It is interesting to me that the Romans text is the only one without a comment so far this week. Could it be that the serpent has gotten around in our world and whispered in our ears, "Oh no, sin will not bring death and besides God never said that this passage was about sin, it is only about coming of age, becoming aware and wise!"? Doug in OR
Nah, I'm going to use it this week. Lately, I've been preaching on the current crop of false prophets and the typical lies they teach, so this passage fits right in with my series.
We still believe sin destroys lives while grace restores them in Lewisburg, KY.
God bless you, sandy@minister.com
If we preach not sin, we preach not truth. If we deny wrongdoing, we deny our need for a Savior. Sin must be preached. Truth must be proclaimed. Thank God for preachers in Kentucky who still believe in false prophets. Thank God for preachers in Oregon who believe that the serpent still whispers today.
May you both be filled by His Holy Spirit, preaching the Word, proclaiming the truth, seeking the lost, saving those poor souls from the bondage of deception.
Rick in Va
Verse 18 is where I'm headed, ..just as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man's act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all... Check out Leonard Sweet's article in "Vital Ministry". There's a quote-"This troubled planet is a place of most violent contrasts. Those who receive the rewards are totally separated from those who shoulder the burdens." (Dr. Spock, episode 74 of Star Trek!). Sweet's article on postmodern culture is good. Or, I suppose one could tie in Hitler, "by one man's disobedience the many were made sinners", and Anne Frank's story and the presence of evil, the hiding from man, not God, and her conclusion "in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart", "through the obedience of one man many will be made righteous." Just some ideas...
Even though we were not in the garden, even though we did not eat of the fruit Adam's act of sin is accorded as our very own. I had often argued at the unfairness of someone blowing it for me. Then I realized that I was not on the cross, I did not die there and suffer for sin, but His single act, is accorded as my very own. Thanks be to God! Reztep@aol.com in MA
I also think I'm heading for verse 18. To justify in printing and typing is to "straighten out" a line of characters so that the margins are the same on both sides (Remember having to count spaces in typing class???) Jesus is the one whose life, death and resurrection came to "straighten out" or justify our relationship with God and each other. Da Rev in MD.
In the middle of the talk about Adam's sin and our corporate involvement in that sin, Paul reminds us of the great imbalance of grace which totally negates all the sin in our lives: our misdeeds, our involvement in original sin, all the cumulative effects of the evil years of humanity. The Greek in v. 15 for abounded is, after all, more accurately "superabounded!" "Grace Greater than Our Sin," indeed!
It occurred to me today between chapel at the nursing home, reading the monthly newspaper from the seminary and my devotions with Chuch Swindoll that the clothed in righteousness stuff and the verses on doing justice mean that the clothes of righteousness we received from Jesus are work clothes meant to be worked in!
Tigger in ND
Another way of translating "justification" is the old english "rightwising." Rather than being brought to a state where all the margins are trim, we are turned in the right direction on the right path. (I apologize fof the dextro-centrism of that passage.) R.J. in ND