"Texting and Driving" Genesis 3: 1-13; Romans 7: 14-20

When I think about texting and driving, I am reminded of Paul's words to the Romans:  " What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise" (Romans 7:14, The Message).  I cannot not imagine anyone arguing that texting while driving makes sense or is safe, and yet, people do it all the time.  And if not text, they (we...I) do things with their phones that lead to distracted driving.  We know better; we condemn others for doing it; and then we do it ourselves.

Sin is like that.  We generally know better.  In a quiet, rational moment, we tell ourselves we will not do it.  And then we do.

Psalm 51 reminds us that all sin against anyone (or against anything like creation) is a sin against God.  

We read the story in Genesis and see how easy it is to blame the serpent.  We are generally good at finding others to blame for our sinfulness.  We would not have done it, except for....  I wonder if Adam and Eve would have sinned regardless of whether the serpent arrived on the scene. Would you they have found another way to do what they wanted, despite God's instructions?

I am reminded of the old saying that sin is spelled "sIn" because at the root of sin is the desire to make "I' (me) most important.  That fits with the idea that sin is when we try to be God.  

We also remember that after Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden God did provide them with clothes.  God's grace abounds, despite our sinfulness.