Our Great Sin- Gods Great Grace
Romans • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Romans 5:12-21.
In the grand narrative of humanity, there's a tale as old as time itself - the story of our fall from grace and God's relentless pursuit to bring us back.
It's a story that begins in a garden, with a single act of disobedience, and culminates in the ultimate sacrifice on a hill called Calvary.
This is the story of our great sin and God's even greater grace.
Let's start at the beginning. In the book of Genesis, we encounter Adam and Eve in paradise.
They had it all - a perfect relationship with God, a beautiful home, and just one rule to follow. But as we know, that one rule proved too difficult to keep.
The serpent came, twisting God's words and sowing seeds of doubt. "Did God really say...?" he asked, and suddenly, the forbidden fruit didn't seem so forbidden anymore.
Eve took the bait, misquoting God's command and adding her own embellishments.
And Adam? He stood by silently, failing to intervene or defend his wife. In a cascading series of poor choices, they both ate the fruit, and in that moment, everything changed.
The consequences were devastating. Banishment from the garden. A fractured relationship with God. And most significantly, the curse of death - both physical and spiritual - was placed upon Adam, Eve, and all their descendants.
In one fell swoop, humanity fell from grace, and we've been living with the repercussions ever since.
But here's where the story takes an unexpected turn. God, in His infinite wisdom and love, wasn't caught off guard by this turn of events.
In fact, He already had a plan in place to correct this grievous error. A plan that would unfold over thousands of years and culminate in the most extraordinary act of love the world has ever known.
Physical death was not the punishment for the sin- It is the result of living captive to sin- A burden all of humanity has been cursed with.
As 1 Cor 15:22 Puts it:
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
All of humanity has two things in common- We are all sinners and we will all die.
Throughout this teaching today, the hope is to highlight- Not the sad plight of mankind- But to emphasis the power of the redemptive work of Christ.
And the eternal promise of Gods grace and eternal life for all that believe.
The contrast’s seen here will be between-
The overwhelming Majesty of Gods grace, given freely as the Gift of Salvation
Balanced against the ugly stain of man’s sinful nature.
So let’s begin by looking at how it all started.
1-Adam’s Big Mistake
1-Adam’s Big Mistake
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—
For sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law.
Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
Adam’s big mistake- Not defending, protecting and correcting Eve in the Garden
Allowed sin to gain a foothold in humanity-
The results being separation from God and being condemned to death.
This event has haunted mankind ever since- And just as Death came to humanity through one man...
It would take the Death of one man, Jesus, to bring humanity back into right relationship with God.
From the time of Adam’s sin- Humanity has been in great need of a Saviour.
It is important to note that, since sin entered the world before the Law was given to Moses- The sins of man were not accounted to mankind between Adam and Moses-
However, The power of sin is what makes men to sin- To behave outside of Gods commands
Paul’s point is that, under the influence of sin, Man’s first instinct is to act out against God.
Paul had already addressed the issue of the Jews rejection of the Law-giver in place of the Law, itself.
In spite of having possession of the one thing that could save them- Ultimately- They were as much in need of a Saviour as anyone else in the world.
Possession and knowledge of the Law was not enough- If you chose to not live by the Law.
Because Death is the consequence of sin- Death reigned over all of humanity.
In Probably the earliest version of- Sat an attempting to create great evil and chaos and God using it for good:
Adam becomes the type - or example of Christ’s coming role in history.
So despite Satans best effort to destroy what God had created- Jesus overwhelmingly turned defeat into victory for all.
Paul contrasts the two in:
Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
Adam, the first man, was the counter-example of Christ, whom Paul refers to as “The Last Adam”
The scholarly way of phrasing it is simple:
Adam’s one act determined the character of the world-
Christ’s one act determined the Character of Eternity.
As Adam was a representation of Created humanity-
Christ was and is, the perfect example of renewed Spiritual humanity.
As John Calvin put it:
“Christ is much more powerful to save, than Adam was to destroy.”
Hopefully this stark contrast will give us all pause to reflect on our own past lives of regret- And focus each of us on embracing the gratefulness that comes from in the grace of Gods divine intervention on our behalf.
2- Abundant Grace
2- Abundant Grace
But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.
And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification.
For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
Opening Thought:
Romans C. How Peace with God Was Recovered: A Study in Contrasts (5:15–21)
Peace with God was recovered the same way it was lost—by the actions of one man.
Jesus Christ appeared as the “second Adam” to gain through obedience what Adam lost through disobedience
The contrast is stark enough-
Adam brought sin and eternal death to humanity
Christ brought Redemption, Restoration and Eternal Life back to humanity.
Christ is the living example of the powerful gift of God’s transforming love and grace.
Paul next expands on this concept-
Although Adam’s one sin brought condemnation to all-
After thousands of years of mankind sinning in thousands of different ways, by millions of people-
God still, by His grace and mercy, offered humanity the chance at redemption through the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
In today’s vernacular- “It don’t get no better than that!”
Paul now compares the “Reign of Death” against the “Reign of Life”
After Adam sinned, The reign of physical death began:
Adam died, all of his descendants- Died.
Adams family tree, listed in Genesis 5, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, all died.
Even the oldest man to ever live- Methuselah eventually died.
Even after the Flood- Noah died.
And on down through history mankind has been born-Lived- and Died
We only have to insert our own family tree’s to see the cycle continues to this day.
But the new Reign of Life- A Life lived physically in Christ and Spiritually in Eternity, is a life without end.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
And while physical death still plagues humanity, the Christian believer has no reason to fear death.
The last enemy of Christ to be defeated will be death.
As Paul writes to the church in Corinth:
When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
Once we can accept this construct in our hearts, we can better understand Apostle Paul’s statement in:
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.
Once we have accepted this release from the condemnation of death in our lives, Receiving God’s free gift of Salvation and His promise of eternal life in Him-
Why would anyone want to go back, to their old way of life?
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
The journey of Israel through the desert after escaping Egypt represents our path to salvation.
They were constantly reminded of God’s free provision—manna from heaven with no cost attached.
This example vividly illustrates God’s character; just as He provided for the Israelites, He continually extends His hand of grace to us, offering salvation and love without requiring payment or perfection from us.
This is the essence of His free gift to mankind.
During the Roman Empire, the practice of patronage was common; wealthy patrons would offer gifts to their clients, who in turn offered allegiance.
However, the gifts were often conditional upon service.
In sharp contrast, God's grace is like a generous patron who gives for the sake of the relationship, not requiring anything in return.
Just as the early Christians embraced this concept, we too must recognize that God’s gift is freely given, inviting us into His family without conditions.
To recap: So far we have addressed:
The devastation of Adams mistake- His sin that doomed humanity
God’s unending desire to bring us back into right fellowship with Him
Completed through Jesus Christ
Which brings us to Paul’s final point in this passage:
3- The Joy of the Justified
3- The Joy of the Justified
Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.
For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.
Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more...
So that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
There is a vitally important point to be made here.
Many a modern Seminary student or scholar has made the mistake of mis-interpreting what Paul is getting at:
To take verse 18 and 19 out of the context of the entire section, verse 12-21,
One can make a case for bad theology:
It would appear that, out of context, the comparison between:
One sin condemning all men and the One act of Righteousness brings life to all men...
And in verse 19, “the many were made sinners”, compared to Christs obedience making “The many to be righteous...”
Ushers in the false doctrine of Universalism.
The idea that “All Roads lead to Heaven..,”
The stance that as Adam’s sin cause all to die, Christ’s sacrifice will cause all to live.
The traditional accepted view of these verses is this:
“All are LOST except those that INTENTIONALLY accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour”
The modern, refined version of Universalism declares:
“All are SAVED, except those that INTENTIONALLY Reject Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.”
This is why context is so important.
Verse 17 actually adds clarity to the discussion:
“...How much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.”
Paul’s main emphasis is that, in Christ we are each, A New Creation.
All of humanity does not get a free pass, because of Christ’s Resurrection.
There is no “Get out of jail, free” card at play here.
What Paul is stressing here is the matter of Authority.
Adam was human from beginning to end- His sin affected Humanity physically for all time.
Jesus Christ, “The Second Adam” was and is always God the Son- Existing eternally for all time.
His gift of redemption and Salvation HAS to be accepted, INDIVIDUALLY, in our SPIRITUAL BEING for it to apply to us.
Little changes in the physical realm-
We are still living in a lost and evil world.
But EVERYTHING changes in the Spiritual realm-
Where we gain Eternal Life in the presence of God- AFTER our physical death.
This is the Joy of the Lord that we can live in, here, in our physical lives while looking forward to crossing over from Death to Eternal Life.
This is the Blessed Hope of the Church Body in Christ.
An old Hymn of my youth encapsulates this perfectly:
“Grace Greater than all our Sins”
by Julia H Johnson, published in 1911
Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt,
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin.
The answer to life’s most important question—How can one have peace with God?—is to be declared just in God’s sight.
A few questions to conclude:
Do I allow my situation blind me to the Peace I should have in God?
Have I failed to call on God, even knowing I have constant access to Him?
In a world that often feels chaotic and unpredictable, this is our anchor - the unchanging, unfailing grace of God.
It's a grace that meets us in our deepest need, lifts us from the pit of despair, and sets our feet on solid ground.
It's a grace that not only saves us from sin's penalty but empowers us to live victorious lives here and now.
So today, let's marvel at this grace. Let's receive it afresh.
And let's allow it to transform us from the inside out, making us living testimonies to the power of God's redeeming love.
For in the end, this is our story - a story of great sin overcome by even greater grace.
Heavenly Father, I praise you today that I have peace with you.
Thank you that your wrath is no longer directed at my sins because of the Lord Jesus Christ taking my place in your sight.
Please remind me by the promptings of your Holy Spirit to avail myself of the benefits of your peace.
And may I always have the spiritual integrity to thank you for giving me, through Jesus Christ,
So much more both now and for eternity, Amen.
