The Totality of Sin - Part 2

After my last post there was one question that dominated the follow-up discussion, and I would like to touch on it this morning. I was asked, “If everything that we do before coming to Christ is sin, then does that mean that there are no righteous actions performed by those without Christ?” People rightly pointed to those times that God may be directing a non-believer to do some action and they proposed that this made it a righteous action.

My short response to this line of reasoning is that they are correct. It is correct to assume that an action directed by God can be righteous even if preformed by a non-believer. But where we get off-track is when we assume that these righteous acts are devoid of sin.

Let me illustrate my position with a story from the Old Testament. When Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers it was a sin on their part. But later we will see that God was directing their actions so that Joseph would be strategically placed in Egypt for the preservation of the Israelite people. Joseph will acknowledge the divine hand of God behind their actions when he proclaims, Genesis 50:20 (NIV) ²⁰ You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

Was the work of the brothers righteous? Well if we believe that the direction of God makes an action righteous then we would have to say “yes.” But was it also sin? Absolutely! You see the action itself does not determine whether something is sin as much as the attitude of the heart. We can do things for the wrong reasons and have them be sin.

I come back to Paul’s incredible criteria for sin Romans 3:23 (NIV) ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Anything short of God’s glory is sin. This brings me back to my original point. I contend that only God works for His glory therefore only those who have Christ in their lives can work for God’s glory. I may be obedient to God yet not do it for His glory. I may do right things, but not for His glory. I may accomplish morally right outcomes, yet they were not attempted for His glory. As long as something was not done for the glory of God then it is sin, and it is impossible for those without Christ to be motivated by God’s glory so all actions before Christ are tainted by sin.

I do not say this to minimize the good that those without Christ can do in the world. But to assume that in some way they have escaped the reaches of sin with their goodness would be faulty.

So, why would we even want to contemplate the depth of sin? Because it thrusts us back into the discussion of the depth of God’s grace and power to transform us! When we see how completely sinful we were we are that much more thankful for the cleansing He brings! This truth above all others should drive us to worship, so let us be a people of worship today!