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

— Romans 3:23

But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

— Romans 5:8

1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,

2 in which you used to walk when you conformed to the ways of this world and of the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of disobedience.

3 All of us also lived among them at one time, fulfilling the cravings of our flesh and indulging its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature children of wrath.

— Ephesians 2:1-3

We all like sheep have gone astray, each one has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.

— Isaiah 53:6

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, salvation and joy from Jesus Christ to you.

Have we consider how the damaging course of evil and rebellion impact the humankind? Sin is any thought, desire, or action that fails to conform to God’s holy will and righteous standards. Sinful by nature, all of humanity is inclined toward rebellion against God. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the garden of Eden, humanity fell with them. As a result, all people are born corrupted by sin and naturally rebellious. They enjoy feeling free and independent of God.

Satan understands and shares every human’s inborn desire for autonomy from their Creator and fuels that desire by distorting the truth. For this reason, the majority of the world’s people will yield to the beast’s appeal and control. Those who ignore and reject God become objects of Satan’s delusion and manipulation. Sin’s permeating influence explains the root of evil but does not solve it. Amazingly, God saved us while we were still sinners. Only people who seek salvation from sin through God’s sinless Son escape Satan’s deception and the eternal punishment their sin deserves. The truth about sin elevates the priority of Christ’s Great Commission of preaching gospel to the world for His followers.