Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, Chapters One and Two, present a dark picture of the human race, but if you acknowledge the facts they record, you have taken the first step to salvation. By nature all of us tend to shrink back from facing up to our sins and our latent sinful nature… but we are better off if we do.

If a man has early indications of cancer, and his physician keeps the truth from him, the patient will die of cancer. A good and wise physician will say: “You have cancer and we should do something about it without delay.”

Thus God, in His Word, tells us very frankly about our sinful condition (our cancer), but only so as to save us from it.

This is where most philosophies and the Bible clash head-on. Most philosophies close their eyes to man’s sinful nature. In accord with humanist thinking, they presume that man is good by nature even when the overwhelming evidence bears witness that he is sinful by nature – just read the news. Thus human philosophies offer no salvation from the burden of unforgiven sin and its’ justified penalty. Only “the gospel of the grace of God” offers us unconditional forgiveness… just for the freely receiving of it.

The Bible says of the whole human race: “All have sinned” (Rom.3:23), and to each individual: “Thou art inexcusable” (Rom.2:1).

But thankfully the same Bible says: “Christ died for our sins” (ICor.15:3), and “We have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph.1:7).

Trust in Christ for salvation and you have accepted God’s great message to the world.

Then, as you consider that great Book, and especially the Epistle to the Romans, you will say with Fawcett:

“It shows to man his wand’ring ways
And where his feet have trod;
But brings to view the matchless grace
Of a forgiving God.”