Monday - Joshua 7 - Vicarious Sin

Christians are familiar with the concept of Jesus' vicarious suffering on the cross... perhaps not with the word "vicarious" but certainly with the idea. Could a man be saved without knowing it? "Christ died FOR me" - that's the idea. However, perhaps many of us have not necessarily considered vicarious SIN. Just like Jesus died vicariously in our place; as our substitute; our representative; our delegate... Adam sinned vicariously for all of us (Romans 5:12 & I Corinthians 15:22).

Achan's situation is a microcosm of the situation of all of humanity. Joshua 7 begins with a plural statement of guilt: "The children of Israel committed a trespass..." Wait, wasn't it just Achan? Well, yes. However, he was not the only one to suffer for it. There were 36 soldiers who died because of it, plus all of Achan's family also. Now, obviously I don't believe in any impersonal force of justice (whether karma or any other nonsense), because that concept is contra-biblical. But I do believe in the very personal maintenance of justice by God, because that fact is most definitely biblical. Going back to Adam's sin: true, you and I were not there (at least not cognizably), so why does Adam's decision affect us? While I can't answer that question even to my own complete satisfaction, it is very clear that we are all mere extensions of Adam. We have all willingly and willfully agreed with Adam's choice many times over. He sinned once by eating the forbidden fruit. We have sinned repeatedly in much worse forms. And, the wages of sin IS death. You might not die immediately or you may not be perceivably punished directly for a specific sin, but in the end, the scales will be balanced.