Peace and Joy
1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[1] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[2] rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3Not only so, but we[3] also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
6You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
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V1 – Justification by faith = Peace with God. Paul, to this point, has shown that all
people are sinners, that none are righteous, and that justification before God the Father
is by faith alone in Jesus Christ. Those who believe Christ’s perfect life, His atoning,
propitiatory sacrificial death, and His glorious bodily resurrection save them have
received the righteousness of Christ imputed to them, credited to their account, through
the channel of faith. Paul’s audience is silenced; their arguments against his gospel
have proven fruitless; they accept what he says, that justification before God is by
faith alone in Christ, not by any righteousness within one’s self, nor by any other way.
Now Paul can move on to the consequences of the truth of justification by faith. In
chapters 5 through 8 Paul works through successive implications of our being justified
by faith. In chapter 5 he says that if we are justified, then we are free from the wrath
of God. In chapter 6 he says that if we are justified, we are free from the dominion of
sin. In chapter 7 he says that if we are justified, we are free from the domination and
condemnation of the law. In chapter 8 he says that if we’re justified, we are free from
the curse of death.
Paul begins with, “Therefore.” Remember the end of chapter 4 said that Christ died for
our sins and was raised to life for our justification. Because of this, since we are
justified by faith in Christ, we have peace with God. What an amazing statement! Christ
was raised for our justification, and since we have been justified, we are at peace with
God. Peace, meaning not tranquility, but the end of hostility between two parties. It’s
not a subjective change in feelings; it’s an objective change in the way these two parties
relate. In this case, it’s God and believing individuals. No longer are there guilt and
condemnation and wrath. We were guilty, deserving condemnation, by nature children of
wrath. Now there’s peace and justification. We have peace with God through Christ, and
it’s permanent. If you’ve been justified, you’re going to be glorified. It’s as good as
done. What great assurance this is for the believer! What a waste of time this seems to
be for the unbeliever who has suppressed the truth of their standing before God, thinking
they are righteous in and of themselves.
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V2 – We stand in grace through faith in Christ. Paul adds that we stand in grace, because
we are justified by faith. What is this grace? It’s communion with God; it’s a new
relationship with Him; instead of enemies, we are friends; instead of kept from His
presence, we are welcomed into the Holy of Holies.
Grace is a sphere and reign of God’s infinite power working for us and not against us.
And a few verses later in Romans 6:14 Paul puts it this way, “For sin shall not be your
master, because you are not under law, but under grace.” Grace is the power that masters
us in Christ, working to free us from the dominion of sin and bring us to eternal life.
We stand in this grace, and we stand by this grace. Romans 14:4 says of every Christian:
“To his own master he stands or falls, and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make
him stand.” This is the sovereign sway of grace. If you’re under this grace, you cannot
fall! Rejoice!
From Romans 4:16-17, we saw that grace is the guarantee of our inheritance. Recall these
words: “The promise [justification and our inheritance of the world is] comes by faith,
so that it may be by grace, and may be guaranteed . . .” Recall the faith-grace certainty
connection. God’s grace guarantees our future inheritance. Why? It’s the power of the
grace of “God, Who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they
were.” God’s grace fulfilled the promise; the dead-raising, creating-out-of-nothing power
of the grace of God worked for Abraham and not against him. That is the grace we have,
according to Romans 5:2.
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V2-4 – Rejoice in the hope of the glory of God; rejoice in suffering which produces
perseverance, which produces character, which produces hope. Another implication of
justification, besides peace, is hope for the glory of God, in which believers get
to share. The Israelites wanted Canaan; Moses wanted to see God’s glory. Do we just
want to be in heaven, maybe sneak in by the skin of our teeth, or do we want to see
God’s glory in the face of Christ? Who is the first person you want to see in heaven?
It better be Christ. Yearning for God’s glory, we share in it. And it will be revealed
like never before. God will glorify Himself by restoring creation into an eternal
perfection, without the possibility of corruption, and we will share in it. Do you
hope for the glory of God? Satan wants God’s people to think that God is not worth
living for. But in the end God’s glory is going to be revealed. And everyone who has
faith in Jesus Christ will know that God was worth living for, and that living for His
glory is beyond question. Paul is saying, “If you’re justified, you will be there; God
is worth living for.”
Paul says, “Rejoice in the glory of God to come and also in the sufferings you currently
endure.” It’s easy to see why we rejoice about what’s coming, especially given that we
are so confident in it. But it’s not easy to rejoice in suffering. Suffering is hard,
especially ongoing suffering with no end in sight. Paul doesn’t say that we rejoice in
spite of our sufferings; he says that we rejoice on account of our sufferings. How is
it that you can rejoice in suffering and tribulation? The only way that you can rejoice
in any and every tribulation is to know that in every tribulation you are seeing not God
against you, but God for you. For the unbeliever, he may well feel that the trials and
tribulations of life are the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. The traumas and
difficulties of life may cause him to say, “This universe makes no sense. I loved that
woman, and God took her away from me by cancer. I loved that job, and I was wrongfully
taken from it. I loved my child. I devoted myself to my child, and God took my child away
from me.” But Paul says trials and tribulations are not that way for believers. Why?
Nothing in the universe is against God. If God is for you, who can be against you? And
even in the universe which is warped by sin, God in His fatherly wisdom is ordering all
things for your good. That’s why we are able to rejoice in present suffering. Nothing
capable of our demise in this entire universe is against us.
Through grace, evil has lost the initiative in a believer’s life and can no longer lord it
over him or her. Evil becomes an instrument in God’s hands of furthering His purposes in
the believer’s life. It may be chastening, fatherly discipline. It is for perseverance
and character. It is not for destruction. It is not for God’s amusement. He does not
take suffering lightly. He desires to sanctify His people, to build them up for some
great battle ahead or to glorify Himself. He will allow or cause suffering so that His
people will persevere and grow in character. There will be a benefit, most likely in
some way that they would never ever fathom. But in all of it, God has the design of
the believer’s good. Rejoice in suffering; it leads to perseverance, which produces
character, which produces a sure and settled hope. This is sanctification.
The idea is that when you put metal through a fiery testing and it comes out on the other
side persevering and enduring, what you call that metal is “proven” or “authentic” or
“genuine.” That’s the sense here. When you go through tribulation, and your faith is
tested, and it perseveres, what you get is a wonderful sense of authenticity. You feel
that your faith is real. It has been tested. It has stood the test with perseverance.
And it is therefore real, authentic, proven, genuine. It persevered and developed
character.
Have you ever said in the midst of suffering, amidst a trial or tribulation, “Thank you
God for breaking me so that I could see again that Your love is better than any love
that can exist in this world. Thank you Father, for showing me again that You care so
much for me that You will wean me away from the affections of the world to trust in and
love You only.”? Hebrews 5:8 says of Jesus, “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience
from what He suffered.” The same is true for us. God’s purpose in whatever trials we face
is to teach us obedience and refine us into the image of Christ. Because of God’s purpose
in our trials and tribulations and sufferings, we rejoice in them. He’s sanctifying us;
He’s making us like Christ. What could be better?
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V5 – Hope does not disappoint. God has poured out His love in our hearts by giving us the
Holy Spirit. Again, the hope is sure and settled. It does not disappoint. How do we know?
We have the Spirit. It is the presence of the Holy Spirit confirms our hope of glory. God
has poured out His saving love into our hearts by giving us His Spirit. The Holy Spirit
tells us that God has undeniable, undeserved, and intense saving love for us. Since we
have been justified through faith by the saving works of Christ, we know (our hope is
certain) that God’s saving love for us will not disappoint. The Holy Spirit’s presence
confirms it.
Watch the spiraling nature of hope in Romans 15:13: “May the God of hope fill you with all
joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the
Holy Spirit.” How does hope work in the Christian life? It starts with the God of hope.
He fills believers with joy and peace. In other words, our joy and peace rise with our
belief that the God of hope is for us in Christ. Joy and peace are sustained by hope.
But then the verse says that God fills us with joy and peace “so that you may overflow
with hope.” So here we have more hope coming from the fruit of hope. Hope brings about
our joy and peace. And our joy and peace bring about more and more hope. The first hope
is a means to the last hope.
Notice also the parallel to Romans 5:5 in Ephesians 3:16-19: “I pray that out of His
glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being,
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted
and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide
and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses
knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Pray with
all your heart the prayers of Paul. Like the one in Ephesians 1:18-19, “I pray also
that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to
which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His
incomparably great power for us who believe.” When the eyes of our hearts are opened
to the greatness of God’s love, the love of God is poured out in our hearts by the Holy
Spirit, Who was given to us.
Notice finally the faith-hope-love trinity mentioned here. Paul loves to talk about faith,
hope, and love, and he does it right here. V1-2: our faith; v2-5: our hope; v5-8: God’s
love. Not our love for Him, but His love for us. Our justification means that God’s saving
love is applied to us through faith.
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V6 – At just the right time, while we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
Paul confirms the unfailing love of God by declaring that Christ died for the ungodly in
their powerlessness. He died for people who did not deserve it and who were unable to earn
it or contribute anything to it. The Gospel declares God’s love, not for the godly, powerful,
lovable folks, but for the unlovable, the weak, the powerless, the ungodly. Paul is bringing
up an argument here. He says, “You want to see the love of God? Look at those for whom
Christ died.” That’s the love of God. Then Paul illustrates his argument in v7-8…
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V7-8 – God demonstrates His love for us: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Paul, in v7, illustrates his argument from v6. He shows that it may seem reasonable to
give your life to save someone who might in some way be worthy of salvation. It might be
noble to sacrifice your own being so that someone of greater potential could go on. Most
daddies would be willing to sacrifice their lives for their wives or children, and that’s
because our wives and children seem deserving to us. From our perspective, they haven’t
done anything to deserve death. A soldier is willing to die for his country, because he
sees his nation as being worthy in some way. Nevertheless, the death of a daddy for his
family is relatively rare. A bit less rare for a soldier, but the point is the same. Paul
says that this love, this willingness to die, is not like the love of God, not like the
willingness of Christ to die on our behalf. We cannot even compare that kind of love with
the love that God has shown to us in Jesus Christ. Why is the love of God so different,
so much more?
God’s love for us in Jesus Christ is not what philosophers call the love of complacency.
In other words, God doesn’t look at us and say, “Oh, how lovely. How wonderful. Oh, I
just couldn’t go on without those human beings. They are just so excellent, so fine.
There’s something in them that compels My love for them.” That’s the love of complacency.
That’s the love that attracts men to women. We delight in something in someone else that
attracts us to them. That’s not the love of God. The love of God is what philosophers
would call love of spontaneity. It dwells up from within Him. It’s not conditioned on
something in us. In fact, if it were conditioned on something in us, we wouldn’t have
received it in the first place; because we’re unlovely, we’re ungodly. God’s love for
us in Christ is not based upon something in us or about us. It’s based wholly and solely
on something in Him and about Him. Why He loves us is something that we will spend an
eternity never understanding completely. And Paul is saying, “That’s the kind of love
that God has for us. It’s not like any other kind of love.”
Paul explains that Christ did not die for the deserving in God’s eyes; He died for the
undeserving. He did not die for the righteous or the worthy; rather, He died for the
wretched, the unrighteous. Because it’s rare that a human would lay down his life for
a righteous and noble and deserving person, how amazing is it that God would give His
Son for those who deserve death. We all know, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible
tells me so.” But some folks wrestle with the Bible’s authority. So perhaps a better
chorus would be, “Jesus loves me this I know, for He died for me, an unworthy sinner.”
That’s how we know God loves us.
Paul is not saying that Jesus died merely to show us that God loved us. Jesus’ death is
far more significant than being merely the greatest example of God’s love. Christ died,
as we’ve already seen, to atone for our sins, to propitiate God’s wrath, to cover our sins,
to remove our guilt, to justify us, and make us accepted before God. But as a consequence
of those things, we see God’s love for us. Likewise, the cross doesn’t make God the Father
love His people. It is the consequence of God’s love for His people. What does it mean to
say that Christ died for you?
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V9-10 – Justified by His blood, we shall be saved from God’s wrath. It is finished! Many
Christians think that justification enables salvation, or makes it possible for a person
to be saved. But that’s not Biblical teaching. The Bible repeatedly says that justification
is certain to bring salvation. There’s no mere possibility about it. If you’re justified,
you’re certain to be saved from the wrath of God. How is that possible? We are justified
by the blood of Christ, which has already been shed. It has already accomplished its
purpose. Consider the implications to your theology that we are justified by the blood
of Christ. For whom was the blood of Christ shed? All or all who believe? If for all,
then why are not all justified? Did the blood of Christ fail? No. The blood of Christ
was shed only for those who believe. And this means that believers are certain to be
saved from the wrath of God. Hold your thoughts on the atonement for a moment. Salvation
is future. But it’s secure. It’s certain for all who are justified by the blood of Christ.
We are justified now and glorified later, but it’s certain.
God was our enemy (we toward Him in rebellion, and He toward us in wrath) before our
justification, but the moment the blood of Christ was shed for our justification, God
reconciled us to Himself, and we experience this reconciliation in time through the
channel of faith. And having been reconciled, we will be saved! What God begins, God
will finish. He will completely accomplish all of His purposes in perfection. If you
had no other verses in the Bible to prove the doctrine of the eternal security of
believers, the perseverance of the saints, you would need to go to no other verses
than Romans 5:9-10, where Paul makes it absolutely clear that once God has laid His
hands on you, that once God has united you to Christ and justified you by grace through
faith, that there is nothing in heaven or on earth that can separate you from His love.
If while enemies, God reconciled us to Himself, how much more will He save us from the
wrath to come? In v9-10, in all those actions we are being acted upon. God the Father
is acting, justifying, reconciling, saving; God saves His people from Himself (His wrath)
by the blood of His Son, by enacting His wrath, which was reserved for His people (and all),
in its totality on His Son. Did He do this for all people or just His people? If for all,
why is anyone condemned? How does this make you feel? We’ll break down the atonement when
we do our Calvinism / Arminianism study.
How does the phrase, “How much more,” function in this passage? The hard thing has already
been accomplished; how much more will the easy thing be done! If Christ died (the hard
thing), He will certainly save (the easy thing).
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V11 – Rejoice in God through Christ, for we have received reconciliation! Boast in the
Lord! He has accomplished salvation in us. He has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus
Christ, and it has nothing to do with us. We’ve either received it through the channel
of faith, or we haven’t. We know that we receive these incredible blessings of
justification, peace, hope, sanctification, reconciliation, and salvation from
wrath through faith. That’s why we believers pray that He would reconcile non-believers
by granting them faith and repentance.
In v2 we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. In v3 we rejoice in our sufferings and
tribulations, because they refine our faith by developing perseverance and godly character;
they help us hope more fully in that coming glory of God. And now in v11, we rejoice in God
Himself, in Who He is, in His holy and perfect character, in His majesty. That’s what
Christians do: Receive Him, reconciled, justified, through faith. May God grant us the
peace and certain hope in the truth of our secure and certain eternal salvation in Him;
and more importantly, may God grant us joy in Him, in Who He is, and in His glory.
Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ
12Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned-- 13for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. 14Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.
15But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
18Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. 19For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
20The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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V12 – Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin. All sinned in
Adam. Paul now begins a new section of Romans. He spent from chapter 3:21 to 5:11
talking about justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone and
the implications of that great doctrine. Now Paul, although he beings this section
of the letter with “Therefore,” is kind of starting over. He’s going to take to
the end of chapter 8 basically to say, “I said this already. You get it. Now
here’s the meat behind the milk. I gave you the simple basics of man’s situation
before the Holy God of the universe, and I gave you the provision that God has
graciously and mercifully and lovingly made to reconcile His people to Himself
by this doctrine called justification. And justification is by grace through
faith. Now I’m going to go back so you can understand what’s backing everything
I’ve told you.” We need to understand the doctrine behind the lifestyle
application of justification in order to have consistency.
Paul starts here with “Therefore.” He is basically saying, “Since, or now that,
we have received reconciliation through Christ, we must now realize that just
as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result
of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.” We
won’t actually see that phrase until v18. It takes Paul that long to summarize
and adequately support the statements that he makes along the way. Paul says,
“You understand that all of mankind is sinful because of our deeds. We fail to
glorify God as God, as Who He is. That’s sin. And we’ve all done it. But why?
Why have we sinned? Let’s see why we’re all sinners. And it begins with our
relationship to Adam. I think Peter must have been talking about this portion
of Paul’s letter when he said that there are same hard things to grasp in Paul’s
writings, because this can be very difficult to grasp.
Think of your sinfulness in light of the fact, not only that you have actually
acted against God, but that you were “in Adam,” you are under Adam, the federal
(or family) head and representative of all mankind (except for Christ Himself),
and when he sinned and rebelled against God, you are justly condemned. We are
held responsible for Adam’s sin. Just as David represented Israel when he fought
Goliath, who represented the Philistines, so Adam spoke for all mankind. Just
as genetic conditions are passed from parents to children, and the children have
no say in it, so it is with sin. We inherit the condemnation that comes from
being a descendant of Adam. And this seems unfair to most people today, but it’s
effectively the doctrine of original sin. We sin because we are sinners; we are
not sinners because we sin. This was the historic position of Augustine in the
early church, and we see here that it’s the position of the apostle Paul. And
it’s hard to accept, but it’s not that hard to understand. It’s not just because
we do certain sins that we are called sinners; it’s that those sins flow from a
nature which is itself corrupted by sin at its core. Ephesians 2:3 “We were by
nature objects of wrath.” And note that the reason Paul is raising this point
is so that we will be able to contrast Adam and being in Adam (negative) with
Christ and being in Christ (positive). See v18 for the summary.
Paul’s argument is that all have sinned in Adam, not that they have individually
sinned as a consequence of Adam’s sin, though that’s true, but that all of
humanity actually sinned in Adam. Adam’s sin was imputed to us or credited
to our account. Just as Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us, so Adam’s
sin was imputed to us. Now you might not buy that, but see the rest of this
passage:
In v15, Paul says, “For many died by the trespass of the one man.” Notice, he
didn’t say the many died because of their own sins. That might be true, but
that’s not what he said. The many died because of the trespass of one man.
Notice v16. He speaks of the result of the one man’s sin, not the result of
your sins, but the result of the one man’s sin. Notice the second half of v16.
He says the judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation. In v17 he says,
“By the trespass of one man, death reigned through that one man.” He doesn’t say
sin reigned through the trespasses of all. That would be true, but that’s not
what he said. It’s through the trespass of one man. V18: The result of the one
trespass was condemnation for all men. In v19, through the disobedience of one
man, the many were made sinners. Clearly throughout this passage Paul is
concerned with Adam’s sin, and it’s implications for us. Sin is radical. It has
invaded humanity. And by nature, by descending from a sinner, we are guilty,
sinners from conception.
Finally, understand that Adam stood in for you, and as he stood in for you, and
as he rebelled against God, you are implicated in that rebellion. It’s likely
that you don’t like that. And Paul says, “You shouldn’t like that. But there’s
only one way out; and that’s to get a new representative, and He’s the One that
I want to tell you about—Jesus Christ. But Paul isn’t to that point in his
argument yet. So let’s continue:
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V13-14 – Before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken
into account when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time
of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a
command, as did Adam, a pattern of the one to come. Paul gives two proofs that
v12 is true. First, in v13, he says that the law wasn’t given until the time
of Moses, yet sin was still present. This fact alone is evidence that all mankind
sinned in Adam. Second, in v14, all people still died before the law was given
and before sin was taken into consideration, even though they had not themselves
sinned by breaking a command of the law (yet to be revealed), so that’s further
proof that men sinned in Adam. All had effectively violated the covenant of
works. They were guilty by nature, by association, by representation, and God
is just in condemning them. And furthermore, this is the reason that Christ had
to be born of a virgin. Sin is passed on, or imputed, through the father. Every
person born of a human father is by nature an object of wrath, a sinner. But
Christ was not born of a human father, and thus He did not inherit the condemning
sin nature of the rest of humanity. Adam’s sin nature was not imputed to Christ,
and thus He is righteous, like Adam was, before God the Father.
The Westminster Confession of Faith (modern translation, 1993) states: “Our
first parents, being seduced by the subtlety and temptation of Satan, sinned
in eating the forbidden fruit. God was pleased to permit this sin of theirs,
according to His wise and holy counsel, because His purpose was, through it,
to glorify Himself. By this sin they fell from their original righteousness and
communion with God, and so became dead in sin, and wholly defiled in all the
parts and faculties of soul and body. Since they were the root of all mankind,
the guilt of this sin was imputed to—and the same death in sin and corrupted
nature were conveyed to—all their posterity descending from them by ordinary
generation. From this original corruption, by which we are utterly disinclined,
disabled, and antagonistic to all that is good and wholly inclined to all that
is evil, all actual transgressions proceed.”
Think of a man raised in an abusive home. His wife has born the marks of that
abuse in his own rebellion. He is the recipient of things which he himself
contributed nothing to. But he now bears the effects of it. If it is difficult
for a counselor to come along side of that man and bring restoration to his life,
how much greater is the difficulty to redeem a people that are to the very core
of their heart involved in a sin which has existed and grown in our humanity for
6000 years. Jesus alone can redeem that kind of person.
Finally, notice the closing to v14, “A pattern of the One to come.” Paul says
that Adam was a “type” of Christ. And Paul explains that thought in v15-19, to
which we now turn…
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V15-16 – The gift is not like the trespass. Paul has asserted that there is
something significant about our sin “in Adam” and our forgiveness “in Christ.”
He’ll spend v15-17 explaining how being “in Adam” and “in Christ” are not similar;
he wants to assert Christ’s superiority to Adam. Paul says, “Here are three
contrasts of our conditions in Adam and Christ.” And then in v18-19, Paul will
tell us how “in Adam” and “in Christ” are similar. Notice that Paul again divides
all people in two groups: “in Adam” and “in Christ.”
The first discontinuity or distinction between Adam and Christ is found in v15,
and it’s between God’s justice in condemnation, and God’s grace in redemption.
In that way the covenant of works and the covenant of grace are totally different.
God’s universal condemnation to hell of men and women who have rebelled against
God is not surprising. It is deserved. But salvation, even the salvation of one
single, solitary soul is gratuitous; it’s undeserved, unearned, surprising, and
amazing. Many people, even Christians, think it’s unfair or surprising that God
would condemn people to eternal hell. But Paul says, “That’s not surprising or
unfair. It’s clearly deserved. You want surprising or unfair? How about that
anyone would be saved? That’s surprising! That’s unfair, and there’s nothing
deserving in us to get it.” The contrast made here is between God’s justice
(deserved) and God’s grace (undeserved).
The second distinction, found in v16, is that through one man’s (Adam) sin came
death for all, whereas, on the other hand, many sins were covered by the
righteousness of One man (Christ). Paul says that Adam’s sin had race-wide
implications. Everybody in the human race was involved, implicated, corrupted,
and deserved justice because of Adam’s sin; in contrast many iniquities were
covered by Jesus Christ. Because of one sin, all were judged and condemned. But
in spite of billions of sins in the covenant of grace, Christ caused all who were
in Him (many) to be acquitted. So Paul’s second contrast focuses on the
consequences of Adam’s actions in distinction from the consequences of Christ’s
free gift. We’ll see the third distinction in v17.
Adam is the only person in the history of the world who was an appropriate
scapegoat in his life. Would you have liked to have been Adam living another
900 years after the fall? It would be pretty nice to live 900+ years. But think
about this: everywhere he went, somebody pointed to him and said, “This is all
your fault. You messed up. You got us in this mess.” And Paul says, “You know,
that’s true, but think of the contrast. 150 generations of inherited sin and
corruption reversed by the grace of God in Jesus Christ.” It’s not just that Jesus
has put the lid back on Pandora’s Box. It’s better. He’s liquidated our debt.
He’s absorbed our penalty. He’s acquitted us in court and transformed our hearts
by grace. He has put a stop to the seemingly immutable pattern of sin and judgment
and condemnation. And Paul says that’s surprising. You want to find something to
be surprised about, don’t be surprised about sin in a fallen world. There’s
nothing surprising about that. What’s surprising is the transforming grace of
God.
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V17 – If by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man,
how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of
the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one Man, Jesus Christ. Now
in v17, the third contrast between Adam and Christ is that one man’s sin led to
the reign of death, but on the other hand, One man’s death led to His people’s
reign in life. The reign of death in this world can be traced to one moment: the
sin of Adam. But the reign of life for believers is traced, similarly to one
moment, but a different kind of moment: the death of Christ.
Why does Paul underscore these 3 distinctions? So we’ll understand how amazing
grace is. And so that we’ll understand that Paul is not saying that what was
lost in Adam was simply regained in Christ. That’s almost a parallel, and that’s
not what this is about. As far as Paul is concerned, the story of redemption,
salvation, and God’s grace is better than simply regaining what Adam lost. What
God has done in His covenant of grace is beyond all that we could ask or imagine,
and it so far outstrips what was lost in the covenant of works as it was broken
in Adam that it should blow your mind to think about it. The gift of grace in
Christ is incomparably greater than the condemnation which resulted from Adam’s
sin.
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V18-19 – One sin = condemnation; one act of righteousness = justification.
For “all” or “many”? Paul now moves on to the similarities of Adam and Christ.
Remember he said that Adam was a pattern of the One to come. That’s a type. But
then he went and gave us anti-type examples. Now Paul is back to the similarities.
First, we see that just as one man’s sin (Adam as our federal representative)
equals condemnation for all, so One man’s righteousness (Christ, our new
representative) equals justification for all. Second, we see that just as one
man’s disobedience (Adam) makes many sinners, so the obedience of One man
(Christ) makes many righteous. One act got all men into sin and condemnation;
one act got many men out of sin and condemnation. Anything stand out to you
about these comparisons? …
Throughout this passage Paul uses the terms “all” and “many.” Does he mean
something different by those terms? No. The words “all” and “many” in this
passage are interchangeable as far as Paul is concerned. They are stressing two
aspects of the same truth. Look at v15. There it says by the transgression of
the one, the “many” died. Now, does Paul mean that by Adam’s sin some people
died, but not all people? Is that why he uses “many” there? No. Go back and look
at v12. Through one man, sin entered into the world and death spread to “all” men.
“All” in v12, and “many” in v15 are parallel. Paul will use “many” in this passage
to stress the amazing multiplying effect of sin; even though it was one sin,
“many” are impacted. He’s not saying “many, but not all.” He’s saying, “Isn’t it
amazing that one sin can wreak this kind of destruction?” But the parallel
between “many” and “all” is exact.
There are “many” well-meaning people who come to this passage and say, “Well, it
says that “all” die because of that one sin, and it says that the “many” died by
that one sin, and it says that “all” were justified by Christ, and the “many” were
justified by Christ. So I guess what this passage is teaching is that everybody is
saved.” Is Paul teaching the doctrine of universalism here? Everybody is justly
condemned, but everybody is also justified and saved through the work of Jesus
Christ? Universalists say that it’s our job as Christians not to go out and say,
“Repent and be saved.” It is our job as Christians to go out and say, “Look,
you’re already saved. You just need to accept it.” The gospel is not to announce
to everyone that they’re already saved. Universalism is absolutely false, and
this passage, in v17, shows it.
Paul does not say the sin of Adam resulted in the reign of death over all and the
righteousness of Christ resulted in the reign of life over all. The parallel is
this: the sin of Adam led to the reign of death overall and the righteousness of
Christ led to all those who receive Him reigning in life by His grace. Those who
receive Him are the ones who participate in this great gift. Note also the
parallel in 1 Corinthians 15:21-23 “For since death came through a man, the
resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so
in Christ all will be made alive. …then those who belong to Him (not all).”
Will all be made alive (eternal life)? No, only those who belong to Him. So why
does Paul even use the word “all”? The answer:
Paul is talking to Jewish folk who think that in order to be saved, you’ve got to
become like them. And Paul is saying, “No, no, no. Salvation is for all (kinds):
Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female.”
Now you’re probably still asking about or disagreeing with me on this whole
imputation thing. Maybe you’re saying, “I disagree that Adam does something
and it’s imputed to me. I don’t understand how he can be my representative.
And that sin can be imputed—you’re wrong about this whole representative principle.
It’s not fair.” Here’s the best answer I can give, and it’s multi-faceted:
First, God was gracious in the way that He arranged the covenant of works in give
Adam to us as our federal representative. In giving Adam as our representative,
it would be like you’re in a million-dollar contest at half time of the NCAA
Championship game. You make the half-court shot, and you win. But God says,
“Look, you’re not going to have to take this shot in order to win salvation.
I’m going to bring out Michael Jordan for you. I’m going to let Michael Jordan
take that forty-five foot jump shot for you.” Or, maybe you’ve got to sink a
snaking putt from 100 ft. away. God says, “I’m going to bring out Tiger Woods
to take that shot for you.” When God made Adam our representative, He gave us
someone of extraordinary capacities that we cannot even grasp. He was an optimal
representative. We can’t even concede what an un-fallen human being had with
regard to intellectual and moral potential. God was generous even in the
construction of the covenant of works. You might say, “Well, I would have done
better.” We’re sinners, and we can’t even think about how we would have
functioned as non-sinful people. We can’t think in those categories. God gave us
an optimal representative in Adam, and even Adam failed.
Second, why is it that the imputation of Adam’s sin is fair? Because God shows
meticulous concern for justice in His covenant of grace. Think about it. In the
way that God goes about saving us through Jesus Christ, He shows meticulous
concern for justice. He doesn’t say, “Okay, look, I’m going to sweep those sins
under the closet. He doesn’t just forget.” God says, “Okay, I love you so much
that My Son is going to bear your sin.” Why does He do this? Because He is
concerned for justice and fairness. So if, in the way of grace, God is concerned
for fairness and justice, is it not reasonable to work back to the fact that in
the original relationship that He sustained with man, that He was concerned with
fairness and justice? And in that original relationship, what did He do? He
appointed Adam as our representative as the representative of all humanity.
It’s clear that the covenant of grace and imputation is fair. And, therefore,
looking back, you can see that the covenant of works is fair. Consider the
imputation of Christ’s righteousness. It’s the same with Adam’s sin. In other
words, we were constituted sinners in Adam, but we were constituted as righteous
in Jesus Christ. You might say, “It’s not fair! I didn’t exist when Adam was
brought into being in this world. Adam died at least 5000 years before I was
brought into being. It’s not fair that what he did would impact me. And Paul will
ask, “Do you believe in Jesus Christ? Do you believe in Christ alone for salvation?
Do you trust in what Jesus did and was for your salvation? Were you alive when
Jesus was alive? Did you exist when Jesus came to this earth to live and die on
your behalf? Is Jesus’ righteousness imputed to you? Then I don’t know what you’re
complaining about.” Are you willing to accept the gracious imputation of the
righteousness of Christ, but unwilling to accept the imputation of Adam’s sin?
Thirdly, once again, there are biblical patterns that establish and teach us to
expect this kind of representation. There are numerous Biblical examples that
show us the principles of representation: David and Goliath, Abraham and his
descendants, David and the 70,000 people of Israel (1 Chronicles 21), Pharaoh
and the Egyptians, etc. Over and over in the Bible we see these principles of
representation.
Finally, consider that you’re not in a position to judge. You are standing in the
dock, before the bar of God’s justice. You’re not here to judge the Judge. God
is so sovereign that even if it were unfair for Adam’s sin to be imputed to you,
there would be nothing that you could do about it. Here’s the song we sing in
church sometimes: “You are not a god created by human hands. You are not a god
dependent on any mortal man. You are not a god in need of anything we can give.
By Your plan, that’s just the way it is. You are God alone, from before time
began, You were on Your throne, You were God alone. And right now, in the good
times and bad, You are on Your throne, You are God alone. You’re the only God
whose power none can contend. You’re the only God whose name and praise will
never end. You’re the only God Who’s worthy of everything we can give. You are
God, that’s just the way it is.” So accept the condition explained in Scripture:
that you are a sinner on account of the sin of the first man Adam, that his sin
was imputed to your account the moment he sinned, long before you were even born.
One sin = the condemnation of all people. And then rest in this: One work of
Jesus Christ, the God-man, guarantees the justification of all His people, of
which you are one by faith.
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V20 – The law was added so that sin might increase; and grace increased more.
Paul, at this point, introduces the law again. He’s anticipating the objection
that his audience will bring up. They’ll say, “All you’ve done, Paul, is explain
about Adam and Christ. Where does the law fit in?” And Paul gives a brief answer
here in part A of v20. Then he elaborates in chapters 6-7. For the moment, Paul
suggests again that one, not the only, purpose of the law was to convince and
convict us of sin. He says it in harsh and offensive language. He wants to be
argumentative here. Was the law given to make the Jews special among the nations,
as they thought? No. Paul says it was so that sin would increase. Nothing more
offensive could have been said to Jews. Paul deliberately says this to shock them,
and he succeeds.
Again, the law is given to teach us what sin is. It serves to expose sin in us
and our need for grace. It is not our Savior; but if properly understood, it
leads us to our Savior. Finally, Paul is saying that the law provokes sin. You
know how this works. The minute boundaries are set, people want to cross them.
In a fallen world, once the righteous boundaries of God are laid down, there is
an inclination in the wicked, human heart to find those boundaries and transgress
them.
In part B of v20, Paul means that God actually takes advantage of the negative
functions of the law in order to exalt Himself and His grace, which serve to
foster His saving purposes. The more sin is multiplied, the more it is shown to
us, the more aware we become of it, the greater the grace that conquers it is to
us. We know and appreciate more the grace that conquers sin, when we see how great
our sin is. The reign of sin is trumped by the triumph of grace. Grace meets sin
head on, and it defeats it. And that’s what we see in v21.
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V21 – Sin reigned in death; grace reigns in righteousness to bring eternal life
through Christ. The function of Paul’s words in this little verse is to tell us
the purpose of super-abounding grace. Why did grace increase all the more in
comparison to sin? Grace increased so that grace might reign over sin’s reign
of death through the righteousness of Christ in order to bring eternal life
through the mediation of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Notice that sin reigns in death. Evidence of the power of sin is the fact the
human/death ratio is 1:1. But grace has conquered sin and its effect, death,
to provide eternal life, which is the effect of grace. All of this is through
Christ. Our slavery to sin is ended by grace through the work of Christ. God
doesn’t forgive us and then leave us in bondage to our sin. He breaks the power
of reigning sin. If grace reigns through righteousness to eternal life, does
that not in and of itself speak of the assurance, security, and perseverance
of the believer? If the purpose of grace for reigning is to overcome sin and
give eternal life, does that not comfort you that God will bring to completion
that which He has begun in you?
Footnotes
- 5:1 Or let us
- 5:2 Or let us
- 5:3 Or let us
Bible text from
Gospelcom.net. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by
International Bible Society.