Kansas City Chiefs running back Nathan Carter took to Instagram to remind fans that no amount of good behavior can erase our sinful nature; only God’s grace can save us from it.
Carter began the post with Ephesians 2:1-3. The verses read:
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also.
“If we are reading this passage faithfully, our souls should shiver once we realize who we truly are by nature,” the athlete reflected in the caption. “It’s common to assume that we are all ‘good people’ compared to others. But when compared to a perfect Holy Being, we come to realize that we all fall short and are, by nature, children of wrath.”
Because of the sin our flesh desires, we are all separated from God.
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In Matthew 15:19, Jesus says, “For from the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, slander.”
“On your ‘brightest’ day you’re still guilty of having an impure evil heart that opposes the Living God,” the running back continued. “Because we are by nature ‘children of wrath’ if we were to die in our fallen state, we would be doomed to endure the wrath of God for eternity.”
However, because God is faithful and full of grace, He gives us a way to avoid all of that.
“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!” Ephesians 2:4-5 read.
“’But God’ is the most fascinating phrase to be read in all of Scripture,” Carter declared. “It is not us, ‘but God,’ who is merciful to us. It was not us, ‘but God,’ who loved us. It was not our good works, Bible reading, charity giving or church attendance that made us alive, but God, through His Son Jesus Christ, His life, death, burial, and resurrection, saved us! God is not obligated to save us, but God chose not to leave us in the pit.”
Carter concluded the post with a plea, encouraging anyone reading to turn away from sin and turn towards God.
“Do you understand the miracle that has taken place? If you’re reading this, please do not ignore the Good News being revealed to you. Don’t harden your heart. Let the love of God be poured into your heart by receiving Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit,” he wrote.
For Carter, the message isn’t meant to leave anyone in despair over their sin but to point them toward the hope found in Jesus on the other side of it.
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