“For there is no one who does not sin” (2 Chronicles 6:36 ESV).
Solomon spoke these words in his prayer of dedication of the temple he had built for the Lord. He had witnessed the glory of God fill the temple, yet he did not assume that Israel’s worship, sacrifices, priests, or covenant privileges would make the people sinless. He realistically acknowledged that they would fail because all of humanity was affected by sin. He later expressed the same truth in Ecclesiastes 7:20: “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.” His words placed every person on the same level before God. No king, priest, prophet, or ordinary worshiper could claim exemption from guilt nor independence from their need for God’s grace and mercy.
The temple provided a place for sacrifice, confession, and forgiveness, but it could not produce a sinless heart. Solomon described the universal reality of actual sin, while the apostle Paul later explained its origin through Adam. Sin entered the world through one man, and death spread to all because all sinned (cf. Rom. 5:12).
Yet there is One who did not inherit or commit sin. Jesus Christ lived in perfect obedience to the Father. He had no guilt of His own, yet He offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for ours (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21).
So let us stop denying or excusing our sin by comparing ourselves with others. The problem is not merely around us. It is within us. We have all inherited the same fallen nature. We are all sinners (Rom. 3:23). But we do not have to remain enslaved to that nature. In Christ, we receive forgiveness, a new heart, and the indwelling Holy Spirit. Jesus did what the temple sacrifices could never do. He cleanses us and gives us new life. The gospel is God’s cure for the sin gene.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we confess that we have all sinned and need Your mercy. Thank You for sending Your sinless Son to bear our guilt and give us new life. Help us walk by Your Spirit today. In Jesus’ name, amen.