps you would say atheism. “Yeah, not believing in God at all, that’s got to be it.” Well, I would have to disagree. “Maybe other religions, yeah, that would be an obstacle to the gospel.” While other religions have the potential to lead people away from Christ, I would still disagree. Atheists and people in other religions can respond to the gospel, so I don’t view those beliefs as being the greatest obstacle to the gospel itself. I believe that the greatest obstacle to the gospel in today’s culture is what I will call the philosophy of “I’m a good person.” The reason I believe this to be the greatest obstacle to someone responding to the gospel is that people who live under this belief system do not see a need to be saved. You don’t throw a life saving device to someone who isn’t drowning. Likewise, this group of people has already justified themselves in their own minds primarily because they believe themselves to be “good people.” In today’s passage, Paul responds to this type of world philosophy by reminding us that, apart from Christ, we are all spiritually dead and entirely unacceptable to a Holy God.

In order to establish this reality, let’s lay a foundation for understanding the universal problem of sin. Just like we need four sides to pour a physical, concrete foundation, this foundation will have four sides, each represented with a biblical truth. Consider the following passages:

…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 

                                                Romans 3:23 

When the Bible uses the word “all”, it typically means all. We want to avoid using this word in different ways for the purpose of fitting it into someone else’s theological structure. Notice that all of us have fallen short of God’s glory. With the exception of Jesus, everyone who has ever walked this earth has fallen short due to sin. 

All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way…

                                                                                                         Isaiah 53:6a

Even when we read the old covenant we see that all of us have gone astray (from God’s purpose) and all of us have turned to living life our own way. 

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. 

                                                                                                                        James 2:10

Again notice the word “all.” When we consider the Law of God, if we have kept all of this Law yet we have stumbled in one part of it, we become guilty of all of it. If our only sin is that we have told one tiny, little lie, we are just as guilty as adulterers, murderers, and thieves. This is where the religious person will object. They will claim that they should not be lumped in with the vilest of sinners, but scripture couldn’t be any clearer. If we break even one Law, we are guilty of all of it.

So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. 

                                                                                                                 Romans 5:18

As we complete our four-sided foundation for the problem with universal sin, we begin to see where the real problem lies, in our nature. The one transgression mentioned is the sin of Adam and it brought condemnation to all of mankind. The word “men” used in the passage above is not gender specific. It is the origin for the word anthropology and is interpreted mankind but literally means “humans.” When we see this word, we understand that scripture is talking about everyone.

So when people believe themselves to be a “good person”, they are more likely comparing themselves with others who they have deemed “greater sinners” than they. But the worst part of this is that they are rejecting the very truth of God’s word, which identifies them as sinners along with the rest of the world. In reality, they are just as in need of salvation as the next person. But this self-justifying philosophy can deceive them into thinking that they are just fine.

But for those who realize that they haven’t risen above others and indeed are in great need of a Savior, there is good news! And we can find this saving news in the very same passages in which we discovered the bad. Reconsider our passage from Isaiah: 

All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him (Jesus).

                                                                                                       Isaiah 53:6b 

When Jesus died on the cross, the iniquity of us all was placed on Him. We see similar language from Paul:

So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. 

                                                                                                                 Romans 5:18

Notice that the language used for the problem and the solution is exactly the same. Adam’s transgression brought condemnation to all humans so the one act of righteousness (Christ’s) brought justification of life for all humans. Just like the condemnation doesn’t mean that everyone is going to hell, the justification doesn’t mean everyone is going to heaven. This salvation must be received. It is for all who will believe! We are warned that hearing the gospel is useless to us unless it is united with faith (Hebrews 4:1-2). We should not ignore this great salvation (Hebrews 2:3). And Jesus makes it clear that everyone who is condemned is condemned because they have not believed (John 3:18).

God’s grace is superior to the failures of mankind. Consider the following:

The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more…

                                                                                           Romans 5:20 

This grace literally “super abounds” all the more. Just like Superman (although fictional) can leap over buildings in a single bound, the grace of God has already leaped over the vilest of mankind’s sin. And while this salvation must be received, it is God’s desire for you to receive it. Consider the following:

…who (God) desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

                                                                                                            1 Timothy 2:4 

Notice again the word “all.” The word “men” is the same as we see in the Romans 5 passage. It is translated mankind (not gender specific) and it literally means humans. So you can read this passage as, “God desires all humans to be saved!” That is good news! God’s grace is greater than whatever guilt you have in your life.

I encourage you to take a sheet of paper and draw a square. On each side of the square, write down one of the four passages we used in defining the universal need for salvation. In the middle of the square, write the word grace in large letters. Let this illustration remind you that we are all “boxed in” by our sinful nature in that we have all fallen short, we have all gone astray, and we are all guilty of breaking God’s Law. But let the word grace remind you that God’s grace is greater than your sin and salvation is but one request away. Apart from Christ, we are all spiritually dead. Why not ask Him to save you today?

He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

                                                                                                                        John 3:18 

…for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

                                                                                                Romans 10:13