“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned.” Romans 5:12
It’s one tiny little word that altered the whole story of humanity. Too often we talk around it, try to deny it, hide it, or wish it away, but the truth remains: sin is real. Since Adam and Eve, every person has come into a world broken by sin, bearing the burden of a sin nature. Pastor Sam Storms explains why every sin is so deadly (Romans 6:23).
“It’s all about understanding the character of God. If God is infinitely beautiful and glorious, the most wonderful treasure in all the universe, then what does it say about us that we refuse to acknowledge that? What does it say when we refuse to obey Him and worship Him? In fact, we try to make up our own rules that are in complete defiance of the reality He has revealed. We do what we think is right, in complete contrast to what God says is right.”
“There’s often an attempt to quantify sin, and just do a few more good deeds than bad. But even one act of sin is an act of cosmic treason, deserving of eternal death. If we see that as injustice, we’ve not fully grasped the immeasurable holiness of God, and that He is so worthy to be honored and adored by His creatures; we only live by virtue of His mercy in the first place.”
This denial of reality causes us all to be separated from God, a spiritual death, as well as physical destruction. Mankind is trapped–unable to break free of the bondage we create. Until the overwhelming love of Jesus comes in.
“Adam is viewed as the one man through whom sin ultimately entered into the world. But there is another man: the Lord Jesus. He overcomes Adam’s sin legacy through His obedience. That’s the good news. The Gospel truth in Romans 5 is not just the bad news of sin in the world, but this incredible statement for us:
“Just as one sin resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man (Jesus), the many will be made righteous…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.” Romans 5:18-21
That is the best news of all: our perfect God confronted the ugliness of our sin head-on. He did what we could not do: He conquered death itself to restore us to life in Him.
“God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21
Sam Storms is founder of Enjoying God Ministries, which provides biblical and theological resources to the body of Christ. He is also the senior pastor of Bridgeway Church in Oklahoma City and a former professor. Storms travels both in the United States and abroad, speaking at churches and conferences. He is the author of over two-dozen books.
For more on this subject, check out Sam’s blog, “10 Things You Should Know About Original Sin.“
The truth about sin - Sam Storms
