The Greatness of God’s Grace

INTRODUCTION

Romans: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition 3. A New Identity 5:12–21

Adam’s act of disobedience and Christ’s act of reconciliation

Romans 5:12 ESV

12 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—

Paul contrasts Adam’s act of disobedience and Christ’s act of reconciliation.

Romans: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition 3. A New Identity 5:12–21

One might question why Eve receives no mention in this passage, since she was in fact the first to disobey, and subsequently persuaded her husband to sin. Paul is not ignorant of Eve’s role in the Genesis account, and in other passages he makes specific references to her actions as well. Here, for the sake of the comparison he wants to make, Paul limits his attention to the male figures of Adam and Christ.

Romans: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition 3. A New Identity 5:12–21

We should recall that the Hebrew word Adam is the generic word for “human.” All the references to Adam and men in this passage, therefore, have a generic meaning that embraces females as well as males.

Sin came into the world through one man.

Romans 5:12-

Romans 5:12–14 ESV

12 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— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 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.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 5:12

Paul had now finished his description of how God has revealed and applied to humans His provided righteousness on the basis of the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ received by faith.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 5:12

One thing remains to be done—to present the contrastive parallelism between the work of Jesus Christ (and its results in justification and reconciliation) and the work of another man, Adam (and its results in sin and death).

Romans 5:12 ESV

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—

Paul began by saying “Therefore” (lit., “because of this”)… “just as”.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 5:12

sin (in Gr., “the sin”) entered (eisēlthen, “entered into”) the world through one man; and, in accord with God’s warning (cf. Gen. 2:16–17), death (in Gr., “the death”) through sin

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 5:12

Paul explained that sin (in Gr., “the sin”) entered (eisēlthen, “entered into”) the world through one man; and, in accord with God’s warning (cf. Gen. 2:16–17), death (in Gr., “the death”) through sin.

Romans 5:12 ESV

12 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—

The sin entered into the world through one man (Adam).

The sin entered into the world through one man (Adam).

One man sin so all men sinned

The death spread to all men because all sinned.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 5:12

God’s penalty for sin was both spiritual and physical death (cf. Rom. 6:23; 7:13), and Adam and Eve and their descendants experienced both. But physical death, being an outward, visible experience, is in view in 5:12–21.

1) The free gift of grace vs. the trespass

Death is both spiritual and physical (; ).

Physical death is an outward and visible experience.

Spiritual death is separation from God.

Adam and Eve and their descendants experienced both.

The free gift of grace

Romans 5:15 ESV

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.

The gift is not like the sin.

A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. χάρισμα

The gracious gift of redemption Ro 5:15f; IEph 17:2.

Gift (Grk, charisma) = Grace-gift; the gracious gift of redemption. (Bible Knowledge Commentary)

By contrast, this gift is different, “not like the sin.”

Through the sin of one man (Adam) many died.

Sin results in death — by one person’s act (Adam).

What Adam did was not only affect himself but the whole human race.

Through the grace of one man (Jesus Christ) grace abounded for many.

A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. χάρισμα

danger 2 Cor 1:11. The spiritual possession of the believer Ro 1:11 (χάρισμα πνευματικόν); 1 Cor 1:7; ISm ins; IPol 2:2.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 5:15

contrasts with what Adam did, his “trespass” (paraptōma, “false step”; also mentioned in 4:25; 5:16–18, 20). The point of the first contrasting parallel is the degree

The free gift of justification vs. the trespass

Romans 5:16 ESV

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.

The free gift of righteousness vs.

Romans 5:17 ESV

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.

Through one man’s sin (i.e., Adam), death reigned...

;

Adam’s sin open the door for death to rule over all people.

Everyone die—great and small, rich and poor, old and young, men and women.

Death is not only unavoidable but also unpreventable.

Death is both spiritual and physical

Physical death is an outward and visible experience.

Physical death is an outward and visible experience.

Spiritual death is separation from God.

Adam and Eve and their descendants experienced both.

But through one man’s abundant grace (i.e., Christ), righteousness reigns.

ESV - “...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 Summary: One man effect many (all) men.

Romans 5:18–19 ESV

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.

- One act of disobedient led to condemnation; one act of righteousness leads to justification and life (v. 18).

- One trespass led to condemnation; one act of righteousness leads to justification and life (v. 18).

- One man’s disobedience, many were sinners; one man’s obedience will be made righteous (v. 19).

Romans 5:20 ESV

Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,

Romans 5:21 ESV

so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 5:

Romans 5:20–21 ESV

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.

CONCLUSION

Through Adam we all sin and died; through Christ we are justified and have eternal life.

Nothing you do can make Him loves you less.

Through Adam we all sin and died; through Christ we are justified and have eternal life.

God’s grace is greater than your sin.

Nothing you do can make Him loves you less.