#9 Romans 5: 15-21

Tuesday night, we talked about how paradise was lost.

·  I showed you how Adam sinned against God.

·        And how Adam's sin had dire consequences for the whole of humanity.

·        So now we’ve come to the last few verses of chapter 5.

Now most of good commentaries on Romans agree

·        that this is one of the pivotal part of the whole book  

·        Because everything we’ve look at so far leads up to it

·        and everything that comes after it flows down from it.

But here’s the thing: while Paul’s overall thought process is clear enough,

·        the individual verses are a bit difficult to understand.

·        So I want to make them as clear as I can for us all this morning

·        And we're going to look at verses 15 through 21.

Let’s begin with one crucial fact

·        When God looks at the history of the human race, he sees only two men.

·        If you know these two men—and what they represent—

·        then you’ll understand the whole of the worlds history from God’s point of view.

I’ll go a bit further:

·        if you know these two men,

·        you will grasp the essential message of the Bible.

You don’t have to know about Nebuchadnezzar.

·        You don’t need to know anything about the Tabernacle.

·        You don’t need to know about Micah or Haggai.

·        You don’t even need to know the Beatitudes or the Sermon on the Mount.

·        You don’t even need to know the names of the 12 apostles.

All those things are good and useful and even important that you know.

·        But if you want to know the heart of the Bible

·        And the central truth about world history from God’s point of view,

·        you only need to know two people.

·        And that’s what Romans 5:15-21 is all about

When God looks at the 5 billion people or so who live on planet earth

·        and the billions who came before us he sees 2 people.

·        They’re representative men who stand out from all the rest of humanity

·        And  the whole history of the human race revolves around those two men

·        what they did and the consequences that flowed from what they did.

·        One man was Adam and the other man is Jesus Christ.

Now, Adam did something in the Garden of Eden;

·        and Jesus did something when he died on the cross.

When Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden

·        it triggered a terrible fate for  the human race.

·        And today, in 2010, we’re still living

·        with the continuing consequences of what Adam did back in the day

On the hand, we have Jesus Christ.

·        Now when He died on the cross and rose from the dead,

·        something happened that counteracted what Adam did in the Garden.

·        And so the course of the world was changed at Calvary

So, we have 2 men, 2 deeds, 2 moments frozen in time,

·        with 2 vastly different outcomes flowing down the generations,

·        and they’re both still affecting us to this very day.

·        Your life has been impacted by these two men whether you know it or not.

But its more than that:

·        see, when God looks at humanity in 2010

·        he sees humanity divided into 2 groups

·        There is no “middle group sitting on the fence somewhere from His perspective

from the beginning of time right up to this very minute

·        Everyone who has ever been born

·        has been a follower of one man or the other.

·        You either follow Adam or you follow Christ.

·        There is no “third man” to follow.

So  Paul’s job at the end of Romans 5 is to compare and contrast

·        what Adam did with what Jesus Christ did.

And he wants us to understand that what Jesus did at Calvary

·        was far greater than what Adam did in Eden.

·        What Jesus accomplished was greater than what  Adam started.

·        That’s the whole message of these 7 verses in a nutshell.

we’ve seen how mankind has been sentenced to eternal death.

·        And we’ve studied Paul’s 4 point summary of the whole deal

1.   sin entered the world through one man.

2.   death entered the world through sin.

3.   death spread to all men and then

4.   death reigns over all.

So verse 15 on that brings us to the second part of his teaching,

·        And we’re looking at the idea that 1 man with 1 action can affect so many.

·        And to make sure that we ‘get it’ - Paul gives us 3 contrasting ideas

·        one in verse 15, one in verse 16 and one in verse 17.

Contrast #1: v15 contrasts Adam’s sin with the free gift that comes from Jesus

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

The KJV uses the word “trespass” for the world translated in the NLT as sin

·        and I think it’s a good translation

·        Trespassing means you’ve gone beyond the boundary

·        You “trespass” when you enter someone’s property illegally.

It’s what happens when you deliberately break a rule.

·        Someone may draw a line in the sand and say,

·        “If you cross that line, you’ll be in trouble.”

·        Trespassing is what you do when you say, “Oh yeah! Just watch me.”

·        And you step across the line.

That’s what happened in Eden.

·        God drew a line in the sand and said, “Don’t cross it.”

·        Adam said, “Watch me.”

·        And he deliberately “crossed the line” when he ate the forbidden fruit.

By contrast when Jesus died on the cross, he died for others.

·        What Adam did – he did for himself

·        It was an act of total selfishness.

·        He didn’t know – or didn’t care that others would be hurt by his foolish decision.

But, when Jesus died, it was totally for others.

·        He had no sin of his own - so he couldn’t be dying for himself.

·        His death was self-sacrificing.

·        That’s why Paul calls it “God’s grace” and “the gift of forgiveness.”

So, while Adam was thinking only of himself.

·        Jesus was thinking of you and me

So, that’s why what Jesus did was greater than what Adam did

·        because love is always greater than selfishness.

when the Puritans published their sermons and teachings

·        they always put a little header right at the end that said "practical use."

·        which means so what does all this have to do with me?

·         I mean, it's a nice thought, but so what.

What's the practical use of verse 15?

·        Here it is. Death came to Adam and thru him it came to all mankind

·        But death's power can be broken.

·        And Jesus Christ can break the power of sin and death.

Now listen to me. The converse is not true.

·        Adam and his sin and his death can’t take back

·        what Jesus has already accomplished.

·        Did you get that?

Adam can’t gain the victory over Jesus

·        Though Jesus can gain the victory over Adam.

In other words,

·        if you have received from God the gift of grace through Jesus

·        no man, Adam or any one else, can ever change that.

Lets go a bit further            Contrast #2: v16

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.

Adam’s sin brought condemnation; Christ’s death brought justification.

Think of it like this:.

·        How many sins did Adam have to commit to bring condemnation to the world?

·        Only one - that’s all it took.

·        One sin and the world was plunged into darkness.

·        One man, one sin,

·        and condemnation comes to the whole world.

On the other side of the ledger,

·        how many sins were forgiven in the death of Christ?

·        Paul says “many trespasses.”

·        He doesn’t mean “many versus all”

·        but “many versus one.”

So, what Jesus did is far greater because his deed was “provoked” by many sins.

What Adam did was his own fault,

·        yet it affected the whole world.

What Jesus did paid the price not just for Adam’s sin

·        but for the sins of the entire human race—

·        from the time of Adam till the end of the world.

·        So therefore the power of Jesus’ death

·        is far greater than the power of Adam’s single, solitary sin.

What is the practical use of this?

·        I get excited every time I think about this truth.

·        It tells you a whole lot about God and His attitude toward sin

1 sin, and the whole human race becomes condemned to eternal death.

·        Now would you say He's really serious about sin?

·        I mean, God, 1 sin, and wham, the whole human race?

That tells us how God feels regarding sin.

·        And that's very practical to know, because He hasn't changed.

Do you get it?

·        God feels exactly the same today about sin as He did then.

·        It is just as damnable today as it was then.

That one sin you may have committed this morning

·        is enough to have damned the entire human race and sent them all to hell,

·        except for the grace of God.

Now that gives you an idea of what God thinks about sin

...and you know something?

·        When He meted out the judgment, He didn't just say,

·        "From now on the whole human race is going to limp..

·        .From now on the whole human race is only going to see with one eye...

Oh no.

·        From now on the whole human race

·        is going to enter into spiritual, physical and eternal Death.

does that help you when you look at your own life

·        and wonder what God thinks about your sin?

·        Any one of them is enough to condemn the whole human race

Now you might be thinking that’s like breaking out the gas chamber

·        for someone who jaywalked.

·        But if that’s what you’re thinking

·        Then you don't understand the holiness of God.

Every member of the human race that's died has died because of that one sin.

·        God hates it.

·        And he hates any sin

But, you want to know something?

·        That not only tells you how much God hates sin,

·        but boy, does it tell you something else about His grace?

If He hates sin that much

·        and He can forgive you for all the sins you've committed

·        and all the sins I've committed,

·        then He is a God whose grace is greater than His anger.

·        Very practical.

By the way, there are no 1^st degree, 2^nd degree, or 3^rd degree sins.

·        Sin is sin is sin,

·        And we need to start looking at our sins from God's point of view of sin

·        because it’s only when we get God's perspective on sin

·        that we'll come close to understanding God's grace.

Here’s the thing:

·        the only thing that is more powerful in the heart of God than His hatred of sin

·        is His love of the sinner.

Contrast #3: v17

 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.

Don’t let that complicated verse trip you up.

·        Just focus on two words:

·        Death and Life.

·        Death reigns on the earth because of Adam’s sin.

That’s why the newspapers never have to reprint an obituary column.

·        Every day there is a new list because people die every day.

What keeps the mortuaries in business?

·        Why do cemeteries stay in business?

·        Why is it that they never run out of customers?

·        The answer is simple: Death reigns.

That’s our heritage from our spiritual father Adam.

·        He sinned and as a result death now reigns on the earth.

·        The Hearse Will Come For all of us sooner or later

·        sooner or later, it happens to all of us.

·        Someday we will die.

The next time you see a hearse, remember “Death reigns.”

·        The next time you drive past a mortuary, remember “Death reigns.”

·        The next time you pass a cemetery, remember “Death reigns.”

but that’s only one part of the story.

·        There is a way out.

·        There’s a way to reverse what Adam did.

·        There’s a way to overcome the reign of death.

·        And it comes to all those who receive God’s grace and the “gift of righteousness.”

by the way, that’s the whole doctrine of justification in 3 words.

·        Justification means that when we receive Christ by faith,

·        we also receive the “gift of righteousness.”

But look at the result of receiving the gift of righteousness.

·        Those who receive this free gift now “live in triumph.”

Only God could take a slave and transform him into a king.

·        But that’s what God’s done through Jesus Christ.

·        And that’s why what Jesus did is far greater than what Adam did.

So now we have a contrast in the outcomes of what Jesus did and what Adam did

Consequence # 1: Condemnation or Justification

 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.

I think this is easy enough to see.

·        One man, one act of selfish disobedience,

·        with the result being condemnation for “all men.”

·        That’s our inheritance from Adam.

·        Because of him, we are all born “condemned.”

·        Because of him, we are all guilty before God

On the other hand, Jesus Christ died

·        and his act of righteousness results in justification for us all

You don’t have to do anything to be condemned.

·        Condemnation is Adam’s “gift” to you.

·        But if you want to be justified, and receive life

·        you have to do something

·        you have to “receive” the free gift by faith.

When Jesus died, he died for “all men” without exception

·        In some mysterious sense,

·        his death paid the price for the sins of the entire world,

·        even for those who do not receive him.

·         However, the effect of that wondrous death will never be made real in your life until you personally—by a conscious choice—receive God’s gift by simple faith.

Consequence # 2:  Made Sinners or Made Righteous

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

Adam’s sin results in the whole human race became “sinners"

·        On the other hand, Christ’s death results in

·        All those who receive him by faith being made righteous.

Think about it.

·        One man commits one sin and through him

·        enormous suffering comes to the entire world.

 “Why didn’t God give Adam another chance?

·        Why didn’t God say, ’Maybe you didn’t understand what I said. Let’s try it again.’

I think there are two answers to that question:

·        It didn’t matter how many chances God gave Adam,

·        he would have sinned anyway.

·        If God had given him a hundred chances,

·        he would have sinned a hundred times.

And by judging him after one sin,

·        God was able to pay for that one sin and its terrible results in history

·         through the single act of righteousness

·        provided by the death of his Son Jesus Christ.

So we are either “made sinners”

·        which is our natural state as sons and daughters of Adam

·        or we are “made righteous” through Jesus Christ.

To make it more personal, you are either “in Adam” or “in Christ.”

·        The only question is,

·        How does one move from being “in Adam” to being “in Christ?”

Though you are born in Adam,

·        and corrupted through Adam,

·        and made a sinner through Adam,

·        the very moment you trust Jesus Christ you

·        you’re transplanted from Adam into Jesus Christ.

Then, when you we’re as guilty as Adam,

·        you become as righteous as Jesus

·        and that iwhy you can stand before God uncondemned.

·        Whatever is true of Jesus is now true of you.

What you need, what I need, what the world needs,

·        is a spiritual transplant that will move us from Adam to Jesus Christ.

·        That’s how sinners are made righteous in God’s eyes.

Our passage ends with one great principle

·        which sums up everything Paul’s been saying.

20 God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. ²¹ So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

When God gave the Ten Commandments,

·        he wasn’t trying to tell us how to go to heaven.

·        No one gets to heaven by keeping the Ten Commandments.

·        You can’t do it because no one ever truly “keeps” the commandments perfectly.

·        And God won’t accept anything less than perfection.

·        He doesn’t grade on a curve. It’s all or nothing with him.

God gave the Ten Commandments

·        so that we might realize the depth of our own personal sinfulness.

·        Without the law we would go merrily on our way,

·        patting ourselves on the back,

·        congratulating ourselves on how good and clever we are.

But just take a good look at the Ten Commandments,

·        and consider the words and the depth of their meaning,

·        and carefully scrutinize your own life,

and when you do that,

·        the only logical thing that any reasonable man or woman can say is:

·        “God be merciful to me, a sinner.”

See, the more we understand of God’s law,

·        the greater the realization of our own sinfulness.

Here is the good news this morning:

You can’t out-sin the grace of God.

·        It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve been doing.

·        God’s grace is greater than your sin.

That leads me to one final question.

·        Are you in Adam or are you in Christ?

·        You were born in Adam but the good news is you don’t have to stay there.

Dod you ever stop and wonder  why Billy Graham was so effective?

·        his sermons were usually incredibly simple,

·        He’s preached to over 100 million people

·        more people than anyone else in the history of the Christian church.

his secret is the way he presents his message.”

·        “When you listen to Billy Graham,

·        he preaches it in such a way that you can only come to one conclusion:

If I am a normal person, I must say Yes to Jesus Christ.

So you end up forced to ask yourself this question:

·        Am I normal or am I crazy?

·        If I am normal, I must accept Jesus

·        If I truly understand what he has done for me,

·        the only reasonable choice is to bow my knee and open my heart to him.

So I ask you—Are you in Adam or in Christ?

·        Are you normal or are you crazy

Remember, you can’t help being in Adam.

·        By virtue of your physical birth, you’re in Adam’s family.

But the whole point is, You don’t have to stay there.

·        God’s made a way for you to pass from Adam to Christ.

·        Your first birth put you in Adam;

·        your second birth puts you in Christ.

·        That’s why Jesus said, “You must be born again.”

Have you ever been born again?

·        Have you ever passed from death to life?

·         If you are in Adam, don’t despair.

·        You don’t have to stay there.

·        you can come to Christ right now.

·        It’s the smartest move you’ll ever make.