Lesson 8

“All Have Sinned”

The book of Romans begins by describing the unrighteousness of man by declaring that all have sinned (Romans 3:23). Think back to lesson two—what is God’s consequence for sin? Why is God so severe?

In the United States, when a person is found guilty of law-breaking, they can return to good standing only after their debt to society is paid. God’s law works the same way. Only when we pay our debt can we be considered innocent and righteous once again. Unfortunately for us, our debt is eternal death. Even if we just commit one sin, we owe our souls. So how can we be saved from this sentence?

God Is Just

Read Romans 3:24–25. Jesus’ sacrificial blood demonstrated God’s justice (righteousness). What does this mean? Some people are hoping that God will be so merciful on the day of judgment that He will overlook their sins. The Scriptures say He cannot do that. Can you imagine a United States judge finding a murderer guilty, but allowing him to go free because the judge felt merciful that day? Even so, it would be unjust of God to overlook our sin.

God the Justifier

Read Romans 3:26. What does it mean that God is the justifier? Let’s think about our debt to God in monetary terms. Imagine we are found sinners and God says our debt is one billion dollars each. We could never pay that. But when Jesus died on the cross, God found His sacrifice to be worth trillions and trillions of dollars—valuable enough to pay the debts of all mankind. This is how God is both just and the justifier. He is just because He demands the debt to be paid. He is the justifier because He created a way in which everyone’s debt could be paid by the priceless sacrifice of Jesus.

Read Romans 5:12–21. According to verse 12, death spread to all men because all sinned. According to verse 15, which abounds more—the sin introduced by Adam, or Jesus’ sacrifice? So will there ever be a time when man’s sin becomes too much for Jesus’ sacrifice to cover?

The key thought in Romans 5 is “much more.” God wants us to see that, no matter how sinful we become, Jesus’ sacrifice will abound and cover it. God’s grace is limitless.

Saved by Grace Through Faith

Read Matthew 7:13–14, 21–23. Will God pay the debts of everyone on judgment day? Read Romans 3:21–22. Who will receive the benefits of that sacrifice?

Only people who have faith in God will be saved. But the Bible is careful to teach us that it is a certain kind of faith God is looking for. Read James 2:19—who believes but will not be saved? Read James 2:20—what is one characteristic of true saving faith? Read Romans 1:5 and 16:26—how is saving faith described? Read Acts 2:37–41 and Romans 6:1–3—when does God say a person’s sins are forgiven and they enter into Christ? How does baptism fit into the system of salvation by faith?

Can we do good deeds to make up for our sins? In the sixteenth century, many people rebelled against the Catholic church and began the Protestant Reformation in part because the Catholic church was teaching atonement by works. Read Romans 6:1–2. Since we are saved by faith and not works, can we sin all we want and still go to heaven? Why or why not?