October 10 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

Our fall was due to the disobedience of one; our restoration comes through the obedience of One.

This verse says that the disobedience of the one affected the many, and the obedience of the other one was also rendered on behalf of the many. But we may not say that since "many" is not "all," not everyone is affected. The point of the verse is that the deeds of Adam and Christ are representative.

The daily acts of ordinary citizens like us are not likely to affect the course of world history. But the deeds of a prime minister or a president may affect the country—not because he or she is different from all others but because of the position he or she holds.

There is no position quite like that of father of the human race. That's why the disobedience of father Adam had an influence far beyond any other act of any of his children—not because he was different from any of his children but because of the position he held as their father.

The greatest thing since Adam is the coming of Christ. He was given to us as the "second Adam." And because of that position, his acts have an influence as wide as the human race: his death is our death, his resurrection is our resurrection, and by his obedience sinners are made righteous.

Let's notice especially that we were saved by obedience. The battle between Jesus and Satan was not a power struggle to see who was the strongest. The issue in the struggle was whether or not Christ would remain obedient.

Neither have we fully done justice to the work of Christ when we say that he suffered and died for our sins. His suffering and death were part of the total obedience he gave to God—with all of his person and all of his actions.

Today all people are branches on one of two trees: those who are in Adam are known by their disobedience, but those who are in Christ glory in Christ's obedience.

REFLECTIONS

Offer a prayer thanking Jesus for saving you by being totally and perfectly obedient.

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.