LESSONS OF THE COKE BOTTLE : December 9 TUESDAY

[cimi]

December 9
Tuesday


LESSONS OF THE
COKE BOTTLE

READ:
Romans 5:15-21
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Where sin abounded,
grace abounded much
more. __Romans 5:20
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Pastor Louie was preaching on the pervasiveness of sin. "It's everywhere!" he stated emphatically. He told about waiting for a traffic light when he saw the man in the car in front of him finish his Coke, open the door, set the glass bottle on the street, and drive away.

"That was wrong!" Louie said. "It was a selfish sin! He oculd have caused someone to have a flat tire or even and accident." We don't typically think of littering as sin, but it is clear evidence of our inherent selfishness.

Later, as Louie was greeting people by the door, a Bible professor at a local Christian university said quietly as he walked by, "Sin puts the bottle on the street, but grace picks it up."

Now, many years later, Louie has not forgotten the lesson of that scriptural principle. It comes right out of Romans 5, one of the most uplifting texts in the Bible describing the grace of God. Adam's transgression brought sin into the world (v.12), and its consequences spread to all people. But God responded with grace, offering forgiveness through His Son to all who choose to believe. The human race sinned, and God answered with aoubnding grace (v.20).

God does much more than just "pick up the bottle," He cleanses the heart of the transgressor! __Dave Egner
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``````````````````Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,````````````
```````````````````Freely bestowed on all who believe!````````````
```````````````````You that are longing to see His face,````````````
``````````````Will you this moment His grace receive? __Johnston````
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Confession of sin is the soil
in which forgiveness flourishes.

**************Today's Bible Reading __ Romans 5:15-21***********

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.

16 And the gift is not like
that which came through
the one who sinned. For
the judgment which came
from one offense resulted
in condemnation, but the
free gift which came from
many offenses resulted
in justification. 17 For if
by the one man's offense
death reigned through the
one, much more those
who receive abundance
of grace and of the gift of
righteousness will reign in
life through the One, Jesus
Christ.

18 Therefore, as through
one man's offense judgment
came to all men, resulting
in condemnation, even
so through one Man's
righteous act the free gift
came to all men, resulting
in justification of life.

10 For as by one man's
disobedience many were
made sinners, so also by
one Man's obedience many
will be made righteous.

20 Moreover the law
entered that the offense
might abound. But where
sin abounded, grace
abounded much more, 21 so
that as sin reigned in death,
even so grace might reign
through righteousness to
eternal life through Jesus
Christ our Lord.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Romans is Paul's great treatise on the doctrine of salvation. In it, he
explains the problem of sin and the necessity of Christ's sacrifice to
pay for that sin. He doesn't end with just the doctrine, however. In
Romans 12-16, Paul affirms that those doctrinal truths have highly
practical applications for how we live as believers. __Bill Crowder