As you may have seen already, the title today is “What Is Sin.” I once wrote a letter to someone to evangelize him. And the letter’s content was mostly saying, “You are a sinner.” Later, I found out that he was quite offended after reading my letter. He was offended because I called him a sinner, and of course, no person would be happy to hear that.

But in his instance, he was offended by it a lot. Not long before receiving my letter, he had gone through a divorce. For a long time, he and his wife had a hard time, although they did earn a fair amount of money, but they divorced. When I wrote to him, I had no knowledge of that, but he thought I was criticizing him about his divorce. However, just because a person is divorced does not deprive him of his right to come to church, nor does it make him a worse sinner than others.

The reason I said he was a sinner was not because he had committed something wrong. If we were to pick on every wrongdoing and expose it, no one would be able to say to anyone, “You are a sinner!” Even if you might think you are innocent and sinless in your own eyes, someone more righteous than you will still see you as a sinner. In that sense, it is a very subjective way of judging a person as a sinner.

While such judgment is subjective, whose subjective judgment is the most important? It is God’s. In God’s eyes, he is a sinner. So when I wrote to him saying he was a sinner, I wasn’t trying to say something like, “In my point of view, you are a sinner. Divorce is wrong.” I was telling him, “You are a sinner before God.”

A sinner before God. This is a serious matter. Because if we are sinners before, we cannot go before God. We cannot meet God. God Himself is pure, holy, and perfect. Therefore, He cannot meet sinners at all. Sinners won’t be able to go before His presence.

In the old days, sinners were not allowed to stand before the king. If anyone had to meet the king, his sins had to be pardoned first. Those at the lowest class couldn’t meet the king; hence, they had to be given an office. If the king had to meet a man deserving of death, he would first need to pardon the man’s trespass, appoint him into office, and then dress him appropriately so he could meet the king. A lowly sinner was not able to meet the king face-to-face in the same place.

So how could we, such lowly sinners, meet with God? It is impossible. So what happens next? We cannot receive the good things God is trying to give us. The purpose of our faith life is actually this: to receive the good things God has. This is also God’s will.

God is full of virtue. If He has anything good, He wants to share it with us. Though we are sinners, He wants to share them with us. This is God’s nature. It’s very different from man’s nature, isn’t it? When a person has something good, he wants it all to himself. If he is willing to share, it would be only his family or close friends. People don’t want to share it with others they don’t know. But with our God, whatever good thing He has, He wants to give us, even to sinners. However, sinners are simply unable to meet God and thus cannot receive what God is giving.

There are many things God gives us. While we are living on earth, we can receive various kinds of help and abundance from God. But more important than them is God’s life. The life which God has is called eternal life. Eternal life belongs to God. That’s what we need to receive. Yet sinners cannot. They cannot receive the eternal life God is giving. This is the greatest problem.

If we fail to receive eternal life and depart this world, where does our soul go? It will face eternal death. When we think of death, we think it is the end. However, the soul doesn’t disappear. So eternal death means the soul suffering in hell, the lake of fire. Hence God called us in order that we don’t perish in this way but have eternal life.

To receive that, we first have to realize we are sinners. That was why I wrote to that man, “You are a sinner!” But he misunderstood me. He was offended by it, and although our relationship has been repaired, he still doesn’t have faith. Later on, he said, “Is there anyone that doesn’t sin?” But when I say “sinner” right now, I’m not saying that one is a sinner because he committed sin. Even if he didn’t sin, he is a sinner. Whoever is cut off from God is a sinner.

So when you come before God and come to church, there is a condition before you can lead your faith life. This condition is that you admit, “I am a sinner!” Anyone who says, “I’m righteous and lack nothing,” will not be able to meet God. Regardless of how zealous he might go to church, he can’t meet God. First, you must acknowledge, “I’m a sinner!” I’m not saying you should be confessing every single sin you committed. I mean, you are a sinner before God. You are a sinner who has no right to receive anything God is giving and who doesn’t have the right to meet God.

What is the reason that you’re a sinner? It is not because you sinned but because the first man God made sinned and betrayed God. Therefore, everyone born since then who belongs to him are all sinners. All the people born in North Korea are North Koreans, irrespective of how kind they are. No matter how good-natured they might be, they can’t live in South Korea. Sinners are those who cannot meet God.

But God wants to meet us. He wants to give us life. Why was I given this life? What is the meaning of life? How should I live from now on? The answers to all those questions are with God. So, to receive those answers, you need to meet God. For that, you need to confess, “I am a sinner!” and go before Him.

Let’s say a person went before God confessing, “I’m a sinner!” How would God respond to that? You need to listen carefully to the second step. If you just say, “I’m a sinner” and go before God, you, the sinner, would need to be punished because God is righteous and just. The wages of sin are death. There is only death. So you must know what comes next. God doesn’t want us to be in death, which is why He sent His Son, Jesus Christ. The work done by Jesus Christ, the beloved Son of God, when He came was that He took up your sins.

Why did the Son of God die on the cross? He is the beloved One of God. So why did He have to face such a wretched end and be crucified? It wasn’t for His own sins. Remember we just said we are sinners? He carried the price of our sins and was crucified for that. People think He was a sinner, yet it was not His sins but ours as a matter of fact. Thus, Jesus’ death penalty was for our sins, which He carried and died for. That’s what you need to acknowledge.

Jesus’ death took place 2000 years ago. But you may have two different approaches to it. One approach is that you don’t believe Jesus is God’s Son and that it was of His own sins He was condemned and died. The other approach is this: “Jesus is God’s Son. But He was given the death penalty. Why? The sin He bore and died was not His own but mine!” Thus, if you confess to God, “I am a sinner!” you are saying, “Jesus is without sin!” Otherwise, if you say, “I’m not a sinner!” you are in turn saying, “Jesus is a sinner!” It’s one or the other. It’s either that Jesus is a sinner or I am. He died because of sin, but if you claim not to be a sinner, you are making Jesus a sinner. But if you confess you are a sinner, He died being without sin.

Our God already made the decision. “Jesus is without sin!” So, He raised Jesus from the dead three days later, even though men killed Him. God proved that He was sinless. But if we still say, “I’m without sin,” we make God’s judgment wrong and that He is a liar. How can God meet with someone who says to Him, “God, You’re a liar. You’re wrong!”? How can God even communicate with such a person when this person despises God? God already proved that Jesus is without sin and that He died for our sins, and thus He raised Him from the dead. Yet if we claim to be without sin, we are making God out to be a liar. So how can we have any fellowship with Him? Then how can we receive anything God is trying to give us?

Therefore, the first step to meeting God is admitting this: “I am a sinner. Jesus is without sin.” Christians are those who testify to Jesus’ innocence. The world accuses Jesus as a sinner and makes up rumors of what He didn’t even do. Some people even say that Jesus has a secret child somewhere living in the world. They make up these stories. And many people have misunderstandings of Jesus as a result.

But we Christians testify of Jesus and rectify these misunderstandings. Why? We acknowledged that Jesus is righteous, and thus received eternal life. Furthermore, we received the Holy Spirit who is the Spirit of God, possessed God’s happiness, received answers to prayers, and have gotten to use all the heavenly resources. We have such amazing experiences, which is why we can boldly testify. “Jesus is without sin. He died for my sin! Jesus is not deserving of it!”

You now probably understand the meaning of confessing, “I’m a sinner.” This is not something to be ashamed of before God. To confess you’re a sinner before God is something that actually pleases Him. Why? Because you are acknowledging that Jesus is without sin and standing by God’s side.

You must confess this: “I am a sinner. Thank You for sending Your Son to redeem me from all of my sins and pay the price of my sins. God, I want to meet You. I don’t want to only hear from others about God who has shown such great grace anymore. I want to actually meet God. Inspire me, God!” Pray in this way. When you pray, God will not only give you an understanding of the head but will actually meet you. You need to meet God.

For that, you must know that you are a sinner, not Jesus. The one that is supposed to die and perish eternally is you, not Jesus. However, Jesus died. So that you don’t have to perish anymore. This is what we give thanks for.

We are no longer sinners who are to perish; we are sinners who received grace. Sinners who received grace. People inside the church are not merely “good people.” The church is not a gathering of saintly people. The church is not an assembly of noble people. Don’t be mistaken. The church is where sinners gather. Those who acknowledged they are sinners and surrendered, gather in the church. The church is a place where sinners, who received grace, come together. So everyone, even if you haven’t received grace yet, confess “I’m a sinner.” and receive grace so that you will be sinners who have received grace. I bless you in Jesus’ name. God will accept you as His children. He will no longer treat you as sinners. I’ll pray.

Father God, I pray for those who are here, if anyone hasn’t met You yet, if anyone wants to receive Your eternal life but doesn’t know how, help them to confess that You sent Jesus Christ to pay the price of all our sins and that Jesus is without sin. Help them to confess that the sin He died with is theirs. Help them also to receive Your grace and live a new life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.