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.
--Romans 5:12
Reflecting on the horrific attacks that forever scared our nation fourteen years ago today, it reminds me that tragedy can strike without warning. When it does, it often leaves people and even nations devastated.
The first tragedy in history occurred the day both Adam and Eve ate the fruit God had forbidden. I that moment, the tragedy of sin struck with full force bringing evil and destruction into the world.
And the impact of that tragedy is still being felt today as their sin has been passed from generation to generation to every human being.
As I look at this greatest of all tragedies, it reminds me that when someone sins, it usually impacts others. It’s almost impossible to think of a sin or anything evil that does not affect a larger group than just the person involved. Unfortunately, the tragedy of sin is that it is often felt from generation to generation.
There is a word of hope, though, that is given to us by the apostle Paul when he tells us in Romans 5 that Jesus conquered sin by His obedient life and atoning death. If you are in Christ, you don’t have to allow sin to get an iron-clad grip on you. Even though your life is continually impacted by the devastation of Adam and Eve’s sin, you can stand victorious over it and be a beacon of life and hope to others who have felt the tragic effects of sin in their life.
So take time today to thank God for His gift of salvation from sin through His Son, Jesus Christ. And determine…through the power of the Holy Spirit…to live in the victory that God has given you!
Through tragedy, shine His light into our world.
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.”
Luke 12:1–3
Charles Lindbergh was one of the most famous and admired men in the world. Following his solo flight across the Atlantic in 1927, he gained world renown. His fame only increased after the tragic kidnapping and death of his oldest child. People looked up to Lindbergh and admired him as a man of virtue and character. What they did not know—what was not revealed until nearly thirty years after his death—was that Lindbergh had seven illegitimate children scattered across Europe. With great shock Lindbergh’s youngest daughter from his marriage wrote, “This story reflects absolutely Byzantine layers of deception on the part of our shared father.”
The temptation to hide and cover our sin rather than dealing with it goes all the way back to the fig leaves Adam and Eve wore as they hid from God in the Garden of Eden. We will try almost anything to avoid having to admit that we have done wrong. And there are times when it seems like we are succeeding at getting away with sin. But that is merely an illusion. God does not always immediately bring to light what we have done and punish us as we deserve. Sometimes He gives us grace and forbearance to see if we will return to Him on our own. However, if we insist on allowing our sin to remain, it will eventually become known.
Today’s Growth Principle:
The only way to deal with sin is not to hide it, but to repent and confess and forsake it quickly.
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