1 John 1:10
If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Paul tells us that God cannot lie [Titus 1:2] and we know that God is the same “yesterday, today, and forever.” [Hebrews 13:8] Therefore, God has never lied, does not lie, and will never lie. His Word is His bond. Every promise He has made is true, and “all the promises of God find their Yes” in Jesus Christ. [2 Corinthians 1:20]  

Since we know that all God says is true, then everything He says about the human condition is true as well. We are all sinners. As Romans 3 tells us, we are all sinners and short of God’s glory. The prophet Isaiah spoke rightly when he described our best efforts as righteousness as filthy, dirty rags.

Anyone who claims to be without sin is also claiming that what God has said is false. If there is no sin, then there is no need for a Savior, for the reason Jesus came was to “save his people from their sin.” [Matthew 1:21] Only those who acknowledge their sin, and their subsequent need for redemption, can truly depend on Christ for salvation.

How can the word of God dwell in a heart that refuses to agree with Him? How can the Truth make his home in a heart enslaved by the Father of Lies? Our only hope is in an honest assessment of our total depravity and our urgent need, an assessment that God has made of us and made available to us through His Word and His Son.