Power and Love of God

Christine Wyrtzen Devotional

STUCK IN UNFAIRNESS

Death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. Romans 5:14

Paul doesn’t let up!  For ten verses he hammers this point about me being related to Adam.  I was one with Adam.  I suffered because of Adam’s sins.  I was judged ‘in Adam’.  That doesn’t seem fair.  You mean that I was born under God’s condemnation because an ancient relative sinned?  The answer is yes and it’s easy to get stuck there.  Most do.

I think of my ancestors, the ones that I did know.  Their sins infected our family, even three generations down the line.  This principle is true whether we’re talking about Adam or our great grandparents.  We suffer the consequences of those who lived before us.  Is our predicament without hope?  Is God that unfair?  Without an understanding of why Jesus came, God can seem like a tyrant.

The moment Adam and Eve sinned, God put a plan in motion for a Savior, a plan He conceived before the earth was ever created.  Jesus was called “the Lamb” before there was time so God’s extravagant love pre-dates the creation of man.  Wouldn’t I be moved to discover that my earthly father cherished me enough before I was born to make provision for my every need for as long as I would live?  I would be endeared forever to him.  God has taken care of me, prior to my birth, for my life here on this earth and for all eternity.

The moment I chose Christ, the consequences of Adam’s sin in my life died and I was unified with Jesus.  Because He is sinless and has always been sinless, there are no ancestral sins to dread.  Only abundant life, only the fruit of His righteousness.

From Adam ~ to Christ.  Such a short phrase but one that speaks volumes about the power and love of God.

I know, Lord, how painful it is to suffer because of a family’s sin.  But you made a way out. I live in You, the righteous Savior in whom I have nothing to dread.  Thank you!  Amen