Why People Fail To Realize That They Are Sinners?

The Apostle Paul proclaimed in Romans 1:17 that the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel. Before explaining in detail what this gospel is, he explains why this gospel is necessary and why God’s righteousness is needed in Romans 1:18–3:20 as follows:

1. Everyone is a sinner, whether Jew or Gentile.

2. God is angry with sin and judges it.

3. No one, whether Jew or Gentile, can escape God’s judgment through their own efforts or righteousness.

It is for these three reasons that we need the gospel. However, when we testify about the gospel, the most challenging question is: “Am I really a sinner who must undergo God’s severe judgment?” For those who do not realize they are sinners, witnessing the gospel is like force-feeding food to someone who is full or giving answers to someone who does not even perceive a problem—it is not very meaningful.

Jesus also said that He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners. People who do not regard themselves as sinners can never feel the need for Jesus. Remember who Jesus was speaking to here? He was speaking to the Pharisees, who considered themselves righteous because they kept the law well. And it is not only the Pharisees; most people, although admitting to having committed some sins, often cannot accept that they are sinners who deserve the punishment of hell. They do not think of themselves as sinners to the extent that they need Jesus’ salvation.

So why is it difficult to realize one’s own sinfulness?

First, it is because, like the Pharisees, people compare themselves to others. Jesus describes the prayer of a Pharisee as follows: “God, I thank You that I am not like other people—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.” (Luke 18:11-12) The Bible says of this Pharisee that he was confident in his own righteousness and despised others. People compare themselves to others according to standards of righteousness they set for themselves and see themselves as seemingly righteous.

However, the Bible says: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” After Adam’s sin, we live by our own standards rather than God’s. Therefore, we are always biased, constantly comparing ourselves to others according to our own flawed standards, and mistakenly thinking we appear somewhat more righteous.

A woman was caught in the act of adultery. The so-called self-righteous scribes and Pharisees brought her to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. Moses commanded us in the Law to stone such women. Now what do You say?” Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground with His finger. When they kept questioning Him, He straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Then He bent down and wrote on the ground again. When they heard this, they began to go away one by one, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, and the woman was standing there. (John 8:4-8)

The crowd, which had loudly demanded the death of the sinner, acknowledged their own sinfulness before the Lord’s words.

The Bible proclaims that whether someone is despised or exalted by human standards, all are sinners: even highly respected people like Gandhi, Mother Teresa, or Martin Luther King are nothing but sinners before God.

This is true not only individually but also nationally. The Jews, who had the pride of being chosen by the LORD God and the conviction that they were Abraham’s descendants with the Law, compared themselves with all the Gentiles, boasting that they were righteous people. Yet the Apostle Paul asserts that all humans are wicked sinners.

Even though we believers have received forgiveness of sins, if we do not deny ourselves and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit in every moment of each day, we can easily live satisfied with our own righteousness, comparing ourselves to others. Why is it that we sometimes fail to forgive or criticize others? Is it not because we use our own standard of judgment, thinking, “I have committed forgivable sins, but the other person has committed unforgivable ones,” and then compare ourselves to others according to that standard? 2 Corinthians 10:12 says: “We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves; but they, measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.”

The reason we fail to realize that we are sinners is that we compare ourselves to others. After his sin, David confesses: “Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight; so You are justified when You speak and blameless when You judge” (Psalm 51:4). Until we acknowledge our sin against God rather than comparing ourselves to others, we cannot truly recognize ourselves as sinners.