And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8 NKJV

How many have made a mistake since receiving salvation by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? How many can be counted on to make another mistake before they die? These are two sixty-four million dollar questions.

As the Apostle Paul wrote to the Roman Christians: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).  All Christians are saved by grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross. Salvation is never attributed to oneself, but is always a gift of God (Eph. 2:8). News flash! You aren’t a sinner or a saint based on what you’ve done in life—right or wrong. You are a sinner because of who you are—a person without Jesus Christ in your life. That’s the only thing that makes anybody a sinner. Since a Christian wasn’t saved based on their personal performance (according to Eph. 2:8), they don’t lose their righteousness standing, obtained by faith in Jesus Christ, based on a single mistake or misstep. The message of the gospel is that God made Christ, who knew no sin to be made sin for the new believer, that the believer might become the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Cor. 5:21).

If any of the truths above shock you, guess what? You just discovered your self-righteousness. Mistakes and missteps don’t disqualify one of receiving God’s love. In fact, God’s love will always cover a multitude of sins (1 Pet. 4:8). Love covers and self-righteousness and legalism disqualifies. Since no one; I repeat, no one has lived a perfectly sinless life, neither is anyone above the law of love. There is no such thing as a “No Mistake Zone” in the community of believers.  God loves you so much. His love and grace are always greater than your sin (Rom. 5:20). In Genesis 3:8, you can readily see, sin caused God to move toward man in a revelation of grace and mercy, but the self-righteous and the legalist will say, “I don’t have a problem with my attitude towards the weak believer who has sinned. I’m alright with God even though I condemn rather than cover with fervent love, a multitude of my brother’s sins.

Make no mistake about it, the gospel shows that a believer may sin, but the truly saved in Christ doesn’t have to sin. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?” (Rom. 6:1). Many ignorant, unsuspecting, and weak Christians have committed a sin since receiving their salvation, and if they keep living, they can be counted on to make another mistake before they die. Why? Because there is no such thing as a “No Mistake Zone.”  If you want to see God work mightily in your life; then, come to terms with your self-righteousness!