Man, I am so glad I'm just like everyone else.  And yet it's such a drag I'm like everyone else!  I mean, it's really nice and tempting (as a spiritual leader to boot) to think I'm not like everyone else-that I'm "extra special" when it comes to how God views us humans.  After all, I work hard and long hours, I'm helpful to many people, I often give generously of my money, time and possessions, I'm compassionate and polite, I'm smart, well-educated and just an all around nice guy!  When I look in a mirror, that's the image that 's reflected back to me.

But when God looks at me, he sees something quite different.  His view shows me to be arrogant, a horrible listener, empathetic when it serves me to be, a workaholic as opposed to a prayeraholic, stingy, lacking common sense, difficult to be around for lengthy periods of time, short-tempered and impatient.  In other words, I'm not much different than anyone else.  To use the biblical term, I am a sinner badly in need of some repair work.  Man, I hate being like everyone else!  It's not that I hate anyone; it's that I hate being a sinner.  So when I start to feel like I'm something special or different from anyone else in a nice way, thank God for sin for it's the great equalizer that helps to check my pride and ego and remind me I'm just like everyone else: broken and badly in need of repair but fixable by faith in the Great Repairman, Jesus.  Man, I am so glad I'm just like everyone else!  In the meantime, I'll meet you at the garage.  Take a number because the line is a bit long.

 

 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence.  And God saw that the earth was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted its ways upon the earth.  And God said to Noah, ‘I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence because of them; now I am going to destroy them along with the earth.  Make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch.  This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.  Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above; and put the door of the ark in its side; make it with lower, second, and third decks.  For my part, I am going to bring a flood of waters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die.  But I will establish my covenant with you; and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.  And of every living thing, of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.  Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground according to its kind, two of every kind shall come in to you, to keep them alive.  Also take with you every kind of food that is eaten, and store it up; and it shall serve as food for you and for them.’  Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.

 

‘Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord”, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only one who does the will of my Father in heaven.  On that day many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?”  Then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.”

‘Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.  The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock.  And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!’

Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

 

For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, ‘The one who is righteous will live by faith.’

the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus.

Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By that of works? No, but by the law of faith.  For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.  Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one; and he will justify the circumcised on the ground of faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.