Thoughts on Romans - Day 13

                                        Romans 5:12-21
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—
¹³ To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. ¹⁴ Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.
¹⁵ But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! ¹⁶ Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. ¹⁷ For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!
¹⁸ Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. ¹⁹ For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
²⁰ The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, ²¹ so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

        I hear this 2 to 3 times a day," (s)he is perfect"!

 Rabbit trail - Isn't it interesting in the English language how we can change the gender with one or 2 letters - (s)he  or (fe)male. The nurses at our hospital take advantage of this and fill out all the paperwork ahead of time on newborns by writing "male" on their birth records and if it is a girl they add "fe". I remember an irate father who saw this paperwork ahead of time and said "we've been keeping the gender hidden from us for 9 months and I can't believe that you have ruined this for me". I tried to explain to him what the nurses do but he didn't believe me. Fortunately it turned out to be a girl or we would have never heard the end of it.

        It isn't surprising that everyone says the same thing," (s)he is perfect"! With all the millions of chromosomal divisions, viruses and bacteria floating around, background radiation, pollutants, chemicals, deli meat (ha), it is amazing that we see so few birth defects and not surprising that parents of newborns breathe a sigh of relief as a baby comes out "perfect." But is it? This passage tells us differently. The Presbyterians would tell us that the child is born a sinner. The Baptists would tell us the baby is born sinless but has an inherited sin nature so it will sin. Either way, we soon see it. Freud gave us the stages of development - oral, anal, phallic, latent, genital. Erikson gave us trust, autonomy, industry, initiative. Jung, Plotkin, Adler all took their stabs at explaining development, too, but I think they all got it wrong. I think it should go - physically unable to sin, able to sin yet unable to stop behavior (terrible twos), able to sin but able to stop behavior for selfish reasons (i.e. punishment). We are sinners through and through and the Bible teaches us, and if we are self aware, that even our best efforts have selfish gains attached to them. It is even no surprise that evangelistic efforts are aimed at our self - centeredness - do you want to live forever, do you want to go to Heaven, you don't want to go to Hell do you?

              Fortunately, the old inferior Adam has been replaced by the new superior Adam who can take all those sins away and put inside of us His life - a new decision maker that chooses not on what is in it for me but rather what glorifies my/His Father. Unfortunately that old chooser is still inside me wanting to be in control so it is a daily battle for supremacy in my life.One of the sweetest parts about Heaven is going to be finally getting rid of that old chooser!

             Lord, You could have left me in my sinful plight yet You came and died for me to give me a brand new creation where I don't have to wait for you to come by "in the cool of the day" covered by my man made efforts to hide my sin but I am moment by moment in your presence free from shame and covered by Your righteousness.I am eternally grateful! Amen