The Result Of Rebellion

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ.
–Ephesians 2:4-5

Round one of the battle between God and Satan was Satan’s plan to deceive Adam and Eve. What was the result of Adam and Eve’s rebellion? Not only did it affect the first couple, it affected every human being since their time. It affects you and me today. How is that possible? In Romans 5:12, Paul explained, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.” The Bible says all of us who are born into this world have inherited a sin virus. How can you know you have been infected with this virus? Here is the first symptom: you will die one day. The fact that everybody dies–men and women, adults and children–is proof that everyone has inherited the sin virus. Sin entered into the world, and death spread to all men. Why? Paul said, “Because all sinned.” Notice he used the past tense, not the present tense. The reason we die and face separation from God is because in some inexplicable way, when Adam sinned the whole race sinned.

That is hard for people to understand. How is it that you and I sinned when Adam sinned? Theologians have two theories about that. One is called seminal headship, which says we were genetically present in Adam when he sinned, so we sinned as well. Other people believe in what is called federal headship. They say, “Adam represented the rest of the human race, and when Adam cast his vote to rebel against God he was casting a vote for you and for me.” I do not know the answer. But I do know that when you and I were born into this world, we were not born friends of God or a part of God’s kingdom. No one is born into this world morally neutral. We have all been infected with sin and we are born into this world as a part of Satan’s kingdom, not God’s kingdom.

As a result, God could have turned His back on creation. He could have abandoned us to suffer the consequences of our sin. But that is not what happened. The Bible says when God looked down on the plight of that first couple who had been deceived into sin, He was moved with love and compassion. Ephesians 2:4-5 says, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).” Why did God save you and me? I have heard people say, “God saved us because He was lonely in heaven,” or “God saved us because we were worth saving. He saw some good thing in us that merited His salvation.” Is that what the Bible says? No. The Bible says even when we were dead in our sins, God for no other reason than His great love for us sent Christ to die for us. Your salvation had absolutely nothing to do with you. It had everything to do with the goodness, compassion, and mercy of God. That is the gospel message. When God saw our predicament, He instigated a plan to save us.

Today’s devotion is excerpted from “War Of The Worlds” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2010.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.