If you have been around for any length of time, you’ve probably noticed by now how there are a good number of people in this world who were just born into a home/life of good fortune with no shortage of advantages available to them. Call it ‘privilege’ or whatever...it’s like they hit the ground running two steps ahead of so many others.

Those ‘others’ probably exceed the numbers of the group mentioned above, especially if you look from a global perspective. It can be difficult to wrap our heads around the vast amount of unfortunate conditions, horrific in so many countless cases...that children are born in to; and you don’t need me to itemize nor describe that list for you.

But I hope we could all agree on this one fact: None of us had a single thing to do with the homes/families and the life we were born in to; and I mean nothing, nada, zip! This is one thing that has always made racism so puzzling to me...how could any person think that simply because of their skin color or ethnicity...that they were any ‘better’ than someone different than them...as if anyone had any choice in the matter. But that’s another conversation for another day...

And I’m sure we have all read or heard of those many inspiring stories out there where various individuals have risen above the fray, overcame obstacles and challenges, those unimaginable conditions into which they got their start in life...and made something out of their lives that served as a shining example that anything is possible. Not only have heartwarming movies and books been produced from such stories, but so have all the sappy clichés like: “Life is what you make it”...or “Your past does not determine your future”, etc.

The reason I even bring this all up here today is to lay some groundwork that might explain the ‘condition’ that we humans all found ourselves in when we were born into this world...from a ‘spiritual’ and yes, even a ‘Biblical’ perspective. Hear what I have to say and give it some thought; what you do with this is between you and ‘God’ who is not far off from any of you and desires to reveal Himself to you. Remember...I’m writing to a ‘different audience’ now as I mentioned in my post yesterday. :- ) 

I cited a passage yesterday found in the Book of Acts where the apostle Paul rolled into Athens to share this life changing gospel with a diverse crowd of folks. Athens was a magnet city for many philosophers and intellects and ‘religious idolaters’ from all sorts of backgrounds. We are told that Paul was ‘provoked within himself when he saw the city given over to idols’ (Acts 17:16). And when given an opportunity to address the crowds, he did not need to be asked twice (19-21). You can read the full account in vs. 22-31 on your own, which I’d encourage you to do. I only want to point out a couple of items here, one of them being how he acknowledges seeing among the many objects of worship in that city...a particular altar marked: “To the Unknown God”. This is where Paul launches off wanting to declare to any and all within earshot...just ‘Who’...this God is!

Please given extra attention to vs. 26-27 where he points out how God is/was the creator of heaven and earth and made everything in it. He goes on to add that from one man (Adam) ... God made all the nations and determined their place of origin, where they would exist and when. And we are told He did so with the hope that we would ‘seek the Lord and that we might reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any of us.’ (Remember that point from the other day about that ‘empty hole in our hearts’?)

Having a better understanding as to how we ALL...got our start, from God’s perspective, might better explain why this gospel that Jesus came to preach is such good news for anyone who hears and receives it, and then believes and acts upon it. And can I just tell you there is more to this than simply joining a local church and getting ‘involved’?

One thing is for certain...whether you were born into a ‘white family with a silver spoon in your mouth’ or in the slums of any god-forsaken city where every day was a fight for survival, one thing was uniformly certain...we were born with a propensity to ‘sin’. And it’s NOT...because God made us that way either, nor were we designed to be... ‘sinners’. We just came by it ‘naturally’. This was all a direct result of the ‘fall’ in the garden when Adam and Eve chose their way over God’s way and humanity has been paying the price for it ever since.

But before you want to blame God for being unfair or unreasonable, or extremely unjust for ‘allowing’ such a tragedy to ensue, God has always been there willing to negotiate and re-establish relationship with us through various covenants. I know this may be a ‘sticking point’ for some, and I will trust God to help you work through this, but we were all born ‘spiritually defective’ due to sin that entered the world through one man, Adam. And thus ‘death spread to all men because all have sinned’ (Rom. 5:12). This ‘carnal nature’ was passed down and just like the example I used at the beginning, we simply had no choice in the matter. You want to talk about a ‘level playing field’? You got it right here- we were all ‘fallen’ human beings. We were all ‘dead in our sins and trespasses’ as Paul points out in Ephesians 2:1. And when I say ‘dead’, I am talking about ‘spiritually’ since we were separated from God, which is what sin has always done and will always do (Isa. 59:2).

I know, we always want to bring up sweet ‘innocent babies’ when discussing this topic. Friends...I hope you know there are no two sweeter, more adorable ‘babies’ on the planet that my two grandsons- IYKYK. But can I just tell you I have witnessed early on that selfish and rebellious nature manifest on a regular basis? Every parent knows what I’m talking about here. And yes, we all agree...’nobody is perfect, no one has ever lived a ‘sinless life’ (other than Jesus), and scripture bears this out in that ‘none is righteous and that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory’ (Rom. 3:10-18,23). You might even say that we were all born with or ‘under’ a ‘curse’. But before you get offended and worked up over such an idea...may I again remind you that God has always been there to help us work around this ‘sin problem’. And when He sent Jesus to the earth 2000+ years ago...He had a permanent ‘fix’ in mind. This ‘fix’ or remedy would involve a ‘new birth’ in order that we might receive a ’new nature’ so that we could be free of sinning- i.e. ‘Go and sin no more’ (John 5:14; 8:11).  Yeah...I know- another one of those 'memos' that the majority of the church world didn't get, or else really mudded up the messaging on that. More on that later.

This meant we could be supernaturally and miraculously transformed into a ‘new creation’ (2 Cor. 5:17) which is why Jesus explained we needed to be...’born again...of the Spirit’ (John 3:1-7).

And if you are feeling a tad ‘testy’ or offended by this thought, wanting to reassure yourself that you are just ‘fine’...then clearly, this message is not for you. Jesus was the first to let His listeners know...” “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have not come to call those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” (Mark 2:17). See you tomorrow?