“For all have sinned” doesnt inspire much confidence that “you matter”. It sounds as a major put down. Worse, just before Paul said that, quoting Scripture he says, “they have together become worthless.” Ouch. We are such losers. To be authentic before God, we have to confess to Him that we are losers.
**But_** Paul doesn’t leave it there. Right after he says, “For all have sinned” he says “all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ… through the shedding of his blood.” Makes you pause to think. If God sacrificed His son for us, how could any of us say we don’t matter. He died for us before we did anything to deserve salvation. God loves us, we _do_ matter to Him.
For those who believe, we who acknowledge before God that we are losers and ask forgiveness, the title “loser” is no longer true. Paul told the Romans as he tells us now, “If God is for us, who can be against us… No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” We can claim the title, “winners.” We matter, you matter.
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mothers womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful, I know that full well. -Psalm 139:13-14 NIV
