Tuesday 20 October 2009

Background

Perhaps you know someone who has had a difficult past and seemsto find themselves trapped in the same old patterns of destructivebehaviour or low self-esteem. But it doesn't always have to be thatway. In today's passage, Paul tells us that sin and struggle don'thave to be our defining story. Jesus lifts us out of thedestructive cycles of sin and despair, offering us a new way oflife in partnership with him.

Paul was writing to the Christian Church in Rome to encourage themin their faith and explain his teaching to them, since he hadn'tyet been able to pay them a visit. This reading gets to the veryheart of Paul's theology - salvation through faith in Jesus, not byour own endeavours. He speaks of sin having come into the worldthrough "one man" referring to the traditional reading of the storyof humanity's fall from grace in Genesis.

But the story goes on. Just as we have been condemned by theactions of one man (Adam), we have also been rescued from oursinful predicament by the grace of one man - Christ. Paul wasspeaking to a group of people who probably would have interpretedthe Genesis story literally, as many Christians continue to dotoday. But that doesn't render the story meaningless for those whochoose a more poetic interpretation. Paul's core message remainsthe same: sin is no longer our story, we have been redeemed.

Paul wants his readers to be in absolutely no doubt about it -salvation is no one's work but God's. Jesus' death for humanity wasa free gift, given simply out of his incredible love for us. That'swhat makes it grace. When people make mistakes they sometimes say,"Well, I'm only human". But thanks to Jesus the human condition hasbeen redeemed. Of course we sometimes mess up or make bad choices,but perhaps we should be a bit more proud of what we are. Afterall, Jesus thinks we're worth dying for.

To Ponder

What's your story? How does it fit in to thestory of redemption that Christ wants to tell about you?