Sinners, saved by grace

Saint Paul's letter to the Romans says: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Remember, we are all created in the image and likeness of God. However, because of sin, we fall short of perfection.

We are all sinners and have fallen short of the glory of God. Even our Church leaders today are sinners. Just like the Pharisees, religious leaders are also sinners, but their self-righteousness blinded them into thinking that they were holy and thus separated themselves from the rest of society.

Being a sinner is our choice. It is up to us whether we draw ourselves to Jesus or to be the modern Pharisees who reject the offer of Jesus for us to be saved. Moreover, we are also being called to imitate Jesus who would go all out to seek the lost and bring them back to the fold.

We sin because we are born with a sinful nature. Our human nature is self-centered and sinful. When Adam and Eve sinned, it was called the "Fall of Mankind." It was from there that we lost our perfection and innocence. All of us, descendants of Adam and Eve, were born with a sinful self-centered nature.

In the old Preface for the Holy Eucharist, there was a phrase there which says: "Man refused your friendship, but man himself has to restore it through Christ Jesus our Lord." So, we can see that God made a solution for us to be reconciled to Him, through Jesus Christ.

Jesus is God's only plan for our salvation. When we receive Jesus into our life as our Lord and Savior, He then sends His Holy Spirit to live within us. When we sin, we become spiritually dead, but then we have a spiritual birth through Jesus. We become a new person and with a new nature — His nature comes to live with us. By God's grace, He changes us from the inside out immediately and also progressively as we grow.

There is none righteous, not even one. Nobody is perfect and cannot meet the standard of God's holiness.

Sin separates us from a holy God and heaven. Let us understand that sin is simply not believing and trusting God, rebelling against God, not trusting God enough to obey Him.

Sin is more than a mistake; it is rebellion against God. That's why God sent Jesus — to be the Savior of the world — to take our punishment for our sins on the cross, so that we can be cleansed and pardoned when we have faith in Him and what He did for us. Jesus is the gift of God, but we must accept God's plan, humbly receive His generous gift of salvation.

Why do so many people stumble? It is simply because of pride and self-centeredness. With pride, people can never achieve perfection. It actually takes humility and gratitude to God for us to enter the kingdom of God.

"The wages of sin are death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23)

What shall we do to be saved? We have to receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, placing Him at the center of our life and trusting Him. Jesus then sends the Holy Spirit to live within us. It is the Holy Spirit that empowers us to want to do what is right and to do what pleases God. Even though we still have our old human nature, the Holy Spirit guides us, correct us, and empowers us. As we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, we are increasingly transformed and grow to become more and more Christ-like.

Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior today. He's the only one that can reconcile you with God because He's paid your sin debt in full.