Thursday, July 28, 2022

 

Thursday, July 28, 2022


Psalm 71


Hosea 4:1-9


Romans 5:12-21


But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died through the one man's trespass, much more surely have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for the many.


When Daniel Craig was announced as the new actor to play James Bond, it was interesting to see what unique interpretation he would make on the classic character. What stood out was Bond's new understanding of his “00 license”: the “license to kill”. In the past, it was considered a sort of freedom for the agent; should his life be in danger, he was legally permitted to do whatever it took to get home safely. The new understanding saw it as a great responsibility: much of the new Bond's mental anguish surrounds his wrestling with deciding how and when to make use of his 00 license. A quick decision made for the sake of convenience could mean untold consequences, which Bond now had to take into consideration.


There is a sense in today's readings of the power and breadth of the consequence of one person's decision. Hosea communicates God's displeasure at the priests and prophets leading the children of Israel into evil, with the result of the entire nation being condemned. Paul takes it one step further, and talks about how the first man's sin brought death into the entire world. Look at the thrust of his argument, though. Having established this general principal that one person can change the world, he turns this from a mechanical principal into a moral one. The goodness of God that came through the one God-Man, Jesus Christ, is far greater and more powerful than any evil-but-well-meaning act humans could perform.


Let us consider well this idea God is revealing to us. It comes in two parts. The first part is that the individual has a great power to influence the world around them. The second part teaches us that true power comes from wielding the power of God: grace, forgiveness, righteousness, love. Leave behind the allure of crushing our enemies with harsh words, government policies or physical might. True power comes from the grace of God, which is forgiveness and love.



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