You're Not Always Right

None of us like to ever admit we're wrong. Whether we are arguing with a girlfriend/boyfriend or spouse, or if it's with a sibling, or maybe we're arguing with (gasp) our parents, we never want to admit to being wrong. Even if we know we're the one in the wrong, we don't want to own up to it. We never make mistakes. Problems are never our fault. According to the Bible, though, this is an attitude that must be changed.

The first reason we need to change this attitude is because we all make mistakes. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" (Romans 3.23). Not a one of us can say, I've never messed up, I've never sinned. We all have. For the Christian, this can be hard to grapple with. We're suppose to be different from the world. We're not supposed to do the wrong thing. Yet, sometimes we do. Sometimes we trip up. Even after obeying the Gospel, we may still make mistakes. When someone that's not a Christian (or maybe even someone that is) points our error out to us, we feel guilty and often angry. "I thought you were a Christian." It hurts to hear it. Even though we don't enjoy it, it's good that we hear it. Why?

Reason number two: we can't hide our mistakes from God. "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." (Ecclesiastes 12.13-14). Maybe we do mess up, but no one notices. Maybe we were able to hide it. To everyone around us, we're still great people, model Christians. God still knows. He knows what we're guilty of. Not only that, but we'll be held accountable for what we've done. "But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and commiteth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die." (Ezekiel 18:24). We'll make mistakes and God will hold us accountable for them...but we're not without hope.

The third and final reason we need to admit we're "not always right" is found in I John 1.8-9: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." God knows we'll make mistakes, but He's also provided a way for us to be forgiven. If you've never obeyed the Gospel, obey it! Salvation is easily found within the pages of the New Testament. Just do exactly as they did in that first century and all your mistakes can be forgiven (Romans 10:17; Mark 16:16; Acts 17:30; Romans 10:9-10; I Peter 3.21; Revelation 2.10). If you are a Christian, repent of your sin, ask for God's forgiveness, and ask for help to do better (Acts 8.18-24).

We're not always right. Admit it! Life will be much better once we admit our shortcomings and try our hardest to do better.