There Is No One Who Does Not Sin

1 Kings 8:46 – “When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin —and you become angry with them and give them over to their enemies, who take them captive to their own lands, far away or near;

King Solomon says this long prayer during dedication of the magnificent temple. During his prayer he states many things that are worth reflecting about. These things shed some light on how we relate with God and how God relates to us.

In the passage today, Solomon asks God to forgive sins of sinners who come to that temple to confess and repent. Why does he ask God to forgive sinners? Is he creating an excuse for sin?

Solomon states a fact we shouldn’t miss. He states that there is no one who does not sin. Since there is no one who does not sin, then it means the temple will never lack a sinner searching for forgiveness. For there is no one who does not sin!

This is not creating an excuse to continue sinning. This is not to make the sinning problem lighter. In fact this makes the problem worse than we ever thought. All of us are sinners and helplessly so. Even those of us who do not want to sin, we end up sinning against our wish. For there is no one who does not sin! Someone must save us from sin, we cannot save ourselves. Everyone willingly and unwillingly sins!

Romans 7:15 – I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.

The point is we are helpless in the hands of sin. Whether we like it or not we sin. Unless Jesus saves us, we will keep sinning even when we do not want to sin. For there is no one who does not sin!

Romans 3:23 – for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Apostle Paul in his theology of sin states to the Romans exactly what Solomon also stated in his prayer. All have sinned. There is absolutely no one who does not sin!

That means all of us are in need of a Savior. We all need to be helped or else we will remain hopelessly sinners. For there is no one who does not sin!

If you were looking around and feeling that you are better than others because there sins have been exposed, this message is for you to humble you. There is no one who does not sin. You are as bad as the people you feel spiritually superior to. For there is no one who does not sin!

Are you feeling so bad that you think you can’t serve God because you are a sinner? You feel unfit to serve God, because you think those serving God are sinless therefore you are the worst? This message is for you. You are not the worst compared to the people you think are perfect. They are sinners too. They are imperfect too. They too are struggling with sin. For there is no one who does not sin!

Once again, this is not to excuse sin. This is to highlight our helplessness and hence the need of a Savior. You need salvation. For there is no one who does not sin!

Sin is not just an outward problem. A good person with good deeds round the clock could be the worst sinner among us, so to speak. This is because sin is also a heart condition. The good deeds may be hiding an envious heart. The good deeds may be hiding a divisive spirit driven by racism and tribalism. The good deeds may be hiding a heart that is proud and can’t listen to God nor anyone. The good deeds may be a pretext to selfish ends of being praised or achieving something. Even people saturated in good deeds praised by everyone are sinners. For there is no one who does not sin!

When you sit in a privileged position to judge others, be humble and merciful. Deal with others Carefully and lovingly. It’s true they are wrong. It’s true they deserve the worst punishment. You don’t have to stop the punishment if it’s inevitable. But do it without hubris. Punish them without thinking or speaking or acting as if they are bad and you are better. Do it as a sad duty you must perform, knowing you too under the same circumstances and if properly scrutinized will meet the same fate. For there is no one who does not sin!

Solomon prayed this prayer to suggest that everyone will come to the temple for prayer in search of forgiveness of sin. For there is no one who does not sin! Therefore if you miss worship, you are negating God’s truth that you are a sinner. If you miss worship you are unhelpable(sic), because this is where sinners come for help. Wake up and attend worship regularly. For there is no one who does not sin!

1 John 1:8 – IF WE CLAIM TO BE WITHOUT SIN, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:10 – IF WE CLAIM WE HAVE NOT SINNED, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

Any claim or excuse or suggestion that we are not sinners is a lie. It also charges God to be a liar and that instantly makes us sinners. The solution is to confess our sins. God promises to forgive us (justification), and to purify (sanctification) us.

Justification means regardless of what we have done, if we confess, God will instantly forgive us. Sanctification means that after instant forgiveness, God will begin a lifetime process of helping us overcome sin and be like Him. This process will end when Jesus comes to end the world. In a twinkling of an eye we shall be changed and the remaining process towards perfection will be completed. Until then we remain sinners who are being purified by Christ or sinners who have refused to be purified by Christ. For there is no one who does not sin!

May I be under the purification of Christ. I am a sinner I confess. Forgive me dear God. Purify me daily from sin. Eventually May I be saved in perfection into your eternal kingdom. In Jesus’s name, Amen!

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