I've just finished writing a week's Bible study notes for the IBRA, which is something I do every year, This time the theme was 'Missing the Mark' which is more or less what Paul meant by sin in Romans 3:23 'All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God'.
I'm not sure that 'missing the mark' has the same impact and meaning as 'sin' but if that's what Paul meant then who am I to argue! Dr Tom Wright in a recent interview talked of society 'messing up' which I suppose is a similar metaphor.
What interested me was that each day's study looks at a Biblical character and the point at which they mess up. The list is quite impressive, incluing Moses, Aaron, Solomon, Samson, Jonah and Jeroboam as well as Paul's 'everybody!'
Personally I like Paul's use of the word 'All' because it infers that there is a level playing field upon which we are all capable of messing up, and that is quite reassuring! And of course God uses ordinary people to do his work and be his voice in the world, so accepts us as we are, vulnerable, flawed and perfectly capable of making mistakes, missing the mark, sinning, messing up..... however you want to define the act of falling short of God's glory or standard.
The good news is that God's forgiving love is bigger than our faults.
The bad new is that so many people are unwilling to admit their faults, and accept the forgiveness that God offers.
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