WE HAVE ALL COME SHORT OF GOD’S GLORY “She shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
In the letter to the Romans the Apostle Paul gives the inspired assessment of the human race in these words: For ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The glory of God is His perfection. That is the mark that He has set for His creatures and He will tolerate nothing less. In the book of Daniel we have this doctrine illustrated in the judgment pronounced upon Belshazzar the King of Babylon: in chapter 5, verse 25 a hand appears and with a finger writes these words on the wall, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. The interpretation was: “God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting.” It may be questioned how the human race could be charged with this universal failure; this illustration will help enlighten the idea. Belshazzar, King of the great empire Babylon, acted for the entire kingdom when he desecrated the holy vessels using them at his drunken feast. Judgment that fell on his head fell on the empire. In this I see an illustration of the judgment that fell on the human race due to the sin of Adam, the first created man who served as head and representative of his race. We read the charge in Romans 5:12, Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. Again in v.19, for as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one [Christ Jesus] shall many be made righteous. Long ago the Almighty passed judgment upon the human race in Adam, the first man, and found all men in him ‘wanting.’ God placed the guilty pair, Adam and Eve with their clothing of freshly cut fig leaves in one scale, and the broken law in the other. The scale tipped overwhelmingly in favor of the broken law against Adam the lawbreaker, and the race of mankind was found lacking. There will be another day of ‘balancing.’ The scripture terms it the day of final judgment. All of Adam’s descendants will be present and that day will be set for personal examination. If you don’t like the Judge’s decision on Adam as your representative, you will have your day in court. The conditions will not be altered, you will yet be judged with the standard of the holy law of God. That standard is absolute perfection and it demands compliance in word, thought, and deed from birth to death. How do you think you will fare? If you are not unreasonable you know how you will fare, Found Wanting! Flee to Christ. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes. Count all your moral excellencies as dung that you may win Christ, and be found in Him, not having your own righteousness, which is the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace;” may our perfection be found only in Him.