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But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! (Romans 5:15, NIV)
In 1972, at a scientific gathering, a researcher read a paper entitled Predictability: Does the Flap of a Butterfly’s Wings in Brazil Set Off a Tornado in Texas? In this paper, pop culture has termed the interaction in which a butterfly’s wings cause a tornado, the Butterfly Effect.
The “effect” means that a small change can trigger major, unintended consequences in the future. In Scripture, we have a “butterfly effect” with the sins of Adam and Eve, but fortunately, we also find a counteractive “resurrection effect” by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
With the butterfly effect in mind, let’s consider the sin of Adam and Eve. Through one bitten apple (or whatever the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge looked like), we get the beginning of evil, natural disasters, and death throughout history.
Paul writes of this impact…
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people (Romans 5:12).
Even creation was ruined by this effect, as Paul continues, “For the creation itself was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice” (Romans 8:20a). Through the sin of Adam and Eve, their authority over the earth, by just one small choice, was given over to the diabolical god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4).
In 56 years of being a pastor, I can’t count the times someone said to me, “I just did it once, and that’s when my addiction began.” As one Bible teacher teaches, “Before we decide, we should always magnify the consequences of our decisions.”
The good news: we have a Resurrection Effect! One act of perfect sacrifice, seemingly small, a criminal’s death on the cross, yields resurrection power that can overturn the impact of sin.
Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous (Romans 5:18-19).
Even creation (or nature) now has hope, as Paul indicates, “Creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). We praise God that because of the resurrection of Jesus, the same power that raised Him from the dead is now active for our deliverance from sin.
Through my years as a pastor, just as I’ve heard stories of woe resulting from one bad decision, I’ve also heard testimonies of grace from one small act of obedience:
- I asked for forgiveness, and I’m free
- I finally said “no” and have never done it again
- If I hadn’t accepted Jesus many years ago, I would not be alive today
- I don’t deserve all the blessings in my life for following my Lord
The butterfly impact of sin has been overturned by the Resurrection Effect!