When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, choosing sin over life at the beginning of the human epoch, they wrecked all of mankind, as we now know it, from that day until Jesus appears a second time. In that moment of selfish misjudgment they tainted the character of every human being that followed after them, and robbed each of us of true life. Not only did the decision of Adam and Eve rob us of our physical lives in the sense that we will all physically die, but it robbed us of a quality of life, free from the chains and toils placed on us by our sinful nature and our resistance to God and his ways. Humanity was perfect and at peace, but because of that terrible original bad decision we are corrupted to such a point that now there is no one righteous — not even one (Psalm 14:1-3, Romans 3:10-12). So twisted are human beings that we commonly encourage others to walk in sin, instead of obedience and life (Romans 1:32). Now, we are constantly at war with ourselves, each other, and God.
But God loved us enough to send us a savior who would snatch us from the grasp of sin, and change us back into that which God had originally made perfect. Incredibly, our savior didn’t just serve as a rescuer, but he also serves as an example (1 John 3:16, 1 Peter 2:21, 1 John 2:6). We are to walk as he walked, to have the heart that he had, and to do the things he did. One of the examples that Jesus left us is found in a prophesy of his purpose: “to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace (Luke 1:79).”
If we are to follow that example, then we will actively make efforts to discipline ourselves, and one of the things that we should discipline ourselves to do is to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide them in the way of peace. In other words, we are to disciple people so that they can walk like Jesus walked, and to regain the image every man woman and child was originally intended to bear. If you make the decision truly to follow Jesus, then you will be reversing the terrible consequence of Adam and Eve and their terrible choice. Your decision will help to restore to humanity, what Adam and Eve’s decision robbed it of: an eternal quality of life.
John tells us explicitly that if we say we live in God, that we should walk like Jesus walked (1 John 2:6). Jesus’s greatest life moment may have been his death at the cross, and his resurrection three days later, but his everyday walk was concerned with guiding others and making disciples. Are you walking like that? How so? If not, what can you do to reorient your walk? When will you do it?
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