Wednesday 17 April 2024

Psalm 119:17-32

Background

How do we find forgiveness? It’s a question many Christians have wrestled with and today we share in Paul’s wrestling on this issue.

Paul takes us back to Adam as the first human being. His focus here is on the story of Adam’s sin as it is told in Genesis 3. Humans ate the fruit of the one forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden and rejected the supremacy of the Creator God. This act of disobedience changed the nature of creation, creating a space for sin to enter and spoil what had previously been perfect. Sin is seen as rather like a virus, spreading rapidly until it touches every part of God’s creation. Nothing can escape its power. It corrupts every human activity, even that which is good in its origin. Human beings are unable and, often, unwilling to resist its deadly power, so that all are caught up in a chain of troubles leading to condemnation and death. Adam is a kind of ‘everyman’, the mould from which every human being is formed. Paul said a little earlier in this letter, "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

But against this, Paul sets the liberating power of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the one who acts in righteousness, able to overcome sin and its corruption. Writing to the Corinthians, Paul describes Jesus as ‘the second Adam’ (1 Corinthians 15:45). Jesus is Adam as he should have been, turning away from the pressure of sin rather than giving in to it, breaking the old mould and creating a new one.

This is seen in the story of the Temptations which begins Jesus' public ministry (Matthew 4:1-11), but above all it emerges in his acceptance of the death which is God’s will for him. Jesus’ ability to say no to sin creates an alternative way of being where sin has no more power. Just as Adam’s sin opened the way for sin to infect the whole creation, so Jesus’ rejection of sin opens the way to a new way of life, free from sin, for all who believe in him.

This way of telling the story presupposes certain things which may sound surprising to modern readers. Was Adam a real person for Paul? Did he think of sin as a sort of independent power? In making sense of his thought here, it’s important to remember that he did not write from a modern post-Enlightenment perspective. We need to enter into Paul's thought-world and do our best to understand, then go on to ask "how do we make sense of this for our lives in the here and now?" How do Paul’s pictures of sin and righteousness help us affirm ‘Jesus is Lord’?

To Ponder:

• How far do you agree with Paul’s view that every human activity is spoilt by the power of sin?
• What links do you see between Paul’s explanation of forgiveness here and Jesus’ teaching that we should pray "forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us" (Matthew 6:12)?

Prayer
Gracious God, your forgiveness wipes away our sin and recreates the world you first made for us. Help us to acknowledge our place as part of your creation, and to live joyfully in obedience to you as our Creator, following Jesus, who broke the power of sin through his perfect obedience to your will and opened the way for us to live in the freedom of your love. Amen.

Bible notes author: The Revd Dr Caroline Wickens
Caroline currently serves as Superintendent for the Manchester Circuit. She has previously worked in theological education in the UK and overseas, mainly teaching biblical studies, and enjoys exploring the ways in which theological studies interact with life in the circuit.