Why We Need A Savior Series

o Transgressions = False step

The word translated “transgressions” in the NIV and “trespasses’ in other translations is a word that means to take a false step, go off a path, slip, or fall. As used here it is a picture of us wandering from the right path, whether that occurs as a result of inattention or a deliberate act.

o Sins = Missing the mark

This word comes from an archery term which means missing the mark. As used here it is a picture of us failing to hit the target of God’s standard for our lives. So it includes both sins of commission – doing something in opposition to God’s moral standard – or omission – failing to do something that God has commanded us to do.

The transgressions and sins in our lives do not just make us sick. They are our spiritual cause of death.

So why is it such a big deal that we are dead and not just sick or in God’s dog house? To answer that question, let’s think for just a moment about a couple characteristics of a dead person:

• Characteristics of a dead person:

o Unable to respond

Something that is dead is completely unable to respond to its surroundings or to others in any way.

A woman brought a very limp duck into a veterinary surgeon. As she laid her pet on the table, the vet pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the bird’s chest. After a moment or two, the vet shook his head sadly and said, "I’m sorry, your duck, Cuddles, has passed away."

The distressed woman wailed, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am sure. The duck is dead," replied the vet.

"How can you be so sure", she protested. "I mean you haven’t done any testing on him or anything. He might just be in a coma or something." The vet rolled his eyes, turned around and left the room. He returned a few minutes later with a black Labrador Retriever. As the duck’s owner looked on in amazement, the dog stood on his hind legs, put his front paws on the examination table and sniffed the duck from top to bottom. He then looked up at the vet with sad eyes and shook his head. The vet patted the dog on the head and took it out of the room.

A few minutes later he returned with a cat. The cat jumped on the table and also delicately sniffed the bird from head to foot. The cat sat back on its haunches, shook its head, meowed softly and strolled out of the room. The vet looked at the woman and said, "I’m sorry, but as I said, this is most definitely, 100% certifiably, a dead duck." The vet turned to his computer terminal, hit a few keys and produced a bill, which he handed to the woman. The duck’s owner, still in shock, took the bill. "$750!" she cried, "$750 just to tell me my duck is dead!" The vet shrugged, "I’m sorry. If you had just taken my word for it, the bill would have been $25, but with the Lab Report and the Cat Scan, it’s now $750.

Before God entered into our lives, we were completely unable to respond to Him in any way, since we were spiritually dead. That’s why it’s crucial that it is God who is the one who initiates our relationship with Him as we’ve already seen in Chapter 1 of Ephesians.