Romans 5:12-15 -- "Much More!"

One is often amazed by the contrasts in life. It could be the contrast between a Super Bowl winner and loser, night and day, peace and war, joy and sadness, health and illness, quietness and noise. We all are affected by contrasts in our daily life. Contrasts make an impression on us, and many of them remain with us for a long time. They truly make life meaningful for us. Our text presents us with a contrast that gets our attention and at the same time presents the very essence of our Christian faith—the contrast between one human being, Adam, and the Man, Jesus Christ, the very Son of God. The Holy Spirit will strengthen our faith as God’s amazing grace overflows, in us and we consider the meaning of this contrast for our daily lives.

In Adam’s Sin We All Die.

Adam disobeyed God, his Creator.

His sin became our sin (v. 12)

We Inherit the blame for his sin (vs. 12-13)

We inherit his predilection for sin

His penalty became our penalty (v 12).

In disobeying God, Adam committed spiritual suicide; he lost the life of God.

In disobeying God, Adam also committed spiritual murder; in, with, and under his death we too died.

We are dead already in this life. Even though we breathe, move around, eat, work play, etc., we are “dead in trespasses and sins.”

With God’s marvelous intervention, we would have been completely — and horribly — dead in the next life. Physical death would have been the gateway to eternal death in hell 00 total severance from the life of God.

In God’s Grace through Christ We all Live!

Jesus obeyed God, His Father

He came to earth to do God’s will (Hebrews 10:7; John 4:34).

Hebrews 10:7 ESV

7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’ ”

John 4:34 ESV

34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.

He did God’s will perfectly, meeting all the tests Adam had failed to meet (active obedience).

He was “obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (passive obedience).

His obedience became our obedience (Rom. 5:19).

Romans 5:19 ESV

19 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.

However guilty we are in fact, we are credited with Christ’s own righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21).

However predisposed to sin we are, we receive from Christ power to begin to be righteous in our everyday lives as we abide in Christ (John 15:5)

His blessedness becomes our blessedness.

We too are sons of God.

We too share in the life of God.

We share it to an exciting degree already in this life.

We share it completely — and ecstatically — in the next life. Physical death, thanks to Christ, is now the gateway to eternal life in heaven — total union with the triune God.

The marvelous things that God through Christ prepared for all humanity becomes ours individually through faith in Christ. And wonders of wonders, even this faith in Christ is God’s gift to us through the Good News about Christ.

You see,

Jesus Does More Than Simply Give Us Back the Life We Lost through Adam, Because He Also Gives Us Himself, the Life of God That Is Overflowing!

This life is Christ’s life. It is stronger than sin and death, and it is in you who are in Christ.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.