Two Men. Two Kingdoms. One Decision.
Made Right with God • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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So then, as through one trespass there is condemnation for everyone, so also through one righteous act there is justification leading to life for everyone. For just as through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. The law came along to multiply the trespass. But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer
Opening Story
I know a man who was sentenced to 25 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. In spite of his legal team’s efforts, He was found guilty. What was worse was His charges made him a target of all kinds of assault.
1 charge aggravated rape of a minor
9 Counts of sexual battery
9 counts of corruption of a minor.
After years of appeals, he was finally able to prove his innocence and received a pardon from the governor of Ohio. The conviction was overturned, and he walked out of prison a free man.
Can you imagine that moment?
Everyday those who he was surrounded by saw him with a label. Guilty, condemned. preditor
Then on September 14th 2006, the prison doors swung open.
The chains are gone.
The guards can no longer hold him.
Legally...
everything has changed.
I asked him this question, once.
"What has been the hardest part about becoming free?"
He didn't talk about finding a job.
He didn't talk about rebuilding relationships.
He said:
"The hardest part is convincing myself every morning that I'm no longer a prisoner."
For 15th years...
Someone else had told him who he was.
Every morning… he woke up with the identity of a convicted criminal.
People told him when to wake, where to walk, what to eat, when to take a shower
Even after the verdict changed… it took time for his heart to believe what the judge had already declared.
I think that's a clear picture for most people.
Because every one of us lives under a verdict.
Maybe yours isn't a prison sentence.
but maybe it's your past.
a divorce.
an addiction.
a moral failure.
Maybe it's the words spoken over you as a child.
Maybe it's simply the voice in your own head that says,
"You'll never measure up."
"You'll never change."
"You'll never be enough."
So what do we do?
We spend our lives trying to write a better record.
If I work harder… maybe I'll finally feel accepted.
If I'm a better husband… a better wife… a better parent… a better Christian...
maybe God will finally be pleased with me.
Maybe then I'll have peace.
But no matter how many good days we have...
the old verdict keeps whispering.
"Guilty. Not enough."
Here's the problem. If your hope rests on your record...
you will never have peace.
Because your record can never be perfect.
And deep down… you already know that.
That's why some people become religious.
That's why others give up entirely.
One keeps trying.
The other quits trying.
But both are living under the same assumption.
"My standing depends on me."
Paul says...
No, it doesn't.
In Romans 5, he introduces us to
Two representatives.
Two verdicts &
Two kingdoms.
One is built on Adam's disobedience.
The other is built on Christ's obedience.
And here's the life-changing truth we'll discover this morning:
Your future isn't determined by your record.
It's determined by your Representative.
The Obedience of Christ Brings Justification and Life
So then, as through one trespass there is condemnation for everyone, so also through one righteous act there is justification leading to life for everyone. For just as through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.
Paul now brings to a conclusion the comparison he began back in verse 12. For several verses he has been contrasting two men—Adam and Christ. Two representatives. Two heads of humanity. Everything he has been building now comes together in verses 18 and 19.
At first glance, these verses can seem complicated. But Paul's point is simple.
Two men.
Two decisions.
Two completely different outcomes.
One act plunged humanity into condemnation.
One act opened the door to justification and life.
Everything depends upon which representative you belong to.
Notice something that is easy to miss.
Paul is not primarily comparing Adam and you.
Nor is he comparing Christ and you.
He is comparing Adam and Christ.
Why?
Because the issue is not first, "What have you done?"
The issue is, "Who stands before God on your behalf?"
That is the heart of the Gospel that changes everything
Explanation
Paul begins,
"As through one trespass there is condemnation for everyone..."
Adam's sin in the Garden was not merely a private failure. It was an act of representation.
God appointed Adam to stand as the head of the human race. When Adam sinned, he acted as the representative of everyone who would come after him.
This is why Paul says condemnation came through one trespass.
Condemnation is courtroom language.
It is the declaration of guilt.
It is the judge's verdict after all the evidence has been presented.
According to Scripture,
humanity doesn't begin with us being morally neutral, and then we slowly become sinful.
We are born into Adam's fallen race.
We inherit a sinful nature, and we quickly confirm that nature by our own choices.
As John Stott wisely observed, we are not sinners merely because we sin; we sin because we are sinners.
Every selfish act...
Every jealous thought...
Every dishonest word...
Every proud motive...
Every sinful choice...
confirms what Adam began. Adam was convinced being His own God was better than belonging to one. And THat has plagued humanity ever since.
But notice how quickly Paul moves from Adam to Christ.
He doesn't leave us staring at condemnation.
He immediately points us toward hope.
"...so also through one righteous act there is justification leading to life..."
Where Adam brought condemnation...
Christ brings justification.
Where Adam brought death...
Christ brings life.
Now we should ask,
What is this "one righteous act"?
At first, we naturally think of the cross.
And rightly so.
Everything reaches its climax at Calvary.
But verse 19 helps us understand Paul's meaning even more fully.
"...through the obedience of the One..."
Paul expands describing Christ's entire life of perfect obedience that culminated in His sacrificial death.
From the cradle to the cross...
Jesus obeyed.
Every conversation.
Every command.
Every trial.
Every decision.
He loved the Father perfectly.
He loved His neighbor perfectly.
He fulfilled every requirement of God's holy Law.
Where Adam failed in a perfect garden...
Jesus obeyed in a broken world.
Where Adam reached for his own will...
Jesus repeatedly prayed,“"Not My will, but Yours be done."
Where Adam grasped for a crown of glory…
Jesus accepted a crown of thorns.
The first Adam brought humanity under judgment.
The last Adam brought salvation through perfect obedience.
Church, don't miss this.
Jesus didn't come merely to die the death you deserved.
He came to live the life you never could.
His obedience is just as necessary to your salvation as His death.
Without His perfect life, there would be no perfect righteousness to credit to your account.
That is why Paul says,
"...the many will be made righteous."
Now before we move on, there's a phrase that deserves a brief explanation.
Verse 18 says,
"...justification leading to life for everyone."
Some have read that and concluded Paul is teaching universal salvation—that everyone will eventually be saved.
But the context will not allow that conclusion.
Throughout Romans, Paul has consistently taught that justification comes through faith in Jesus Christ.
The "everyone" in the second half of verse 18 corresponds to everyone who belongs to Christ, just as the first "everyone" refers to everyone who belongs to Adam. Rom 5:17
If by the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
In other words, every person represented by Adam receives condemnation.
Every person represented by Christ receives justification.
The question isn't whether everyone is saved.
The question is:
Who is your representative?
Are you still in Adam?
Or have you been united to Christ through faith?
That is Paul's concern.
Illustration
I love the way Ray Comfort helped people picture justification, and I'd like to reshape that picture for us.
Imagine standing in a courtroom.
The evidence against you fills the room.
Every sinful thought.
selfish motive.
broken promise.
hidden sin.
Every opportunity to love God that you ignored.
Every failure to love others as yourself… All exposed
There is no defense.
No excuse.
No plea bargain.
You know exactly what the verdict will be.
"Guilty."
Then, just before sentencing, someone walks into the courtroom.
Not merely to pay your fines or to ask the judge for mercy.
He walks over and exchanges places with you.
He takes your guilty record.
Then he hands you his.
A lifetime of perfect obedience.
Perfect love, righteousness, & holiness.
The judge looks at the record now before him.
It isn't yours anymore It's Christ's.
And because the penalty has been fully paid...
and because the righteousness before the court is perfect...
the Judge declares,
"Righteous."
Not because you became perfect.
But because Christ's perfect obedience has been credited to you.
That is justification.
God isn't pretending you're righteous.
He is declaring you righteous because your Representative truly is.
Argumentation
Someone may object,
"That doesn't seem fair.
Why should Adam's sin affect me?
And why should Christ's obedience count for me?"
It's an honest question.
But before we reject representation, we should recognize that God has woven representation into every part of life.
A president signs legislation, and an entire nation lives under its effects.
A military commander makes a decision, and thousands of soldiers move because of it.
Parents make choices that shape the lives of their children.
Representation isn't strange.
It's part of how God has ordered the world.
The real question isn't whether someone represents you.
The question is:
Who do you want representing you before a perfectly holy God?
If I stand before God on the basis of my own record, I have no hope.
Isaiah says even our righteous deeds are like filthy garments before His holiness.
No amount of church attendance, generosity, morality, or good intentions...
can erase my guilt or produce perfect righteousness.
But if Christ stands in my place...
if His obedience becomes my righteousness...
then my confidence is no longer in my performance.
It rests entirely upon His.
The Gospel doesn't lower God's standard.
The Gospel provides the One who perfectly met God's standard for us.
Application
Church, this truth changes the way we live every single day.
Some of us wake up every morning trying to earn God's approval.
If we have a good devotional week...
we think God must be pleased.
If we fail… we quietly wonder if He's disappointed.
Our relationship with God does not rise and fall with our spiritual performance. Anyone who tell syou it does is a serpent on a tree.
Paul says,
Stop living that way.
Your standing before God was never built upon your obedience. It has always rested upon Christ's.
Others of us carry shame that Christ has already carried.
You know God forgives.
You believe the Gospel.
Yet every time you remember your past...
you still define yourself by your failures.
Paul says,
No.
Your failures are no longer your identity.
Christ is.
His obedience now speaks louder than your disobedience.
That doesn't make us careless about holiness.
It frees us to pursue holiness without fear.
I no longer obey in order to become accepted. I obey because I already am.
That changes everything.
It changes how I confess sin.
I don't have to hide anymore.
It changes how I repent.
I don't have to defend myself anymore.
It changes how I serve.
I'm no longer trying to impress God.
I'm responding to His grace.
It changes how I worship.
Because every song we sing reminds us that our hope has never rested on our record.
It has always rested on Christ's.
Church, never forget this.
You don't stand before God because of what you've done.
You stand before God because of what Christ has done.
That is the difference between religion and the Gospel.
Religion says,
"Obey so that God will accept you."
The Gospel says,
"Because Christ obeyed, God accepts everyone who trusts in Him."
One produces exhaustion.
The other produces worship.
The first Adam gave us a record we could never escape.
The last Adam gives us a righteousness we could never earn.
Adam's one act brought condemnation.
Christ's one life of perfect obedience, culminating at the cross, brings justification and life.
That is why our hope is not in trying harder.
Our hope is in trusting the One who obeyed perfectly in our place.
Transition
If Christ's obedience is sufficient to justify sinners, then an important question remains.
Why did God give the Law?
If grace was always His answer, what purpose did the Law serve?
Paul anticipates that very question, and in verse 20 he gives an answer that is both surprising and deeply freeing.
The Law Increased the Trespass
The law came along to multiply the trespass. But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more
At this point, someone might naturally ask,
If Christ's obedience is enough… why did God give the Law?'
If grace is God's answer why introduce Moses?
Why Sinai? Why the commandments?
Was the Law God's plan for salvation before Christ arrived?
Paul answers that question in one short sentence.
'The Law came along to multiply the trespass...'
Now, if we're honest, that's probably not the answer we expected.
We might expect Paul to say,
'The Law came so people could become righteous.'
Or,
'The Law came to help people earn God's favor.'
But he says neither.
He says,
'The Law came to increase the trespass.'
What does he mean?"
Explanation
"Paul is certainly not saying that God's Law is sinful.
He has already made that clear in Romans 1-3.
In Romans 7:12 he says,
'The Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good.'
The problem has never been the Law.
The problem has always been us.
The Law is like a mirror.
When you look into a mirror first thing in the morning, it faithfully reveals every wrinkle, every stray hair, every flaw.
Ive said this before, but the mirror didn't create the problem.
It simply exposed what was already there.
The Law works the same way.
Before God's commands are revealed, people are still sinners.
But when God's holy standard shines on the human heart, sin is no longer hidden.
It becomes visible.
It becomes unmistakable.
Even more than that, something strange happens inside us.
The sinful heart doesn't merely ignore God's commands.
It rebels against them.
The command itself provokes our rebellion.
Tell a toddler, ‘Don't touch that.'
And suddenly it's all they can think about.
Not because the command is bad.
But because rebellion already lives in the heart.
The command simply reveals it.
The Law came to multiply the trespass.
Not because God delights in exposing sinners...
but because God will never heal a disease we refuse to admit we have."
Argumentation
This is where many people misunderstand Christianity.
They assume Christianity is essentially about becoming a better person.
Follow the rules.
Try harder. Do more good than bad. Become more religious.
But if that were true, Paul would have written,
'The Law came to make people righteous.'
Instead he says,
'The Law came to increase the trespass.'
In other words… the closer we stand to God's holiness...
the more aware we become of our sinfulness.
That isn't failure.
That's mercy.
Because until I know the seriousness of my condition...
I'll never run to the Great Physician.
The Law never competes with grace.
The Law prepares us for grace.
It tears down every false hope so that Christ becomes our only hope.
Application
I think many of us still misuse God's Law today.
Some of us use it as a measuring stick.
We quietly compare ourselves to everyone around us.
'I haven't done what they did.'
'I attend church.'
‘I read my Bible.'
‘I try to be a good husband.'
‘I try to be a good mom.'
‘I give.'
‘I serve.'
And without realizing it… we begin trusting our performance instead of Christ's.
Paul says,
The Law was never given to become your ladder to heaven.
It was given to show you that your ladder isn't tall enough.
Others hear God's commands… and immediately feel defeated.
Every command reminds them how often they've failed.
They leave church believing,
'I'll never measure up.'
The Law agrees. You never will.
That's not its purpose.
Its purpose is to bring you to the end of yourself...
where you finally stop saying,
'I think I can fix this.' and begin saying, ‘Jesus, I need You.'
And once we've come to Christ… we don't throw away God's commands.
We begin loving them for a completely different reason.
We no longer obey to earn God's acceptance.
We obey because we've already received His acceptance.
The Law becomes a guide for grateful children...
not a contract for fearful slaves."
We should never ask the Law to do what only grace can accomplish.
The Law cannot rescue what it was never designed to heal.
Transition
"But here's where Paul completely overwhelms us with hope.
If the Law exposed just how great our sin really is...
What happens when grace meets a sinner whose sin has been fully exposed?
Does grace merely keep pace with sin?
Does God barely forgive?
Paul ‘gives us great peace, But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more.'
Church… Sin may be great. But grace has never once been intimidated by it.
Grace Reigns Through Righteousness to Eternal Life (5:20-21)
Paul has shown us the devastation of Adam.
He has shown us the perfection of Christ.
He has shown us the purpose of the Law.
Now he reaches the climax.
The law came along to multiply the trespass. But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Church...
that may be some of the sweetest run on sentence ever written.
One little conjunction (But)… and everything changes.
Paul has spent nearly an entire chapter describing the reality of sin.
Its guilt.
Its condemnation.
Its death.
Its reign.
Then he says,
"But..." God has another story to tell.
Explanation
Notice Paul's language.
"Where sin multiplied..."
He doesn't deny the seriousness of sin. He says,
"It multiplied."
Sin spreads. It grows. It leaves broken marriages, Broken families, churches, broken consciences and hearts.
Paul isn't naïve. He sees it.
But then comes one of the greatest "much mores" in all of Romans.
"...grace multiplied even more."
The Greek word Paul uses here is remarkable.
He doesn't simply say grace increased.
He invents a compound expression to communicate something almost beyond words.
Grace super-abounded. Grace overflowed. Grace exceeded every boundary.
Grace completely overwhelmed sin.
Paul is stretching language because ordinary words aren't big enough.
Church… God's grace is never playing catch-up.
Sin may multiply. Grace always multiplies more.
That doesn't mean grace ignores sin.
It means grace triumphs over it.
Think about the cross.
Humanity commits the greatest sin ever committed.
The perfect Son of God is rejected...
mocked...
beaten...
crucified.
If there was ever a moment when sin appeared victorious.. it was Friday afternoon…
God used humanity's greatest act of evil...
to accomplish humanity's greatest act of redemption.
The place where sin looked strongest...
became the place where grace shined brightest.
That is the Gospel.
Then Paul says something even more beautiful.
"So that...grace will reign..."
Not… grace exists. He says grace reigns.
Earlier he said,
"Death reigned." Now… Grace reigns.
The kingdom has changed.
The ruler has changed.
The future has changed.
Before Christ...
Sin sat on the throne.
Death ruled every life.
Fear ruled every conscience.
Shame ruled every heart.
Now Paul says another King has come.
Grace reigns through righteousness.
God didn't ignore justice. He satisfied it.
Grace never sidesteps righteousness.
Grace reigns because Christ fulfilled righteousness.
God remains perfectly just… while fully justifying sinners.
And where does this reign lead?
Eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Life that begins the moment we trust Christ...
and it never ends.
Application
Paul never says your sin is small.
He says God's grace is greater.
Your sin may have multiplied.
His grace has multiplied more.
Some of you have spent years under the reign of shame.
Others live under the reign of fear.
Some under the reign of bitterness.
Others under the reign of addiction.
Some under the reign of performance.
Always trying & striving.
Wondering if you've done enough.
Paul says...
There is another King.
Grace reigns.
That doesn't mean life suddenly becomes easy.
It means you no longer fight alone.
It means condemnation no longer has the final word.
It means failure is no longer your identity.
It means death itself has lost its victory.
Because your King has already won.
So stop living like you're still under the old kingdom.
Stop listening to a king who no longer has authority over your life.
Walk in freedom.
Confess quickly.
Forgive generously.
Serve joyfully.
Love boldly.
Hope confidently.
Why?
Because grace reigns.
Church… hear Paul one last time.
Where sin multiplied… grace multiplied even more.
Where sin reaches its limit… grace has only begun.
Gospel Invitation
Church, over the past few months we've walked through Romans chapters 4 and 5 together.
Paul has been leading us to one conclusion.
We cannot make ourselves right with God.
No amount of religion.
No amount of good works.
No amount of morality.
No amount of trying harder
Can erase our guilt or produce the righteousness God requires.
Every one of us has stood where Adam stood.
Every one of us has sinned.
Every one of us has lived under the reign of sin.
Every one of us deserves condemnation.
But that is not where God left us.
God loved us too much to leave us there.
So He sent His Son.
Jesus Christ lived the life we failed to live.
He obeyed where Adam disobeyed.
He fulfilled the Law we could never keep.
He died the death our sins deserved.
Then He rose again in victory over sin and death, proving that His sacrifice was accepted and that eternal life now belongs to everyone who believes in Him.
That is the Gospel.
The Gospel is not asking you to become a better person.
It's inviting you to trust a better Savior.
Every head bowed and eye closed [Worship Team]
Invitation to Respond
If today the Holy Spirit is drawing you… and you're ready to stop trusting your own record...
& you're ready to surrender your life to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord...
Invitation to Believers
Church...
many of you have already trusted Christ.
You belong to Him.
But maybe if you're honest...
you've been living as though the old king still sits on the throne.
Today is an opportunity to lay those burdens down.
As we sing...
if you need prayer...
if you need to confess...
if you simply want to kneel and thank God that grace reigns...
this altar is open for you as well.
Come and remember who your King is.
