Romans 5:19: For As By The One Man's Disobedience The Many Were Made Sinners

Romans 5:19
[19] For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. (ESV)

Obedience. That is a difficult word for all of us. To obey means to do what someone else demands of us. It requires us to give them authority in our lives. Let's consider Adam's situation again. His disobedience caused many, all of mankind, to become sinners. That is a serious consequence for disobedience.

Adam was told that he could not eat of a certain tree in the Garden of Eden. Think about that for a moment. One tree. That was the sum total of restrictions placed on Adam. He could eat from all the other trees in the Garden. I am sure that there was a wealth of options for him when it came to what he could eat. What does he do? Eats from the one tree he was told not to.

If you have a child you can probably identify with Adam. You know that if you tell your child that they cannot do something or have something that is the very thing they will want more than anything else. A command to obey gets us at our core. It requires us to submit to authority over us. In Adam's case, and in our case, a call to obedience requires us to humble ourselves.

Consider Jesus. He was the ultimate example of humility. He always did what the Father desired. Consider a very different Garden. It was in the Garden of Gethsemane that Jesus said to his Heavenly Father, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). His obedience made many righteous.

God calls all men to repentance. The way to salvation and eternal life is through obedience to God's way. Will you obey and be made righteous? Or will you disobey and remain in your sin. I invite you to obedience.