For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
There is not a just person on earth who does good without also sinning, and no one meets God's standard by personal righteousness. Even one regarded as pure, noble, and faithful remains a sinner, falling short of the full demands of God's law. Yet every person may become just through God's provision, being justified by faith and saved freely by grace through faith as God's gift. Even one made just before God still sins while on earth, so conversion and forgiveness do not remove the need to keep overcoming sin, and the godly still need mercy, which makes a claim to have reached sinless perfection unwarranted. The statement that no one passes through life without sin does not teach that a person cannot live without sinning, nor does it allow complete consecration and victory to be counted impossible or willing continuance in known sin to be excused.
Universal Sinfulness Explained
There is not a just person upon earth who does good without also sinning, for no one is wholly righteous and everyone does good imperfectly while also sinning. No one meets God's standard of justice through personal righteousness, since all people are sinful and morally defective. Even someone regarded as pure and noble and faithful remains a sinner and does not live without sin.
God made man a perfect being in the beginning and gave him a perfect standard or law to guide him and define his duty to his Creator and to his fellow beings. Because God is perfect and unchangeable He accepts nothing less than perfect obedience from His moral creatures, and He has not changed and cannot change His perfect moral standard even though sin has entered and marred man's original nature. Since God made man a moral being and still holds him moral and responsible, the same laws that governed his moral nature at first still govern him, because divinely established moral relationships are unchangeable.
Even a righteous person on earth makes mistakes and falls short of the full demands of God's law through limited knowledge or wisdom. This shortcoming is transgression of the law whether or not the person knows it, yet God does not count it against someone whose heart is perfect toward Him and whose purpose is to do His will. God accepts the willing heart in place of what the person cannot fully accomplish. Since no human being is wholly righteous and no one does good without sin, human beings cannot claim to be divine or possess goodness as their own, for goodness belongs to God alone. Human weakness and failure are part of the experience of earthly life, where mistakes and disappointments can teach people and contribute to their growth.
Grace, Victory, and Conduct
Even one made just before God still sins while living on earth, so conversion and forgiveness do not secure salvation apart from continuing to overcome the sins that arise in the Christian experience. Although no one on earth does good without sin, every person may become just through God's provision, being justified by faith and freely by grace, and saved by grace through faith as God's gift, so that human sin does not prevent receiving life and the just live by faith. The godly still sin and need mercy, which leaves any claim to have reached sinless perfection unwarranted.
The declaration that no one passes through life without sin does not teach that a person cannot live without sinning. That no person on earth is wholly free from sin does not mean complete consecration and victory are impossible, and the fact must not be used as an excuse to avoid the effort of seeking salvation and overcoming sin or to hope for salvation while willingly continuing in known sin. Since no human being is sinless, God is not restricted to using only people who have never sinned, and repentance with wholehearted return to God keeps hope and future service open even to the deeply sinful, as David's repentance shows that past sin need not bar a person from divine favor when there is repentance and reform.
Even the best people have faults, so following people cannot lift anyone above human weakness, while following Christ is safe because He has no unrighteousness or error and gives His life to remove sin. Because everyone sins and no one is perfect, human imperfections are no safe focus of attention, and turning from God to dwell on them can become a stumbling block.
There is not a just person on earth who does good without also sinning, and no one meets God's standard by personal righteousness. Even one regarded as pure, noble, and faithful remains a sinner, falling short of the full demands of God's law. Yet every person may become just through God's provision, being justified by faith and saved freely by grace through faith as God's gift. Even one made just before God still sins while on earth, so conversion and forgiveness do not remove the need to keep overcoming sin, and the godly still need mercy, which makes a claim to have reached sinless perfection unwarranted. The statement that no one passes through life without sin does not teach that a person cannot live without sinning, nor does it allow complete consecration and victory to be counted impossible or willing continuance in known sin to be excused.
Universal Sinfulness Explained
There is not a just person upon earth who does good without also sinning, for no one is wholly righteous and everyone does good imperfectly while also sinning. No one meets God's standard of justice through personal righteousness, since all people are sinful and morally defective. Even someone regarded as pure and noble and faithful remains a sinner and does not live without sin.
God made man a perfect being in the beginning and gave him a perfect standard or law to guide him and define his duty to his Creator and to his fellow beings. Because God is perfect and unchangeable He accepts nothing less than perfect obedience from His moral creatures, and He has not changed and cannot change His perfect moral standard even though sin has entered and marred man's original nature. Since God made man a moral being and still holds him moral and responsible, the same laws that governed his moral nature at first still govern him, because divinely established moral relationships are unchangeable.
Even a righteous person on earth makes mistakes and falls short of the full demands of God's law through limited knowledge or wisdom. This shortcoming is transgression of the law whether or not the person knows it, yet God does not count it against someone whose heart is perfect toward Him and whose purpose is to do His will. God accepts the willing heart in place of what the person cannot fully accomplish. Since no human being is wholly righteous and no one does good without sin, human beings cannot claim to be divine or possess goodness as their own, for goodness belongs to God alone. Human weakness and failure are part of the experience of earthly life, where mistakes and disappointments can teach people and contribute to their growth.
Grace, Victory, and Conduct
Even one made just before God still sins while living on earth, so conversion and forgiveness do not secure salvation apart from continuing to overcome the sins that arise in the Christian experience. Although no one on earth does good without sin, every person may become just through God's provision, being justified by faith and freely by grace, and saved by grace through faith as God's gift, so that human sin does not prevent receiving life and the just live by faith. The godly still sin and need mercy, which leaves any claim to have reached sinless perfection unwarranted.
The declaration that no one passes through life without sin does not teach that a person cannot live without sinning. That no person on earth is wholly free from sin does not mean complete consecration and victory are impossible, and the fact must not be used as an excuse to avoid the effort of seeking salvation and overcoming sin or to hope for salvation while willingly continuing in known sin. Since no human being is sinless, God is not restricted to using only people who have never sinned, and repentance with wholehearted return to God keeps hope and future service open even to the deeply sinful, as David's repentance shows that past sin need not bar a person from divine favor when there is repentance and reform.
Even the best people have faults, so following people cannot lift anyone above human weakness, while following Christ is safe because He has no unrighteousness or error and gives His life to remove sin. Because everyone sins and no one is perfect, human imperfections are no safe focus of attention, and turning from God to dwell on them can become a stumbling block.