It’s Good to Have Options

While I was doing my morning devotions, I was reflecting on Christian freedom and what it means for my daily life and vocation. There are those who would say that emphasizing Christian freedom will lead to an abuse of the Gospel or an attempt to eliminate the Law from the life of the Christian. As history has shown, this is a valid concern, but this morning I was less concerned about the abuse of freedom and more interested in the gift it provides - multiple options. In many ways, we are born without options for when Adam made his choice, he made it for us all.

¹²Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned— ¹³for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. ¹⁴Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.

¹⁵But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! ¹⁶Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. ¹⁷For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

¹⁸Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. ¹⁹For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. Romans 5:12-19

While this is nothing new, it struck me in a way that it I had never considered. As a Christian, I now have the option of choosing to fulfill the will of God. No longer is disobedience my only option. Because of the new life I have been given in Christ, I can choose obedience. Now I guess the struggle really begins. It’s always easier to choose when you only have one choice and the option of obedience is one that requires the strength and motivation that only the Holy Spirit can provide, but none-the-less I do have options. With all this talk about sanctification, the two kinds of righteousness, and the third use of the Law, I now realize that my new life in Christ “simply” means that I have an option that I didn’t have before - the option of saying “yes” to God’s will. The Second Adam through His obedience has given back what the First Adam through his disobedience took away. Maybe I’ve made the Christian life more complex than it needs to be. So when I am tempted to speak or act as if I don’t have any other choice, maybe I should stop and consider my options. What options do I have as a forgiven child of God that I didn’t have before? What are my options for obedience?