“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

Romans 3:23

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Romans 6:23

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

John 3:16

Let me be frank with you. Every single man and woman who has ever lived, EXCEPT for Jesus Christ, have sinned. Yes, most probably did not commit murder or steal money from a bank BUT all have violated God’s Law as outlined in the Ten Commandments and by doing so have sinned. But God did not intend for all men and women to perish for their sins so He personally became a human being in the person of Jesus Christ in order to qualify as the only perfect sacrifice for our sins. He was sin free but was still killed for his preaching. Only His sin free, unblemished nature and His resulting murder and Resurrection qualified Him to bear our sins. Accept His Gift and you will spend eternity in Heaven with Him. If you don’t, you will perish for eternity without Him.

So why have I decided to write about some of the people in the Bible who have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God?

“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service”

1 Timothy 1:12

 Just look at the Bad boys (and Girls) in the Bible listed below who sinned, had terrible flaws and yet were still used by God to spread His Word to others. Just look at this list and remember many of them went on to write many of the Books of the Bible, folks like Moses, Jeremiah, Matthew, Paul, Timothy, etc.

• Jacob was a liar and a cheater (Genesis 27:19)
• Gideon was insecure (Judges 6:13)
• Moses stuttered and was angry. (Exodus 4:10 Numbers 20:11)
• Abraham believed he was too old to be capable of fathering a son. (Genesis 24:1)
• The woman at the well in Samaria was married 5 times and was now with her sixth “husband” (John 4:17-18)
• Miriam was a gossip (Numbers 12:1)
• Thomas doubted Jesus had been Resurrected (John 20:25)
• Mark abandoned Paul and Barnabas in their missionary journey (Acts 12:25)
• Sarah was impatient (Genesis 18:10-13)
• Martha was a worrier (Luke 10:40)
• Lazarus was dead. (John 12:9)
• Jeremiah cried too much. (Jeremiah 13:17)
• Matthew collected taxes from the Jews for the Romans (Matthew 9:9-13)
• David was a kid and had an affair. (1 Samuel 17:42)
• Peter (aka Simon) had a temper. (Mark 9:2-9)
• Naomi was too poor. (Ruth 1:3)
• Timothy had ulcers. (1 Timothy 5:23)
• Jonah ran away from God. (Jonah 1:3)
• Simon was a member of a subversive, revolutionary sect. (Acts 8:9)
• Rahab was a prostitute. (Joshua 2:1)
• Martha worried too much. (Luke 10:40-41)
• Elijah burned out and was moody. (1 Kings 19:14)
• Noah got drunk and was naked before his sons. (Genesis 9:21)
• Paul (aka Saul) was a horrific murderer of the Jews who followed Jesus. (Acts 23:12)
• James and John were “high-school” hotheads. (Mark 3 & 10)

Wow… this was some group of men and women selected to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world and the ages! Paul (aka Saul), the killer of fellow Jews is estimated to have written 13 or 14 books, HALF of the New Testament! Moses is believed to have written the first 5 books of the Old Testament! Timothy wrote 5 books; Peter 2 books; Jeremiah 3 books; etc. These 5 men wrote nearly HALF of the Holy Bible, the most read Book in the history of the world!

“But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee.”

Acts 26:16

And remember John the Baptist, who never had his sins listed and was actually said by Jesus to be the most righteous born of a woman? He was just plain weird! He ate locusts and dressed in camel skins. Who does that? He doubted Jesus too. Remember Jesus’s response to John’s initial doubt(Luke 7:22)?

“Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, TO THE POOR THE GOSPEL IS PREACHED (capitals mine).”

The simple answer is that Jesus can and will use any person, male or female, regardless of their sinful nature, before or after they were saved to help reach out to “other” sinners. As He said in Matthew 4:19,  “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Who did He say that to? Fishermen already skilled in fishing! Jesus can take raw, rough men and women and transform them though the Holy Spirit. Jesus will look past the sins of people and see their potential redemptive future. He sees what they can do on behalf of Him. Remember, with God all things are possible!

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure”

Philippians 2:13

Each and every one of us, as Believers, have a distinct responsibility  to tell others of His Gift of Salvation and what it takes for us to accept His pardon in order to be saved. Jesus is not looking for only righteous people to spread His Word. Why? Remember what is said in Acts 4:13, “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were UNSCHOOLED, ORDINARY MEN (capitals mine), they were astonished and they took note  that these men had been with Jesus.” He is looking for all of us, men and women, and yes even all sinners because in us we can have credibility to others that even as sinners, we still have an important message to tell. “There is therefore no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1). That is why He also told us with urgency to “…therefore comfort one another with these words.” Let others know you are sinners (I am one!) but have been forgiven by God Himself because of His willingness to die for our sins so we would not perish but have everlasting life. Do this and you will not be on the bad boys or girls of the Bible list any longer because you have been saved!

May God Bless you as we await His soon Return!