Nibble or Mouth-full

The apostle Paul was not referring to physical death when he wrote: “For I was alive without the law once, but when the law came, sin revived, and I died” (Romans 7:9). Earth’s first couple were sinless and would have lived forever, walking and talking with God, but they chose to bite into the forbidden fruit, disobeying God’s instructions—one wrong choice. In that instant, their physical bodies began to die. More importantly, they died spiritually; their disobedience—sin—severed perfect harmony with God. All humanity has or will take a bite of what God said is wrong, a choice that severs us from the Father.

Paul wanted to obey God, but his sinful nature's struggle disrupted his obedience. He asked who would free him from sin’s consequences, devouring his life, and then thanked God, knowing the answer is Jesus Christ, our Lord (vs. 21–25), whose shed blood paid the world’s sin debt. We, too, struggle with sin’s grip and the answer for release is still the same—Jesus, God’s gift for everlasting life with Him. When sinners ask God to forgive their sins and invite Jesus into their life, they are born again, adopted into His family; brought back into harmony with the Creator who loves them; back into that innocent state before they first disobeyed Him. Though the sin struggle still exists, we have the Father, who forgives sinners, His Son, who died for us, rescuing us daily, and the Holy Spirit living in us, securing our salvation and helping us live victoriously. As we celebrate Jesus’ birth, thank God that He sent His Son to seek and save this lost and dying world (Luke 19:10).