People don’t necessarily like that description, but it is accurate. One word that the Bible uses to define sin means “to miss the mark.” What is God’s mark? Absolute perfection. Jesus said, “Be perfect as my Father in heaven is perfect.” –Matthew 5:48.
Unless a person is perfect, he has missed the mark; therefore, he is a sinner. Romans 3:23 states, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Since we have all broken God’s commandments, we therefore find ourselves in a perilous position. One might say, “Well, I’m not that bad! There are people who have sinned far worse than me!”
That may be true, but you need to know that God does not “grade
on a curve.” One sin is enough to keep you out of heaven. The Bible
says, “And the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as
guilt as the person who has broken all of God’s laws.” –James 2:10
(NLT)
Personalize it: “God, I admit it: I’ve messed up.”