Romans 5:12-14
12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned— 13 for sin was indeed in the world before the law, but sin is not reckoned when there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam, who is a pattern of the one who was to come.
Paul’s experience is different than ours. Although he did not know Jesus personally before the resurrection, he knew of a time and a faith that practiced before Jesus’s ministry began. Paul was likely born just after Jesus and lived another 30 years after the resurrection. Yet in his lifetime he saw his faith and own life transform after a fateful walk down the road one day. He knew what it was like to live in fear of death, a world without Jesus, and then to live with the freedom that he provided through death.
Having been raised in the church, I have always known who Jesus is. From the time of infancy, most of us have heard the stories of Jesus who not only came to teach us about God but through his death and resurrection gave us salvation. Because we live in a different time, none of us can have an experience like Paul did. And yet even as I was told the stories of Jesus there is a point for all of us when our faith develops and we begin our own personal relationship with God. There is a point for all of us when our faith transforms from stories and shared theology to a relationship with the divine. While none of us know a world without Jesus like Paul did, we can hope for a similar transformation when our faith becomes dynamic and active. We can hope to be alive in our journey and our relationship with God is ever present. Sometimes it starts with simple questions that we can ask ourselves. Where is God working in your life today? What are some ways that you can talk to God daily?
Prayer
God of all time, from the first days of Adam and Eve, you have called us into a relationship with you. While sin and death were concerns for many before us, we can take comfort that through Christ we know that we are eternally loved. In Jesus’ name, Amen.