One Man!
Romans 5:15 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.
Does one man or one woman make a difference? Yes they do! They can make a big difference for good or for evil.
This wise woman saved a city
2 Samuel 20:22 Then the woman in her wisdom went to all the people. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and threw it out to Joab. Then he blew a trumpet, and they withdrew from the city, every man to his tent. So Joab returned to the king at Jerusalem.
One woman in her wisdom saved a city.
Esther saved a nation
Esther 4:16 “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!”
Esther’s guardian Mordecai said that all the events leading up to this point was so that she could be the deliverer of the Jews who were in captivity under the Medes and the Persians. She was willing to risk dying in order to save her people. And of course, because of her they were saved.
David saved a nation
1 Samuel 17:45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
David, a shepherd, was willing to use the ability God had given him in caring for sheep to resist a very big giant in the valley of Elah. He did what Saul a man of war would not or perhaps could not do.
But one man’s disobedience has also made a difference
When Adam sinned, he affected all mankind. By one man’s offense many (or all) died. We could mention others who had great influence in leading others into sin. Achan who took what belonged to the Lord in the battle of Jericho comes to mind. In Joshua 7, there were 36 men of war plus Achan’s family who lost their lives because of his covetousness. Achan’s family may very well have known that treasure had been hidden in Achan’s tent, but the soldiers who died surely did not know why they were being defeated. Another person who comes to mind is Korah who wanted a position in Israel that belonged to Moses. He and his family and those who supported his rebellion died in the events recorded in Numbers 16.
The grace of one man
I really enjoy the stories of those who stood against family and friends and popular opinion to be a blessing to those around them. And of course the best story ends on a cross where the grace of One Man (the Lord Jesus) has been offered to the many so that sin doesn’t have to win. In this life, the majority is usually wrong. The popular way is generally not God’s way. What seems right is generally not what is right. The Lord stood against the mob. The mob was led by religious people. All his disciples forsook Him and fled. When He suffered on that cross, He suffered alone. Even His Father forsook Him. But it was all that He might defeat the power of darkness and sin and offer grace to sinners. Grace is a gift that we don’t deserve. The Lord died so that sinners might live.
The Lord was a real man and that one man made a difference. In a practical way, are we going to be that “one man” or “one woman” who makes a difference in a world that has by and large rejected the true Messiah? If we are going to make a difference, it won’t be by forcing an unbelieving world to live like Christians. It will be by showing unbelievers in this world how to become Christians. It will be by proclaiming the grace of God so that sinners can receive the grace that God offers through His Son. And that grace is eternal life. Individuals can be changed and freed from the bondage of sin, but the world is under the dominion of Satan and will not be changed until the Lord Himself comes to rule in righteousness.
Bruce Collins
Meditation for the week of November 2, 2014