February 29, 2020
Romans 5:12-19 … “Therefore 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.” vs. 18
In Paul’s estimation, the Gospel can be understood logically. Just as Adam’s sin led to condemnation for all, so Jesus’ righteous act leads to life for all! In his mind, it’s as simple as that! Now we might find good reasons to argue with Paul’s syllogism, but there’s a strong appeal to his argument. In essence he’s saying that sin is like an un-contained and deadly virus that has spread unabated through every time and place. We’re all infected! There is no vaccine and all quarantines have proved ineffective, but the righteousness of Jesus has all the qualities of a benevolent virus and can be an effective antidote! Like sin, it will ultimately infect all people, but it will bring life and light to all. Even now we can see it spreading through the world as it passes from one person to another through infectious smiles and acts of love. Of course we would like to see it spread more quickly, we’ve gotten pretty tired of the ugly symptoms of sin that we see popping up all around. The trick is staying hopeful and getting out where people are; we won’t infect anyone with grace and mercy if we hang out in our little righteous pockets. Sin is virulent, but it’s really not a match for love!
Thought for the Day: Where did I “catch” righteousness?
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