The Power of One
0 comments | Posted by Steven Layson on 09 May 2010 in From Steve's Study ::
Isn’t it amazing the difference one person can make? Some people have made such an impact on our world that everything is different because of them.
For instance, just consider the impact Thomas Edison has made through the invention of the lightbulb. Or, in the field of entertainment, just think how different things would be if John Logie Baird hadn’t invented the Television. What would our hospitals look like if it hadn’t been for people like Florence Nightingale, who first saw the link between hygiene and sickness in patients. Or, think how different our lives would look if Karl Benz hadn’t invented the car, or the Wright Brothers the aeroplane! Some people have been the instruments of huge leaps forward for peace (think Nelson Mandela & Ghandi), while others have been instruments of great harm to countless millions (like Hitler, Pol Pot etc).
In Romans 5 we meet two men whose input makes all of these people look like nobodies! Firstly Adam, the first man, who in the Garden of Eden chose to turn his back on God, & in so doing brought sin and death to all people. As a result of that first sin, all people have likewise been infected with the disease of sin and now stand as objects of God’s wrath (as we saw in Rom 3:10-12).
The second man that Paul brings to our attention, however, has the greatest impact of all. Though sin and death came into the world through one man, they were both defeated through the life and death of this second man – Jesus. Through his death, he has defeated the power of darkness in our world and has opened the way to life for all people. Without him, we would all be lost, but with him we have hope, joy and a sure future.
The amazing thing about what Jesus did, is that he did it for those who didn’t want to know him. Just ponder those amazing words from Rom 5:6-8: “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
What a difference! What a love! What a saviour!
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