All Have Sinned and Come Short of the Glory of God? (Part 1)
Do all still come short of the glory of God?
I hear this scripture so much than it seems like it’s been used as a cop-out or justification to sin. Usually there is a word study and also key words are especially important. If a word is taken out of context it will change the meaning of the verse. For all have sinned and come [fall] short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
Strong's Concordance - to be inferior; generally, to fall short (be deficient):—come behind (short), be destitute, fail, lack, suffer need, (be in) want, be the worse.
Sinned is the past tense of the word sin.
Most people that I know had some educational training in English classes. In this verse there are three keys words that I will concentrate on; have sinned and glory.
In studying the book of Romans, Paul is addressing the Jews who believed they were righteous because they were called God’s special people, but they still were not saved (born-again), the moral pagans who looked at themselves as not being bad as some others, and the pagans who were downright wicked. Paul was letting them know that the whole world was guilty before God (Romans 3:19-22), therefore, all have sinned (past tense) and come or fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Nobody was righteous, not even the Jew.
Paul never addressed the people of God as sinners, he addressed them as saints. When he said he was the chief among sinners, that would be contradictory, what is being said. Paul was the chief among sinners when he persecuted the churches. As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison (Acts 8:3).
James said clean your hearts sinners, but they were saints (James 4:8).
Internet -The phrase "Cleanse your heart you sinner" is a biblical reference to James 4:8. The verse is a call to repentance and to draw closer to God. It is a reminder to purify one's heart and to show sincere love to others. The verse also encourages believers to confess their sins and to seek forgiveness from God. The phrase is often used as a rebuke or admonition to someone who is perceived to be living in sin.
Jesus called His righteous servant, wicked servant – the words wicked and sinner are synonymous, this is supported in 1 Corinthians, chapter 5. Therefore, put away from among yourselves that wicked person. This man professed to be saved, but it was known that he was having sex with his father’s wife.
This is why it’s important to know what the scriptures are saying and what they are not saying.
We fall into sin, or we sin, but we are not sinners; we cannot be a sinner and a saint at the same time. This will come up in a future message.
Someone may say I am nit-picking (minute and usually unjustified criticism); it’s not my fault that people are not dissecting the Word of God. Plus, not studying the Word of God is not unjustified, and rather than using the word criticism, I choose to say correction. The reason people like me are writing the truth, is for God’s children to know the truth. How can one minister and witness the Word effectively, if they don’t know how to rightly divide it?
Sad to say, but many people have been wrongly dividing the Word of God. I too was in the same place at one time, and I still make mistakes, but the more I dig into (dissect) God’s Word, the more I am able to rightly divide it. Finally, for today, if any child of God who does not understand His glory, they don’t have a clue that their inner man reflects His glory.
These types of people need follow follow God’s Word. Direct my steps by Your word, And let no iniquity have dominion over me (Psalm 119:133).
I must stop at this point, but it would be an injustice not to write the entire message, so please come back tomorrow.
~ Betty A. Burnett ~
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