Have you ever wondered about the fairness of being condemned with the rest of humanity because of the sin of Adam and Eve? Think about – did you have anything to do with the choices made by Adam and Eve? I know I didn’t! And yet because of their sin we are all born in sin and under the same curse. It is just not fair.
We must be very careful about this type of thinking because it is a trap. Our culture today is full of this type of reasoning. We see it everywhere – in the media, in sports, in entertainment. Our culture screams, “it is not my fault!” It seems no one is ever willing to take responsibility for their own actions.
Do you remember the story of Ethan Couch? In 2016 the 16-year-old Couch stole some beer, got drunk and then went for a drive. It was during this drunken drive that he killed four people and left one of his friends paralyzed in the accident. This was a terrible tragedy born out of a series of poor decisions. Ethan made poor decisions that night but he was anything but poor. During his trial a psychologist suggested that growing up with money might have left him with psychological afflictions, too rich to tell right from wrong. And just like that the “affluenza” defense was born.
We as humans seem to have an unlimited ability to find new ways to proclaim: It is not my fault! For any one of us to claim we should not be responsible for the actions of Adam and Eve is to deny our own sinfulness. The Scriptures are clear that we are all sinners. We are all guilty of sin. If you or I had been the first humans created we too would have sinned just like Adam and Eve. So, it is in fact fair and just that we are under the same curse.
With that said there is still a great unfairness that must be mentioned. This unfairness is found in Romans 5:12-21.
12 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— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The fact that Jesus’ perfect righteousness can lead to my justification and eternal life is absolutely mind blowing. And it is totally unfair that Jesus took my place. It is unfair that he suffered and died instead of me. It is unfair that he was mocked and ridiculed and made a public spectacle of when I deserved all those things…and so did you.
This is why God’s grace is such an amazing thing. Because of grace, we do not get what we deserved. Instead we get the very thing we do not deserve. We get forgiveness, acceptance and eternal life – all by faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Let your focus today be on the amazing grace and love demonstrated through Christ’s work. If we can keep our focus on this great truth we will not be like those who refuse to take responsibility but will be people who can rejoice in all circumstances because of what God has done for us through the Lord Jesus Christ!
It may not be fair but it is the hope and power of the Gospel.