Many Christians distill the gospel into two powerful words: Jesus saves. Yet this simple phrase prompts deeper questions: Who is saved? Us? And if so, from what? The answer lies in one word — sin. But let’s elaborate.

Since the fall in Genesis 3, humanity has been steeped in sin. When Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, sin flooded the world, corrupting humanity and alienating us from God. Sin is not merely a theological concept; it is the critical lens through which we understand our need for redemption. The cross — where Jesus died, was buried, and rose again — stands as the cornerstone of Christianity. As the Apostle Paul warned, without the resurrection, Christians are to be pitied above all (1 Corinthians 15:19). But equally critical is this truth: without sin, there would be no need for redemption.

Moreover, without recognizing the gravity of our sin, we would see no need for a Savior. Romans 3:23 declares, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Salvation, as 1 John 1:9 clarifies, requires confessing our sins, repenting, and turning to Jesus as Lord.

Perhaps this will help you understand why recent research from the Barna Group is so troubling. There’s no need to beat around the bush. Here’s the headline: “Millions of American Christians Deny Their Sinfulness” — or so the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University has discovered. Let’s break down the statistics.

While 84% of adults acknowledge the existence of “sin,” only 14% of self-described Christians — roughly one in seven — actually hold a biblically accurate view of sin. Among those who affirm sin’s existence, 72% define it as “disobedience to God,” yet 52% believe there are no absolute sins, suggesting sin varies by context. Furthermore, while 52% of all adults and 66% of self-professed Christians agree that “everyone on Earth has sinned,” 33% of adults claim that everyone else is guilty of sin, but that they are not.

Perhaps most concerning is that significant numbers within Christian subgroups reject their own sinfulness: 26% of theologically identified born-again Christians, 40% of self-identified Christians, 34% of Protestant church attenders, and an even smaller percentage of Catholic church attenders refuse to see themselves as sinners.

For an atheist or agnostic to dismiss personal sinfulness is one thing, but for Christians to do so contradicts the heart of the gospel. Dr. George Barna, director of research at ACU, addressed this on Friday’s Washington Watch, stating, “The issue isn’t really whether or not sin exists. The issue is, ‘What does it have to do with my life?’”

Barna explained that while most Americans have a “reasonable view” of sin, the problem lies in their failure to grasp its personal relevance. A foundational Christian truth, he emphasized, is that “all of us are sinners, all of us fall short of the glory of God, all of us need to be saved from sin, [and] the only way to be saved isn’t by what we do or think or believe. It’s by our relationship with Christ. Our confession of our own sin. It’s our begging Jesus to save us from the consequences of our sin.” Yet, Barna noted, most Americans — including many Christians — reject this truth, revealing “a lot of confusion” about what it means to be in Christ and saved by grace.

Guest host Jody Hice pointed out that this misunderstanding opens a “wide-open door” for the church to proclaim biblical truth. Barna agreed, citing a prior study showing that only one-third of Americans believe in absolute moral truth. Alarmingly, tens of millions of born-again Christians, evangelicals, and regular church attenders deny its existence. This rejection, Barna argued, reflects a flawed understanding of God’s character, the Bible’s authority, and the unchanging nature of truth. If truth is relative to these people, they can’t consistently trust the Bible — “obviously they can’t if they would say there’s no absolute moral truth,” Barna asserted.

With this in mind, Hice underscored the urgency for Bible-believing Christians to share God’s truth in a culture where three out of four Americans look inward to their feelings for guidance. Barna noted, “One thing we know about feelings is not only are they not the same from person to person, but our own personal feelings change from moment to moment, hour to hour, day to day.”

And this reliance on subjective truth poses a unique challenge for believers. As Hice stated, Christians have “a responsibility to present lovingly, graciously, but unashamedly biblical truth and interject that into our culture.” Barna added that consistency is key: Christians must not only proclaim truth but live it out authentically — especially in a world adrift in moral relativism.

Another aspect of the recent research was not solely whether people believed in sin, but also how Americans viewed the “good of humanity.” As the study states, “A significant reason for the widespread rejection of the sinfulness of humanity is likely the belief held by 70% of adults that while sin may be a reality, people are ‘basically good at heart,’ and therefore, should not be pejoratively characterized as sinners.” Not only is this inaccurate, but as the study rightly points out, it’s unbiblical.

And yet, it continued, “That mindset is somewhat more common among self-identified Christians (72%) than among

non-Christians (65%). Unexpectedly — and unbiblically — seven out of 10 theologically-identified born-again adults (70%) contend that people are basically good at heart. That view is also considerably more prevalent among Catholics (82%) than Protestants (66%).” It’s a hard pill to swallow, but the Bible is clear: “as it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one’” (Romans 3:10-12).

It all comes down to the reality of sin, our need of a Savior, and the beauty of salvation offered exclusively through Christ. Based on this study, the church’s call is clear: proclaim the reality of sin, the necessity of repentance, and the transformative power of Jesus’s saving grace. Only then can we address the crisis of denial and lead others to the truth that sets us free. But the reality is, according to 2019 Pew research, only 3% of sermons preached nationwide mentioned sin. I’ll let Barna conclude:

“The job of the local church is to educate God’s people about God’s ways … Allowing Americans to skirt around the personal implications of sinful living is a major disservice to the people they influence, and facilitates the continuing demise of American society. Sin is not a difficult concept to understand or identify. Hopefully, our avoidance of teaching and accountability regarding sin can be quickly and easily rectified by those who seek to add value to the spiritual journey of the people they influence. Inserting sin back into the national consciousness would be an invaluable investment into who we are as a nation and as the church.”