¹⁹ For just as through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.(Romans 5:19 CSB)

What can one man do?

This is a question I ponder quite often. Yes, through Adam came judgement, yet through Christ came salvation. So both great ill and great good can come through a single man or woman. But I am not great. I cannot impact the world.

But I can impact one person. And through that person, possibly another, and maybe through them another. Possibly, I can have The Butterfly Effect on the world. Beating my tiny wings in one place and seeing tides move across the planet.

Yes, it would be great to think that maybe, just maybe my writing or an act of kindness could have this effect. And I may never know just how far reaching any of my ministry or acts of kindness might be. But if I can impact one person, then I think I am doing what God wants of me.

This section of Romans belabors the impact of one man upon the world. We must not concern ourselves with the breadth of our reach, but the depth of it upon the individuals we might reach each day. Impacting one life could have far reaching ripples upon the world. I believe this to be true because I have seen in through my wife and the impact she has had on the lives of children she has taught. Although she could not directly speak to them about Christ in a public school setting, her love and kindness reached them on a spiritual level. Many, many years later they continue to return to her as adults because of the love she has shown them. A love rooted in Christ.