There are a lot of ideas about who Jesus was. Some see Him as a good man, a great teacher, a prophet, or a religious figure. Others believe He is the Son of God and Savior of the world. But Jesus isn't a character who appeared in a legend centuries later. He is a well-attested historical figure, with early Christian writings, multiple accounts of His life, and references to Him from outside the Christian movement. The question isn't simply whether Jesus existed. The question is: Who is He, and what does He have to do with me?
Romans 3 tells us something that is both humbling and hopeful: “There is no difference.” We have all sinned, and we all come short of the glory of God. That means the ground is level before a holy God. The person who has lived a respectable life and the person whose life is a complete mess both have the same fundamental problem: neither one is righteous enough to stand before God on their own.
Some people think, “I'm a good person. I've never done anything really terrible. Surely God will accept me.” But the Gospel says your goodness isn't the standard. God's righteousness is. You don't need to be as bad as someone else to need a Savior. You simply need to be a sinner—and Romans 3 says that includes all of us.
But there is another person who needs to hear this. Maybe you look at your life and think, “I've gone too far. I've made too many mistakes. God couldn't possibly forgive someone like me.” But the same Gospel that says you're not good enough to save yourself also says you are not too far gone to be saved. There is no difference.
Romans 3:24 says we are “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” That's the good news. Our hope isn't found in demonstrating our own righteousness. Our hope is found in declaring His righteousness in our place.
We don't stand before God and say, “Look at how good I've been.” We stand before Him and say, “Look at what Jesus has done.”
The cross doesn't make good people good enough. It makes sinners righteous through faith in Jesus Christ.
So whether you walked into this room thinking, “I'm good enough,” or thinking, “I'm too far gone,” Jesus gives you the same answer: You need Him. And the good news is that He is enough.
There is no difference—we are all equally sinners before a holy God, and we are all equally invited to receive His righteousness by faith.
