The problem we have is sin! When God looks at us, He does so with eternity in mind and it's God's desire that all people would spend eternity with Him in Heaven. However, the problem is our relationship with God has been broken by sin. Because of our sin-nature, we are separated from God. Sin is not just an act that we commit it is also part of our very nature, it's part of our being. Sin is what we feel in our hearts and what we think in our thoughts. Whether or not we carry out those thoughts, or act on our feelings it's still sin. Even if we do not act on our desires, that doesn't change the fact that we have sinned. Moreover, all sin no matter how small or how large, is rebellion against God. Sin is a product of the fall of humanity. In other words, we are not sinners because we sin, rather we sin because we are sinners. And that's an important distinction we have to make, because all people great and small are born with a sin-nature. And when God judges us, He does so not just on the things we do, but on the thoughts and desires behind the things we do as well. So even if we did something nice, but we did it to get ahead, to gain favoritism with others or even just to appear to be a good person, that is sin.

There are also two types of sins we have to become aware of, there are two types of sin all people commit. These two types of sin, include the "sins of commission" and the "sins of omission." The sins of commission are the most common ones, these are the sins we knowingly commit. For example, a sin of commission is when we knowingly lie, or when we cheat or steal something, or treat others poorly because of our emotions.

These types of sins are easier to recognize, because they are the ones we knowingly commit. And when we talk about sin, these are the sins everyone thinks of and the ones we picture in our heads. The sins of omission are much harder to spot. Sins of omission are those things we fail to do. They are those good deeds we have it in our power to do, but for whatever reason we just do not do them. All of us have seen those who dedicate their lives to the poor and needy. Those who through selfless acts of kindness, give to help others. And many of us at certain times of the year, step out of our comfort zone and give our time and resources to charity to help others less fortunate than ourselves. In our society today, we consider this extra credit, we consider this type of behavior going above and beyond. And many of us think that doing these things count as something extra toward going to heaven. But here's the thing, this type of behavior is really God's standard for our everyday behavior. Doing good and acting charitably is not something extra, in God's eyes this is something we should be doing as part of our daily behavior. And when we fail to do this, that is a sin of omission. When we fail to use our time, talents and resources to help others, that is a sin of omission. Looking at both the sins of commission, as well as the sins of omission and understanding that they include not just our actions, but also the thoughts and intents behind our actions, as well as the things we fail to do for others. We then get an idea of how hopeless it is to earn our way into Heaven and that's the point. No one is good enough to earn eternity in God's presence. Moreover, the Bible makes it clear, there are no scales in Heaven. God is not going to weigh our good deeds against our bad deeds to see which is more. We need to look at sin as we would look at committing any crime, in a legal system. If we commit a crime, we are guilty before the court regardless of any good deed we have done. And the same is true of our sin. Each and every sin, in thought or deed is guilty of eternal separation from God. Moreover, good deeds are God's standard for our behavior, therefore, they do not erase or make up for any type of sins we commit.

The Bible confirms for us that all have sinned and all people, both great and small fall short of the perfection of God. Moreover, the wages of any sin is death and eternity spent separated from God. "All have sinned and all fall short of the glory of God. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 3:23, 6:23)

This means we cannot enter heaven by our own merits, none of us are good enough. God's standard is perfection in thought and deed one hundred percent of the time. The Bible tells us "As it is written: 'There is none righteous, no, not one.'" (Romans verse 3:10) And the reason there is no one righteous is explained to us in the same chapter of Romans, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Sin really affects the condition of our hearts. It's part of the very fabric of our human nature and it taints everything that we do, say or think! We cannot separate ourselves from our sin nature, it will forever taint everything about us. Our sin nature affects not just how we act, but what we think in our minds, what we feel in our hearts, and it gives rise to our desires which can later lead to sinful actions. In short, our sin, is a condition that can never be removed by anything humanity or this world has to offer. Moreover, any of our human devices to deal with sin, are themselves a product of our sin nature, meant to boost our egos, our pride and make us feel more self-righteous. Therefore, our sin nature forever affects what we feel in our hearts toward God, toward ourselves and toward others. Sin is part of our very being and the desires that stem from our fallen nature! When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, they ushered in a profound disharmony that affected all of humanity and creation itself. And with this disharmony, sin entered the world and the curse of sin became part of the very fabric of our human nature and human society. And because of this, sin will continue to affect all of creation, from the time of the fall until the return of Christ. There is nothing mankind can do to remove it, and nothing mankind can do to overcome it and make ourselves right in the eyes of God. The Bible makes it clear when speaking of Adam and the fall, "Therefore, just as through one man [Adam] sin and death entered the world, and thus death spread to all men [humanity itself], because all have sinned. Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation.

It's our sin as well as our sin nature, which keeps us separated from God. Moreover, the cost of that sin is death or in other words, eternity separated from God because of the estrangement of the fall. Moreover, humanities devices to save itself are hopelessly inadequate to reconcile a fallen humanity back to a holy God. This means there is nothing we can do on our own to work our way into Heaven and save ourselves. However, what is impossible for man is possible for God. God understands our problem, He created us and He provided a way for us to be cleansed of our sin, and to spend eternity with Him in Heaven. God loves us so much that He sent Himself. God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to take our place. Jesus the eternal God of Heaven, stepped out of eternity and took on humanity with the incarnation. Jesus lived a sinless life and died on the Cross of Calvary to pay the price that we could not afford to pay. Jesus paid the price for our sin, because God loves us that much! The Apostle John tells us in chapter three of his Gospel "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."