If you are a human, then you are a sinner. All of us have at one point in our lives done things that we knew was wrong and violated our own moral standard. We tend to use the fact that all are sinners as an excuse for our own sin, but it is no excuse at all. Why? For the reason that our universal sinfulness does not diminish the strict requirements that God has, because He is holy. His character is such that he cannot tolerate anything that is unclean and completely blameless and pure. Sin is so contrary to God's character, that as the moral ruler of the universe, He must reveal wrath on that person, or being, who perpetrated the sin. The penalty for sin is death, and ultimately eternal torment in a literal lake of fire which is in the heart of the earth.
We hear a lot about the love of God, and it is true, He is loving. Foremost though, He is the Judge and Supreme Lawgiver of the universe, and as such, He is and must be completely just in all His dealings. Transgression of the law cannot go unpunished. Each individual sin, stores up more of God's wrath upon the sinner.
So what is sin? Sin is the transgression of the law. What law is that? The law of our minds (ex. The law of the jungle), or our personal knowledge of right and wrong. When we do something that violates our own moral standard, then we have sinned. To go further; when we don't do something we know we ought to do, then we have also sinned. Sin goes even deeper then that though. Sin is basically rooted in the intentions. Selfishness is the root of all sin. Anything done for personal gratification while ignoring the needs of others, against the law of our minds, is sin. Something that seems to be a righteous act, but if it is rooted purely in selfish motives, then it is a transgression and must ultimately be punished. Furthermore, we get a perfect image of our own moral standard, from the very measurement we use to judge others. In simpler terms, it is easy to cast blame and judge others, but to judge ourselves and be honest with ourselves about who we are, we find extremely difficult. That's why our conscious or subconscious measurement of others is a perfect image of our own moral standard. Ultimately God will use each individual's own personal standard, to judge and condemn them.
So what is the big picture? Here is God's perspective...
Every person capable of rational thought since the beginning of time, has an innate knowledge that there is a God. Every person has at some point looked up at a starry night in awe at the perfection that makes up our universe. Perhaps you have at some point laid outside and gazed up at the sky and thought about how earth simply a big ball floating around in the middle of a big dark universe. Maybe you have seen pictures of the earth from outer space and marveled at the beauty of it. Perhaps you have at some point thought about how the earth and all the planets have a set course and never run into each other. Maybe how the sun is a burning ball of gas and never runs out of fuel. Have you ever seen a rainbow? Or a sunset? We don't need to have religion or a book to tell us that there is a Creator to all that we see from nature. All a rational person has to do is sit down and think, to know that Someone created all this. This universe practically shouts of the glory of God.
We also know that God requires us to do right. We know that because He has given every normal person knowledge of right and wrong. We don't need a bible to tell us that. We know that we shouldn't steal, commit adultery, murder, or rape our fellow human beings. Everyone knows that and doesn't have to be taught it by religion. We also have knowledge that if we see someone that needs help, then we should help them. When we violate this knowledge or moral standard that we hold, we experience guilt and enter into a state the bible calls, “Dead in trespasses and sins”. This guilt we experience is universal throughout the human race. Whether priest, pope, pastor, president, or prime minister, all people experience guilt when they violate their own moral standard of right and wrong, and all are “dead in trespasses and sins”. People who have sinned even once, have come up short and are sinners in a damnable blameworthy state, already condemned by their own conscience in full view of a just God who must bring His wrath to bear.
What despair the human race is in! All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. God looks down at the people He created and sees that there is not one righteous one among them. The whole human race has become unprofitable, depraved, and given over to fulfilling the lusts of their own bodies. They have degenerated to little more than animals, basically living to breed and eat. All have succumb to the natural drives of their bodies, which have run away with them against the better knowledge of their minds. None prefer to retain God in their knowledge. They love their sins and wallow in them apparently unashamed... Adultery, fornication, covetousness, idolatry, lasciviousness, extortion, murder, full of envy, without understanding, backbiters, haters of God, proud, boasters, disobedient to parents (Rom 1). They all live only for the purpose of fulfilling their next selfish desires. All these having known the judgement of God, and that people who do such things are worthy of death, are without excuse will suffer eternal torment in the lake of fire without mercy and without excuse.
Furthermore, God's wrath is revealed from heaven against all people that hold truth in unrighteousness. His wrath is on people who knew through nature, that there is a God, knew what He required, and of the judgment to come. His righteous indignation and wrath are on those that go through their lives ignoring, and living as though He didn't exist despite all the evidence to the contrary. His wrath is against all those that do not glory in Him, who is glorious, and against those who are not thankful despite all the good they have. While taking full advantage of all of God's goodness, they fail to be thankful but live as though they deserve more!
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