Go! And Stop Trusting In Yourself – Trust Christ Alone Series

Go! And Stop Trusting in Yourself – Trust Christ Alone

Romans 3:23 (NLT): “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”

Romans 6:23 (NLT): “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Introduction – The Question That Shapes Eternity

If you walked into the high street and asked a dozen people, “Why should God let you into Heaven?”—you would likely hear the same handful of answers:

“Because I’m a good person.”

“Because I’ve never done anything really bad.”

“Because I try my best.”

These answers are heartfelt, but tragically wrong. They reveal a misunderstanding of God, sin, and salvation. Most people in our culture assume that Heaven is a reward for the good. But the Bible says something very different: Heaven is not for the good—it is for the forgiven.

That’s why this message in our Go! And… series matters. Today we hear God’s call:

Go! And stop trusting in yourself. Go! And trust Christ alone.

This is not a message just for the atheist, the agnostic, or the religious outsider. It is for every one of us—because even Christians are tempted to slip back into self-reliance.

1. Go! And See the Reality of Sin

Romans 3:23 (NLT): “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”

Paul writes to the church in Rome—a city filled with moralists, philosophers, and religious zealots. He levels the playing field: Jew and Gentile alike are guilty.

The Greek phrase “fall short” (hystereo) means to be lacking, to come up short, to miss the mark. The image is of an archer repeatedly missing the bullseye. No matter how close you get, you miss perfection.

We fall short of God’s glorious standard (doxa tou Theou)—His perfect holiness. The problem isn’t just that we do bad things, but that our very nature is corrupted by sin.

Isaiah 64:6 (NLT): “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags.”

The Hebrew word here for “filthy rags” (beged ?iddîm) literally refers to soiled garments—an image of contamination. Even our best efforts are stained before a holy God.

Charles Stanley once said: “Sin is not just what we do, it is what we are apart from Christ.”

And he is right. Sin is not an occasional mistake—it is a condition of the heart.

People compare themselves with others. “I’m not as bad as my neighbour.” But God doesn’t grade on a curve. His standard is perfection—and all fall short.

Imagine you’re taking a maths exam. The pass mark is 100%. One student scores 98%, another 65%, another 12%. Who passes? None of them. All failed. Likewise, whether you are a “respectable sinner” or an outright rebel, without Christ, all fall short.

So, Go! And see the reality of sin. Don’t excuse it. Don’t minimise it. Recognise it.

2. Go! And Recognise the Consequence of Sin

Romans 6:23 (NLT): “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Notice the contrast:

Wages are earned. Sin pays us death.

Gift is received. Eternal life comes only through Christ.

The Greek word for “wages” (opsonia) originally referred to a soldier’s ration pack—what they earned daily for their service. Paul is saying: sin always pays, and the payment is death.

This death is not merely physical but spiritual—eternal separation from God.

James 1:15 (NLT): “These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.”

Sin grows like a cancer. Left unchecked, it always kills.

R.T. Kendall writes: “Sin takes you further than you want to go, keeps you longer than you want to stay, and costs you more than you want to pay.”

Sin is deceptive—it promises freedom but delivers slavery.

Our culture treats sin lightly—casual dishonesty, casual sex, casual blasphemy. But God says the wages are eternal death. We must see sin as God sees it—deadly serious.

Imagine a man ignoring a “Danger: Live Wires” sign because he thinks he’s careful enough. He touches the cable—and it kills him instantly. That’s what sin does. Ignoring God’s warnings doesn’t make sin safe.

So, Go! And recognise the consequence of sin.

3. Go! And Receive the Gift of Salvation

Romans 6:23 (NLT): “…but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The turning point is the word but. Our condition is hopeless—but God.

The word for “gift” (charisma) is related to charis (grace). Salvation is not payment, not wages—it is grace, unearned and undeserved.

Ephesians 2:8–9 (NLT): “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”