The Righteous And Sinners

Luke 5: 27-32

And the Pharisees and their Scribes began grumbling at His disciples saying, "Why do you eat and drink with the tax-gatherers and sinners?" And Jesus answered and said to them, "It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

These religious leaders thought they were righteous, but all they had was self-righteousness, and they had a "holier-than-thou" attitude. Whenever they would come to the place where they could admit their sins, confess them and turn from them (repent), then they could be saved, too. 

We all need to realize we are sinners before we can know we need a Savior. For there is none who is righteous in their flesh; we are all led astray by the sin-nature we inherited from Adam. So we all need saving.

Ephesians 2:3 tells us that we are all "by nature (not actions) creatures of wrath," we are all born into this family of Mankind inheriting the DNA of our fathers (through Adam) and our mothers (through Eve). But the sin-part of that DNA was given to Adam to pass on, not Eve. (That's why Mary could bear Jesus without sin, because He didn't have a human father.)

Eve was deceived, she thought it would be a good thing to not have to bother God with all her choices, she could decide for herself. But then she "gave to her husband with her" and he ate in full realization of disobeying God, a willful sin. That's when what he ate was digested, and "damaged" his genes. (Read Genesis 3:1-7, see how Satan first places doubt in Eve's mind, v. 1, then lies outright to her, v. 4.)

Satan tempts us with the same deception: we're smart, we know how to make our own decisions, don't tell us what to do! That's prideful, and worldly thinking. Yes, we're intelligent, we can think through a lot of things for ourselves. But God's thoughts are not our thoughts. We need to direct our thinking processes along God's lines, as He reveals to us in His Word, and depend on His Holy Spirit of Truth that lives in us to guide us. Even when it may not make perfect sense to us. If we think on it enough, submitting ourselves to His ways, then He will make known to us how "reasonable" it really is ("Come let us reason together" Isaiah 1:18). 

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!