Why We Can’t Save Ourselves- and Why Our Kids Need A Savior Too

If we’re honest, most of us spend a lot of time trying to do better- be more patient, more faithful, more put together. As parents, and especially single moms, that pressure is exhausting. When things are in disarray it’s easy to look at ourselves- we need more discipline, effort or strength. But Scripture tells us something different.

Before we can understand why relying on ourselves is futile, we need to know that unless we take on a Savior life will never change. Therefore we need to understand sin- because we were all born into a world filled with sin and we need a Savior.

I know the topic of “sin” isn’t exactly trending. It won’t make anyone’s “word of the year” and it’s rarely a topic people line up to talk about. But it’s a foundational concept that we must understand so that we can move forward and get to the good stuff- like what Jesus won for all of us at the cross.

Why We Can’t Save Ourselves

I was in grade school when I was first introduced to the concept of sin. The word itself felt odd and confusing. As I got older, that word started to make me more ill at ease. I knew I wasn’t perfect, but the idea that I was constantly sinning felt overwhelming and disheartening. Then to compound my discomfort, every Easter at church, sermons would emphasize how sinful we are and how gracious Jesus was to die for us

Like it or not, sin is real and ignoring it doesn’t make it disappear or change it’s consequences. When I was a young girl and first learned that Jesus died for our sins, I remember thinking “What could I have possibly done that was so bad it required Jesus to die for me? 

Yes, no one would argue that Jesus’ sacrifice was incomprehensible, brutal and I would never minimize it. After studying His profound act, I came to a better understanding. Jesus didn’t just die for the worst of us. He died for all of us-from the newborn with no concept of sin to the elder with a lifetime of exposure to it.

What The Bible Says About Sin

Psalm 51:5 says, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.”

I struggled with this verse. A beautiful newborn baby is considered a sinner. I felt confused. I deeply desired to understand this foundational teaching, so I dug further into Scripture. What I came to find out is that sin has been present in the world long before we were born. Everyone has been exposed to toxic thoughts, images and conversations in the world that plant seeds of sin within us. Those exposures created by sinful human beings are unavoidable, even to those of us who hate it. The only remedy is our Savior- Jesus, who can wash us of these exposures through reading and meditating on His Word.

Why Understanding Sin Matters For Parenting Children

 When we look at the word “sin” in Greek, which is hamartia, and it means “to miss the mark,” like an archer missing the target. That explanation seems easier to take. Missing the perfect mark of Jesus is considered sin. So yes, we can all admit we have missed the mark in life many times!

In Hebrew, sin is chot, which conveys the idea of an infringement, trespass, or violation. Taken together, these meanings show that sin is simply violating God’s perfect plan for how we should carry out our lives.

We  overstep boundaries and make choices from our limited view. In doing so, humanity has missed the very purpose for which we were created- which is to live in relationship with the Lord. This relationship will guide us to the best path in life without the need for rerouting.

What Sin Means Through An Analogy

We can think of sin like this: Imagine the world as a clear, tranquil pool. Now picture someone pouring a deadly poison into it. The water is no longer pure. Anyone entering it will absorb the toxin, growing sick and eventually dying. That’s what sin does. It contaminates the world around us and seeps into our hearts, minds, and soul. Simply being born into this world, we’re exposed to its poison. It twists our thinking and if left unchecked, it will destroy us.

For example, we expose ourselves to seemingly innocent entertainment not knowing that it is sinful. We see sin on TV – even in children’s cartoons that normalize anger, jealousy, and violence. We hear it in song lyrics, spot it on billboards, and scroll past it on social media. Even family-friendly Christmas movies often contain elements that don’t align with God’s teachings. Sin surrounds us and that seed of sin gets planted in our heart when we see these things.  Over time, we start to grow numb to it. We stop noticing. Later, the seed grows and we start making choices that align with it, thinking it’s normal. So, by the very nature of being born into this world we are sinners. Knowing this fact, I was eased of the heavy burden of this label and I hope this clarification helps you too.

How The Cross Fixed Adam and Eve’s Sin

But one question remained for me regarding this awful subject. I thought that it was unfair to be born into sin because Adam and Eve chose incorrectly. Who knows, maybe I would’ve chosen differently in the Garden of Eden and the whole story would’ve been different.

It seems this is why God the Father had a plan in place all along. A plan to deal with the contamination in the world caused by the first couple. This plan to send Jesus as our Savior was to give all of us a chance to obey the Lord and live in harmony with Him and enjoy the Kingdom of God on earth.

When we choose to accept Jesus as our personal Savior, we begin a restored relationship with God. We completely wipe the slate clean in our life from the sin Adam and Eve started. Through this restored relationship we are given the authority and responsibility to parter with God through our born again status and bring the Kingdom of heaven to earth through our prayers.

“Beloved I pray that you prosper and be in health even as your soul prospers.”(3 John 1:2)

There is Only One Way- Anything Else is A Slow Death

 Human beings cannot by themselves, understand why we were created or how to live in our true purpose. We need time with our Creator who knit us together in our mother’s womb. Nothing created, including human beings, can choose the purpose for their life. We begin our journey towards purpose by washing our mind of the filth we have experienced in the world. We do this by reading God’s holy and perfect Truth. This is where we begin to shake the filth off our thinking and become sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s teachings.

^“let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled in order to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”(Heb 10:22)

^“He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,”(Titus 3:5)

Therefore, sin came naturally to us but we have the opportunity to choose to be washed by the Word and the blood of Jesus. How long will each of us live before we come to the conclusion that life lived without the guiding love of our Lord is empty, useless and devoid of purpose. If we do, we have the opportunity to change course and live the way Jesus instructs. Then problems when problems turn around, illness cured and harmful desires eradicated. This is why Jesus calls His path the path of Life.

I invite you to walk with me on this challenging yet life changing journey to turn from the world’s voices and learn from our Creator what it truly means to live.

Food For Thought,

Lisa