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Romans 5:12-14 (NIV)
12 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.
Canons of Dordt
Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election
Article 1 - God's right to condemn all people
Since all people have sinned in Adam
and have come under the sentence of
the curse
and eternal death,
God would have done no one an injustice if it had been his will
to leave the entire human race in sin and under the curse,
and to condemn them on account of their sin.
As the apostle says:
“The whole world is liable to the condemnation of God” (Rom. 3:19),
“All have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23), and
“The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23).
Summary
You don't need to wonder why things are the way they are; why it is that our world is filled with so much misery, pain, and worst of all death. All of these horrors stem from one primary source: sin. Sin is a familiar word that gets used often, something that's generally understood to be a bad action or evil deed, as one Greek dictionary defines the original word that Paul used here.
But that same dictionary gives two additional definitions that are critical to fully understand this condition which has infected our world:
sin = a failing to hit the mark; as in when an archer doesn't just miss the bull's eye, but misses the target altogether. This is what Paul has in mind when he writes that sin was not charged against anyone's account before the law was given. The sin was still there, but the law (target) was not as well defined until Moses relayed God's Law.
sin = an error of the understanding; If you read along with us last year, you'll remember how often we noticed the Bible explaining that sin has completely compromised our ability to think correctly. Therefore we gravely misunderstand who God is and what His expectations are.
The source sin, and all of the problems it introduced is singular. Paul writes, sin entered the world through one man: Adam.
Today's passage may seem depressing and hopeless - because of sin, death now reigns - but don't miss the massive good news in the final verse: Adam is a pattern of the One to come.
Dig Deeper
The internet is likely full of blogs & podcasts today optimistic about the coming year encouraging you to finally make 2025 the year that you overcome your issues and problems simply by manifesting a positive outcome. But this isn't your first new year's celebration. You've been here before, filled with resolutions and ambitious goals, yet each subsequent year turned out more or less the same as the years that preceded it.
So we're not starting the year with a bunch of senseless optimism here at Unfading Truth. Rather we're going to ground ourselves in the cold, hard truth: 2025 will have just as many, if not more, problems as last year and the years before. We can be certain of this because Paul here helps us recognize why this is: the world is contaminated with sin and the resulting curse.
But neither are we beginning the year as pessimists. We know where not to look for hope - we won't find it in ourselves, since we're all sons and daughters of Adam. And we know where to find true and lasting hope: in the One Adam was a pattern of - the new Adam, our Savior, Jesus Christ.
This year we're focusing on God's sovereign grace, which is Stronger than I am. We're going to see how tightly we are held in God's saving hands, and how that enables you to live with confidence, even in this broken, fallen world.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who made our salvation possible by sending His Son to become a new and better Adam who hit God's mark;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you grow in the knowledge God's sovereign, saving grace as we spend this next year working through the Canons of Dordt;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Starts again on January 1
How does seeing sin as 'missing the mark' or a 'misunderstanding' change the way you think about your relationship with God? (Use comment box below)
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