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YOU WERE A LOST SINNERThe Bible teaches that we are all sinners (Romans 3:23).
We do not become sinners: we are born sinners (Psalm 51:5).
Sin is the natural condition of every heart (Jeremiah 17:9).
Many people deny this; but they are deceiving themselves (1 John 1:8, 10).
Sin is the breaking of the law of God (1 John 3:4).Sin brings upon man
—separation from God (Genesis 3:23,24; Isaiah 59:2)
—the wrath of God (Romans 1:18)
—guilt (Romans 3:19)
—death (Genesis 2:17; Romans 6:23)
—hell (Matthew 25:41).Death is not something reserved for the future. Before you became a Christian you were dead (Ephesians 2:1). You were dead to God; you did not know God, or love Him, or serve Him.
You were a sinner—an enemy of God.
Your condition is described in Ephesians 2:12.In Psalm 32 you will find three different words for sin:
Transgression—this literally means 'to step over a boundary', to break the law of God, to go into those paths that God forbids. It is rebellion against God.
Sin—this means to miss the mark or target, to come short of God's glory (Romans 3:23). God sets a standard, and we fail to keep it.
Iniquity—this is a twisting, distorting perversion of the soul. Man is no longer as God made him. He is twisted, misshapen by sin.