Down to Earth: A Christmas Devotional JourneySample

Day 12: The Second Adam

Reflection

When Christians talk about their faith with people who don’t follow Jesus, they get a range of responses. Some hostility, some interest – and fairly often, something along the lines of, "Well, what’s important is that we’re all basically good to each other."

It’s not a bad-sounding idea on the surface. But eventually, we have to ask whether it’s actually realistic. Writing his letter to the Roman Church, Paul says that because sin entered the world through one man (Adam), death, destruction, and sin came to all. Pridefulness, jealousy, lust, selfishness (I could go on) can be found in in all human beings if we scrub down far enough, manifested in ever-so-slightly different ways.

That means the idea that what matters is trying to be good people falls flat on its face – because ultimately, deep down, we aren’t. We can’t stand before the Creator, in all His dazzling Perfection, in our own "goodness". We just aren’t good enough. We need to be rescued.

But, of course, there is good news. There’s extremely good news. There’s news so good it changes what kind of brother, sister, parent, child, colleague, friend, or neighbor we are.

Because, as Paul states, just as death and sin entered the world in one man (Adam), so too through another man (Jesus) Life and Hope entered the world too.

All that matters, then, when we find ourselves chatting away to someone about the things of the Universe, is whose inheritance we choose. Adam’s sin, death, and destruction. Or Jesus’ Light, Life, and Hope.

Prayer

God of The Rescue, let me be convinced again today of the Good News we celebrate at Christmas time. Help me look mercifully upon those living Adam’s way, and demonstrate to them the Way of Jesus. Amen.