Q:

11. Why did Jesus have to die for my sin when I haven’t done anything really bad?

A:

You might think of some sins as big and some as little. There’s really no such thing. Some sins are easy to spot, like if you trip a friend. Some hurt people a lot, like if that friend falls down and chips a tooth. But all sins are wrong. God tells us that even every “little” sin is really bad. You also might think you don’t sin very often, but we all do many wrong things.

Here’s what’s important to remember: All sins are bad enough that Jesus had to die for them. All sins—even one sin—hurt our friendship with God. Like James said, ‘The person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as the person who has broken all of God’s laws” (James 2:10). Being honest about your sins is the first step to understanding your need for God’s forgiveness.

If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.

1 JOHN 1:8–9