There Is No Difference

The message was brought by Rev. Eddie Foster on Jan 19, 2025.

Romans 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference.

This is a difficult truth to learn. We’re apt to think we’re better than some others. Paul says there is no difference. All of us are sinners in need of a Savior.  If you look back at verse 10 you read: As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one. None of us are righteous within ourselves. We must trust the righteousness of Christ.  Down in verse 23 you read: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. We may look at others and say it’s better that I’m like this instead of that. Or I don’t do this and the other does, so I must be better. The Bible says we’ve all sinned. On our best day we’re still sinners, and if we’re saved we’re sinners saved by grace. People are bad by nature. Outside of Jesus Christ all will go to hell. 

You may have one sin and someone else has 500. It doesn’t matter. There is no difference. Both are sinners because they’ve sinned. As there are rewards in heaven, I believe there are degrees of punishment in hell. Whichever part of hell a person is in, it’s still hell and you don’t want to be there. It’s not a good place to be. The rich man in the book of Luke said he was tormented in the flames.  Let’s say you found a corpse that had been in the water a while. It’s decomposed till it’s not identifiable. Then you find a corpse in the desert that hasn’t been dead for a long time. The person can be identified. Is there any difference between them? Is one more dead than the other? No!  There is no difference. Both are dead. Spiritually speaking we’re all dead corpses outside of Christ. We are dead without Christ. In Him we are made alive. No one is more lost than another. All are lost outside of Christ. There is no difference.

Remember the Pharisee who went to pray and the Publican was there too. He talked about how good he was, about what all he did. The simple truth is that both he and the Publican were lost. It was the Publican who asked for God to be merciful to him because he was a sinner. God doesn’t let sin pass. One, two or many: none will pass. It’s still a sin. The book of James tells us that in order to keep the Law one must keep all of it. If you trespass against any part of it, you are guilty of it all.  The purpose of the Law was never to save anyone; it was to show a person about his sin. Let’s say I-81 had no speed limits and I drove 100 mph. Have I broken a law? No. But if signs are posted with a 70 mph limit and I still drive at 100, I have broken the law. I can’t say I didn’t know when signs were posted. That’s how God’s Law worked. Mankind could no longer say “I didn’t know.” The Law is there and we are guilty. We know what sin is. Did it become sin when the Law came into effect?  The Law pointed out to people what was sin all along, but it doesn’t save anyone.

Let’s say you’ve been working outside and go in to wash your hands. As you look in the mirror you see mud on your face. Will you wash the mirror to get it off? No!  It takes soap and water to your face. The mirror just showed it to you.  That’s what the Law did: show the sin. But it didn’t take it away. Just as you need soap and water to get dirt off your face you need the blood of Jesus Christ to wash away sin. It is the only cleanser for sin. Jesus died at Calvary giving his blood in our stead to wash and cleanse us from sin.

Here is a principle truth.  There was no difference in Noah’s day. Everyone outside the ark was guilty. Some were probably “pretty good” people but they chose not to get inside the ark; they perished. In Egypt there were probably some “pretty good” people when the death angel came through, but if the blood wasn’t applied to their doorposts, their firstborn died.  When the Lord comes back there will be plenty of “pretty good” people on earth, but they won’t go with him if they haven’t been saved by the grace of God, washed by the blood of Jesus. Whether a person is “pretty good” or “very wicked”, it doesn’t matter.  There is no difference in the eyes of God. Without Christ, both are lost.

But there is hope for all!  Anyone–everyone–who believes in Christ and trusts him to save them will be saved. My hope–your hope– is in the fact that Jesus Christ died on the cross in our place. Without HIM we are unjust and bound for hell.  Thank God for the blood and the forgiveness of sins!  No one has to go to hell.