Romans 5:9-21
“The Great Disease”

Greater Than / Less Than

As we read the passage for this morning, we may notice that Paul is using a certain kind of logical argument here.  Do you remember, from early math, the “greater than” and “less than” signs?  Paul’s making an assumption from the start, and we can use these signs to describe grace and sin.

Paul’s logic:  GRACE > SIN – that is, “grace is greater than sin.”

Is this true?  We know it theologically – God’s love and grace will conquer in the end.  But sin and death are awfully powerful forces.  Last time anyone checked, there was still a 100% mortality rate for sin.  Can it really be true that grace is greater than death?  That forgiveness is greater than sin?

It’s true on a theological scale.  And we can prove it by looking at our own lives.

Pretend someone does something to hurt you (not hard to pretend, is it?).  The wrong done (we’ll call it a “sin” against you) always has consequences, it’s true.  It hurts, and very little if anything can be done to take the hurt away.

We have all kinds of possible reactions to this wrong against us.  We could retaliate and get revenge – that’s a popular response.  But that doesn’t make things right – in fact, it usually just leads to more revenge and more hurt.  We could simply choose to remove ourselves from that situation or relationship – this is also a popular, and much easier response.  But this doesn’t solve the problem either – it just allows the hurt to fester, eventually turning into bitterness and hate toward most everyone and everything.  Again, more hurt results.

Sin and wrong seem very powerful indeed, don’t they?  Nearly every response to a “sin” against us only serves to bring about more hurt and more wrong.

Every response except one:  Love.

Love the “Anti-Virus”

What if, in response to the wrong you’ve suffered, you decided to offer forgiveness to that person and restore the relationship?  It’s not easy, that’s for sure.  But notice what can happen as a result.  The bitterness and anger you feel are released.  The person who has wronged you may or may not want to be forgiven, but chances are they’ll be VERY surprised at your response.  The cycle of wrong and hurt is broken.

Grace and forgiveness are difficult – but they can AWAYS overcome the wrong.

Remember the old expression, “never bring a knife to a gun fight?”  No matter what we do in life, we want to have the most powerful weapons and resources.  If you’re a football team, you want to have the best plays and players.  If you’re an army, you want to have the best soldiers and weapons.  If you’re in business, you want to have the best product and the best plan.  It’s true of nearly every endeavor we undertake as human beings – it’s always wiser to use the best resources when we have a choice.

That’s why Jesus consistently tells us to sow love and grace, instead of wrong and hate.  That’s why he told us to love our enemies and turn the other cheek.  That’s why he didn’t speak in anger when he was falsely accused, or strike out at those who were trying to hurt him.  That’s why he always tells us to FORGIVE, FORGIVE, FORGIVE…

Because he knows that forgiveness is more powerful than wrong.  He wants us to use the most powerful resource available to us.

This is where Paul’s logic works its magic.  If sin is powerful enough to work its way into every human being and every human undertaking, if sin is powerful enough to lead to death… and if grace is more powerful, then how much more powerful must be the effects of grace?

If it’s true that sin and death entered and poisoned the world through one man (Adam), how much MORE true is it that GRACE and FORGIVENESS will enter the world through one man (Jesus)?

Spreading the “Anti-Virus”

As I prepared for the sermon this week, I did some research on viruses and infectious diseases.  I ended up finding out a lot more than I’d wanted to know.  I learned about how viruses can work to find weaknesses in our immune system, and there are some deadly viruses that can even turn our immune systems against us.  I learned how there are hosts – people or animals who are infected with the disease and can infect others – and vectors, people or animals who are not infected themselves, but can still carry the virus and infect others.

I read about outbreaks, epidemics and pandemics.  I learned how doctors and scientists must proceed in order to deal with these problems – identify, treat and prevent.  And it made me think of what Paul’s talking about here in Romans, and how the disease of sin has spread.

[Here, in the service, I had everyone get up and shake hands, with directions to remember all the people whose hands they shook.  Next, after everyone was seated, I asked everyone to check under their pews and look for a piece of paper I'd taped there.  One lady found the green paper, and I asked her to stand.  "Now imagine," I said, "that she has one of the worst new viruses ever discovered and she didn't know it.  And one of the ways you transfer it is by shaking hands.  Who here shook hands with Mrs. Thompson?"  I had these stand, and then those who shook their hands, and so on - so that eventually, nearly the entire congregation was standing.]

See how easily a virus can spread?  And all we have to do to contract the disease of sin, is to be born!

If I were to ask, “What kinds of things do we do in order to keep from getting a virus?”  I’m sure I’d get a lot of good ideas.  We can wash our hands, take plenty of medicines and vitamins to boost our immune system.  We can take vaccines and use measures to avoid specific illnesses.  In extreme cases, we might even avoid contact with other people.

But now imagine someone had a virus that attacked and killed the other virus, and did not harm the host.  If we had that virus in this room, and we knew that the world was dying out there, what would we do?  We’d act exactly the opposite from before – we’d go out and try to see as many people as we could, to give them the “anti-virus.”  We’d take steps that would insure we’d “infect” everyone we came into contact with.

It doesn’t take a genius to see where this is going…

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