What Percentage are You?

Can you believe it? Nine (9%) of Americans donate blood annually. Does that figure shock you, surprise you, appall you, or move you in any way? It all depends on your need for blood at any given moment, doesn’t it? Blood donors save lives, that’s a given. If you donate, thank you, don’t stop! Let’s look at another percentage of life savers. Do you recall the situation Lot (Abraham’s nephew) found himself in while he was living in Gomorrah? God was going to destroy Gomorrah because of sin. Lot begged God to spare the city if 50 righteous people could be found (Genesis 19). God agreed, but 50 could not be found. Lot again started bartering with God. What if 40, 30, 20, or 10; what if only 10 could be found? God said, “If 10 could be found, he would spare the city.” Lot couldn’t find 10, much blood was shed, the city was destroyed, and Lot barely got away with his life. America itself is in trouble, like Sodom and Gomorrah, we are turning our back on God and refusing to obey his word, or follow the example set by his son. If Lot bargained from 50 to 10 and still couldn’t find 10 righteous people, what is our hope? Lot bargained it down to just 20% and still could not deliver. Does America even have 20% of righteous believers? What percentage are you—the 80% or the 20%? There’s another life saver, who donated blood, you might recognize him. It’s the blood of Jesus, which is the foundation of our redemption. His dying and shedding of blood is the only payment for our sins. 1 Peter 1:18 is clear “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but, with the precious blood of Christ.” When we trust in Christ, we barter too—our sin for his righteousness. Our sin was poured into Christ at his crucifixion. His righteousness is poured into us at our conversion. God offers to trade his righteousness for our sin—something of immeasurable worth for something worthless.

2 Corinthians 6:21 reads, “God made him to be sin for us who knew no sin,that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”