24 October 2023

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. For just as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. 

From Romans 5:12,15,17-21, NRSV

In today’s reading, Paul seeks to help the community in Rome understand more fully the meaning of the passion and death of Christ. He does so by recalling how the sin of Adam brought death into the world. Perhaps Paul is not speaking just of physical death but of the spiritual death that we all experience when sin damages our relationship with God and with others. However damaging the effects of sin may be, Paul wants his readers to know that the disobedience of sin has been overcome by the greater power of Christ’s obedience through his death on the cross. People no longer need to be defined just by Adam’s disobedience but to embrace the new life and identity in Christ. In doing so, they will become part of God’s healing of his Creation.

• • Was Adam’s sin a necessary part of the story of our salvation?
  • What should be our attitude to sin?

Pray for those who feel defined by their sins and who are overwhelmed by feelings of guilt and shame.