All have sinned...

Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God


1 John 2:5-6 - 5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.


When taking into consideration the scripture "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God," we can miss the overall implications of what it is saying. We must understand what the glory of God is in order to comprehend what it is we have all fallen short of.

The glory of God is nothing less than the person and nature of God Himself. We are expected by God to be like Him. That is, after all, why we were created, in order to bear His image and spread who He was across the face of the earth. That is the real meaning of the presence of God.

It's not some general presence that makes people feel good while they listen to some worship song. It's the taking on of the characteristics of Jesus Christ Himself, resulting in the world seeing who God is by our obedience to not only His words, but who He is, which His words represent.

This is why John said those who say they abide in the Lord will walk as Jesus walked. To do otherwise is a contradiction that can't be reconciled. We either obey and walk as Christ walked, or we aren't Christ's. It's impossible to be born again by the Spirit and continue to live as we have in the past.

As for sin, the word itself means to 'miss the mark.' What's the mark? Jesus Christ and who He is. What's the glory of God? Who God is as revealed in Jesus Christ.

All of us has come short of His glory in that regard. But salvation has not only brought us back in right standing with God, but brings the requirement that we open our hearts to Him and allow Him to change us into His image. We are expected to be like Christ, and anything less isn't acceptable to God.

Now this is the immediate expectation of God for His people, but it is worked out one step at a time.

We are given the goal and expectation of being perfect by God, which means becoming like Jesus. While we may never reach perfection in his lifetime, this is what we are to shoot for. God does.

Keep in mind, the entire purpose for creating man was that man would be like God in his characteristics and purpose (not Godhood). For example, we are to be patient as God is, while understanding we're totally separate from God in His Deity.

Take any revelation of Jesus Christ in the Bible and we're expected to be conformed to that very image. This is our privilege and responsibility. The Holy Spirit within us empowers us to be able to accomplish this.

False teachers have lowered the bar of Jesus Christ, making excuses and using cheap grace teachings to undermine the power and ability of the Holy Spirit to perfect His work in us.

This isn't something to be considered negative and weighty, but rather an invitation and command from God to be perfect as He is perfect. He wouldn't tell us to do something we aren't able to do with His help.

We have all sinned or missed the mark, but we don't have to accept continuing to live in sin. Jesus Christ is our pattern to live by, and when we surrender to Him, the Holy Spirit will take and work within us to conform us to what He is like. This is what was intended before man was ever created, and it is what God is after for eternity.