From What Do We Need to Be Saved?

In order to grasp the salvation Christ offers, it's important to clearly understand our need.

1. We need to be saved from sin.

How many have sinned?

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
—Romans 3:23.

To put it bluntly: we don't live up to what we know is right. A parent under stress may blow up and wound a child emotionally. A commuter may become incensed at another driver and almost cause an accident. A student may grow resentful and whisper unkind things about her rival. A businessman may plan to "forget" about a certain source of income at tax time. "All have sinned;" that's the human condition.

How does the Bible define sin?

“All wrongdoing is sin.”
—1 John 5:17.

We need to be rescued from all kinds of unhealthy habits and compulsions: lying, abusive anger, lust, and bitterness to name a few. The Bible defines wrongdoing as breaking God's moral law that He summarized in the Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20.

“Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.”
—1 John 3:4.

So we need to be saved from sin—wrongdoing, violating God's commandments.