"So that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." --[Romans 5:21]
--Some people avoid church for the same reason others avoid going to the doctor; they don't want to find out that anything is wrong. Ignorance of our sin, however, doesn't make us innocent.
Roman law is sometimes considered the source of the idea that ignorance of the law excuses no one. But the concept originated much earlier. When God gave the law to Israel, He established that even unintentional sin required a sacrifice for forgiveness (Leviticus 4 = Ezekiel 45:18 thru 20).
The apostle Paul addressed the issue of ignorance. When people were ignorant of God's righteousness, they made up their own (Romans 10:3). When we live according to our own standards, we might feel good about ourselves, but that doesn't make us spiritually healthy. Only when we are measured by God's standard of righteousness (Jesus) do we know the condition of our spiritual health.
None of us can achieve the righteousness of Christ, but thankfully we don't have to. He shares His righteousness with us (5:21). The good news is that the Great Physician can make us well.
--ODB/JS ["For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. It is not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."=Ephesians 2:8-9) Jesus said, "I and My Father are One." --(John 10:30)
