A Word about Choices from Romans 5:12-21

Today I would like to share a word about choices as I comment on Romans 5:12-21.

Often when we face choices in life, we confront what I call the “Candy Store Syndrome,” in which we have too many choices, and too many options.  The “Candy Store Syndrome,” makes decision making very difficult.  Many life situations are like that and many life decisions are very difficult because we can have too many choices.

In our relationship to God, though, there are only two choices, and if we look closely at what Paul wrote in Romans 5, we'll find that one choice is far superior to the other.

FIRST, WE SEE THE CHOICE OF OFFENSE VS. RECONCILIATION:

In Romans 5:12-16 Paul told us:

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet 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. But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification.

History has demonstrated that the actions of one person can affect many others. That one person can bring great blessings or great trouble on mankind. 

Adolph Hitler and Dr. Albert Sweitzer were both well-known men from Germany who lived in the middle of the 20th Century, but one caused the deaths of millions and the other was a healer and philanthropist. 

Thomas Edison was the inventor of the light bulb, the telephone, the phonograph, and moving pictures, all of which have blessed humanity. On the other hand a single airline mechanic who failed to reassemble the engines on an airliner properly caused all the engines on that plane to suffer the loss of their lubricating oil. That almost cost the lives of all the people on that airliner.

A single person, Adam, brought sin into God's perfect world through pride, arrogance and disobedience. Now we all suffer since world isn't what it was intended to be. 

Jesus, in contrast brought grace, which is the unmerited favor of God, into the world. Grace is a free gift which we don't deserve, and we have to accept it for it to be operative in our lives. Jesus has given us the opportunity to be blessed and to be reconciled with God through receiving His grace.

So, which is more desirable? Would we choose offense and destruction or reconciliation and blessing?

NEXT WE SEE THE CHOICE OF DEATH VS. LIFE: 

In Romans 5:17, Paul gave us another, equally crucial, choice:

For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

The human survival instinct is strong; we will fight, lie, steal, and cheat to stay alive. Only when death appears to be better than life will we let go and give up.

If given choice, no rational person would choose death over life.

Like many tragedies, death came into the world by one man. Now, of course, we know that all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory, and we know that the wages of sin is death. Wages are what you earn.  We have earned death by our sin!

The Good News is that life is available to us, but only through Christ. Only Christ can counteract death by giving us life.  

In John 14:6 Jesus said to Thomas, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 

Paul underlined this key point in Romans 6:4, where he wrote, “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

Only someone with the proper authority and privileges can edit a webpage or use a person’s credit card. The same is true spiritually when it comes to unlocking life for us. Jesus, and only Jesus, is the key.

So, which is better, death or life?’

THIRD, WE SEE JUDGMENT VS. JUSTIFICATION:

In Romans 5:18 Paul asserted:

Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.

In most criminal courts only two verdicts are possible: defendants are either guilty or not guilty. If they are found guilty then they are punished; if they are found not guilty, then they are set free. Legally, the results of a completed trial are very clear cut; they are digital; they are black and white, with no gray area.

In the same way only two verdicts are possible when we stand before God’s judgment. If we are guilty, we face life on earth without God, and eternal damnation. If we are not guilty, we enjoy an abundant life on earth and eternity in heaven. There is nothing gray or shadowy about this choice!

Which would you choose? To remain in Adam is to choose judgment. To enter into Christ is to choose justification.

FINALLY, WE SEE THE CHOICE OF LAW VS. GRACE: 

In Romans 5:19-21, Paul wrote:

For 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. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

An old joke in among Soldiers is that there are only two ways of doing things: the right way, the wrong way, and the Army way. Spiritually, however, we only have two ways of doing things: the easy way or the hard way. The easy way is by grace and the hard way is by the law.

Make no mistake, God’s law is righteous, but it is harsh, and it is an impossible master to please. The law’s best role is to show us our sin and to drive us to seek God’s grace for our salvation.

Make no mistake in this either, only one way brings salvation: the way of grace. Grace places upon us Jesus' righteousness and it makes us perfect in God’s eyes. Grace does what nothing else will: it fits us for heaven.

So, why choose something which won't work?

CONCLUSION:

The term “Hobson’s Choice” is derived from the owner of a livery stable owner in Cambridge, England who rented horses. Thomas Hobson offered his customers the choice of renting the horse in the stall closest to the door of the stable to rent nothing at all. So, the customers really didn’t have a choice, that is, if they wanted to rent a horse.

Although I have posed the discussion above as a series of choices, that really isn’t so, that is if you want to enjoy an abundant life in relationship with God.

Really, the only choice is to do things God’s way. It is a choice I earnestly encourage you to take.

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt