It's really hard to get the full understanding of God's grace if you don't feel you've done anything wrong. Most of us are "good" people. We do good things for others, we don't lie, steal, kill, or commit adultery, and we certainly don't worship false idols (so we think). But even little children know when they're doing something wrong if they've been told before not to do something. You can see it in my granddaughter's eyes. A moment before I'd just told her not to put the lemon in her mouth again. The fact that it was sour did not deter her because what she really wanted was to test my authority. It's this testing of God's authority over us that is our original sin. All our other sins are mere byproducts and have become the condition of our fallen state. There is no way we can ever overcome everyone of them. However, by God's grace we receive His unmerited love and forgiveness--anyway. I need only acknowledge my need for His forgiveness, ask for His help in overcoming my rebelliousness, then make sure I do not quench His Holy Spirit in me.
