Secondhand sin ∙∙

Secondhand sin ∙∙

When

Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. – Romans 5:12

Romans 5:15-16

 15 But there is a significant difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam brought death to many. But even more remarkable is God’s extraordinary grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ.

 16 And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins.

Have you ever wondered how many people on planet Earth smoke? Despite declines in smoking in some developed nations, there are still over a billion smokers worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. It is well-documented that tobacco use is a significant public health concern. The World Health Organization estimates that over 8 million deaths are the result each year.

Secondhand smoke, also known as passive smoke or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), is the smoke that comes from both the burning end of a cigarette (sidestream smoke) and the smoke exhaled by smokers (mainstream smoke).

The harmful effects of secondhand smoke have long been known. Secondhand smoke contains over 7,000 chemicals, including hundreds that are toxic and about 70 that can cause cancer.

How many people die from secondhand smoke every year? The number is staggering. According to the WHO, it’s estimated that nearly 1,000,000 people around the world die each year from inhaling the smoke floating around them. Dr. Jagat Narula, a cardiologist at Mount Sinai, Morningside, in New York City, researches the health impact of smoking. “I call it a form of murder” (https://whdh.com).

It takes only 52 smokers to kill a person via secondhand tobacco smoke, according to a new global analysis. This is the first research to determine “how many smokers are needed to kill one innocent non-smoker,” says Nurula.

Nurula and his team looked at the number of active smokers and secondhand smoke victims around the world from 1990 to 2016. They found that in 1990, it took 31 lifetime smokers to produce enough secondhand smoke to kill one non-smoker. By 2016, that number had increased to 52, thanks to the spread of smoking bans in restaurants, bars, and offices. “There’s a sense of secondhand smoke being benign, or not as damaging as actual smoking is,” Nurula tells CNN.com. “But it’s truly deadly” (The Week, April 03, 2020).

There is also thirdhand smoke. A new study out of Yale University says thirdhand smoke – the tobacco contaminants that adhere to walls, bedding, carpet, and other surfaces until a room smells like an ashtray – can actually cling to a smoker’s body and clothes as well.

Those potentially toxic chemicals, including nicotine, can then be released into environments where smoking has never occurred, like a movie theater, according to the study.

Even more disturbing, The study found those chemical exposure levels could be the equivalent of between one and 10 cigarettes by the end of the movie (https://whdh.com/news/its-not-just-secondhand-smoke-that-is-dangerous-thirdhand-smoke-can-be-too/).

It is exceedingly difficult for people who are smokers to quit. But many do. Perhaps for years, they still long for, even dream about the pleasure they derived from smoking. But they no longer produce secondhand smoke. They will never contribute to the death of anyone. It is a simple fact that when you are no longer a smoker, you are indeed no longer a smoker.

But sin is something else entirely. Sins, in plural with an “s,” are acts or attitudes we have or perform. But sin, in its singular form, is a state of being what we are, a sinner. Once a sinner, always a sinner. We can work to limit our sins, but we can do nothing to stop being a sinner. We are doomed to pass on secondhand sin to our children. And they, too, become sinners. It is a relentless, vicious, and deadly cycle.

Where did sin come from? The Scriptures provide a clear answer: Adam and Eve.

Every child descended from Adam and Eve is afflicted with the consequences of secondhand sin. The children did not choose to become sinners. They are afflicted with sin because of the original choice of Adam and Eve. This inherited sin passed down from generation to generation, is akin to a genetic defect embedded in our DNA. This is referred to as original sin.

Romans 5:12-17

 12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.  17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many.

REFLECT & PRAY

2 Corinthians 5:21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

Father thank You for those who quit smoking, by Your grace. But none of us can quit sinning. Thank You for providing an option, a cure through the Lord Jesus Christ, that we may be forgiven and enter into a right relationship with You.

INSIGHT

The Father had devised a strategy to address the sin of the human race, whether it be firsthand or secondhand sin. He planned to send the Lord Jesus Christ to planet Earth, Not born of the union of man and woman. He was sinless because of the miraculous virgin birth performed supernaturally by the Holy Spirit. Since He was sinless, His sinless nature qualified Him to live, die, and subsequently be resurrected. As a result of His death for sin, forgiveness is now available to all of the descendants of Adam and Eve. Forgiveness is the free gift the Father offers everyone who has “caught” the sin virus from Adam and Eve.

Romans 5:15-19

 15 But there is a significant difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam brought death to many. But even more remarkable is God’s extraordinary grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ.

 16 And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins.

 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.

 18 Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone.

 19 Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.

As descendants of Adam, our link to him is purely physical. We have inherited the sin he passed down, having no say in whether we would be born into sinfulness. Just as we couldn’t choose our parents, we had no control over being born sinful. However, connecting with the Lord Jesus Christ is entirely up to us. We are free to accept or reject the Father’s solution for our sins.

We all share an equal opportunity to have forgiveness for our transgressions. Unfortunately, we cannot cease to sin, but the good news is that we can be forgiven.

It is disheartening to understand that our inherited sin, akin to a genetic disorder, is passed on to our offspring. But the Father has made provision for a kind of spiritual surgery to mitigate the impact of anyone’s sin disorder.

If you haven’t yet embraced forgiveness and established a righteous relationship with the Father, what’s stopping you?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 10-22-1

© Dr. H 2024