The Universality of Sin (Continued)

Sin is any lack of conformity to God’s law in thoughts, words, and attitudes, as well as in actions and omissions. While civil and criminal law are primarily concerned with actions and omissions, God’s law also encompasses the more important matters of the heart and motivation. No matter how acceptable our behavior may be by human standards, it falls far short of the divine standard of moral perfection. By this standard, even the best of us fall short:

There is no one righteous, not even one;
there is no one who understands,
no one who seeks God.
All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.3

If you need supporting evidence for the universality of sin, consider the following. Isn’t it impossible to pick up any newspaper and not see reports of crimes, injustices or wars? And why do we all carry around numerous keys if not because people will eventually steal any valuable property we don’t secure? For that matter, if people behaved as they should, our overloaded systems of criminal and civil law would be superfluous. And on an individual level, how many people would want the worst things they have ever thought, said or done reported on the front page of the newspaper?