Romans 5:12-21

Through Adam, sin entered the world, and through sin, death entered; death because of one man. Would suck to be that man. Worse still, Judas Iscariot. I'm glad God made me me, not Judas Iscariot. Even the Bible says, "it would be better for him if he had not been born". (Matt 26:24b) 

I find that I often categorize sins. Murder or rape would be a big sin. Petty theft or lies are smaller sins. But there are no degrees of sin, any sin results in death. (Romans 6:23a) So are we any better than Adam or Judas Iscariot? We're all worthy of death by God's standards. But often, we aim for human standards and fall short of God's glory -- we sin, we're worthy of death. God, who is sinless, has the authority to condemn us. But out of love, He spares us, just like He spared the adulterous woman. (John 8:1-8) 


Knowing this, why do we continue to indulge in our sin? We know that with each sin we commit, we're nailing Christ on the cross. Does the fact that Jesus died for every sin we will commit mean that we should allow ourselves to sin to our hearts' desire? No. If my friend treats me to dinner, I wouldn't be cheap and order everything on the menu -- I would be abusing my friend's gift. God provided a way out from death, I can't be cheap and abuse God's gift. 

I've always questioned why God would put the tree of knowledge of good & evil in the Garden of Eden. He knew that Adam & Eve would sin, so why tempt them? I guess v. 20-21 answers it. 

"The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Sonia