I remember playing as a kid, repeating what others exclaimed, “ashes to ashes, we all fall down.” At the time, I had no idea what this meant but I was just trying to fit in. As an adult, I discovered that the expression: “Ashes! Ashes! We all fall down,” is related to the black pallor that a patient’s skin has in his last days and to the cremation of Black Plague’s victims. The Bible has another explanation for why human beings all fall down.
As it is written, None is righteous, just and truthful and upright and conscientious, no, not one. 11 No one understands [no one intelligently discerns or comprehends]; no one seeks out God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have gone wrong and have become unprofitable and worthless; no one does right, not even one! – Romans 3:10-12.
At the height of the Roman Empire, many Roman Christians felt superior to other believers scattered throughout the world due to Nero’s persecution. Subsequently, the apostle Paul addresses this superiority complex in Romans 2-3. The climax of Paul’s message is mentioned in the passage above. Despite how disciplined and educated that you may be, everyone falls short of God’s glory. May the lyrics of Sarah Masen’s song All Fall Down keep you humble and meek in 2023.
by Jay Mankus