Romans, Chapter 5, Pt.4: Accept The Free Gift
This week, we'll conclude our study of the fifth chapter of Romans as we take a look at verses 18-21, and the amazing gift of God's grace and the peace of mind that it affords us...
"Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord."
Paul expands upon his previous thoughts and closes out the chapter in a beautiful and reassuring way. Let's take a closer look at these verses, and how they apply to us...
"Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men to justification of life." Much more than a simple reiteration of the points that Paul had previously made, this bold statement highlights the contrasts of the actions of Adam, with their condemning consequences, with the actions of Jesus, and their resulting justification. Let's think about this phrase for a moment, "justification of life." Because of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us, and because of His righteousness, our life is justified in the eyes of God. What does it mean to be justified? So many times, we feel that we just don't belong, or that we have no purpose or meaning, but these verses prove otherwise. Because of Jesus, we are justified to be here, to be who we are. We are somebody in God's eyes, we matter to Him, because we have obeyed the gospel, and believed in what Jesus did for us. This feeling of belonging and of being seen as precious in the eyes of God is absolutely vital to our well-being, and we cannot allow the darkness around us to steal it out of our hearts. This all important peace of mind is what is missing in the world around us, what so many people are searching for. No small wonder that despair has taken hold of so many, and weighs on their minds so heavily. They are seeking for something, but it won't be found through vanity or possessions, or in a needle or a pill or a bottle; no doctor can prescribe it, only the healing of the Great Physician can bring the cure. This is what we are compelled to share with others. This is our very identity, for without it, we are lost and without hope. It is only through Jesus that we can find, and feel, this justification of life.
"For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." This is a description of the transference of Adam's disobedience onto all of us, and in contrast, the transference of the righteousness of Christ onto us through His obedience. One point of clarification becomes necessary here. In order to grasp the full extent of the sacrifice as well as the obedience of Jesus, we must come to terms with the fact that He was not "murdered" for our sake. He was crucified by the Romans at the insistence of the Jews, but this was all a part of God's plan, and Jesus was well aware of it. Throughout His ministry, Jesus referred many times to the fact that He would have to give His life. He also made it clear that this was not only by Divine design, but also by His own choice. He told His disciples in John 10:18, referring to His life and death..."No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father." This gives us a deeper insight into the amazing sacrifice that Jesus was willing to make on our behalf. When we read this verse in the original Greek text, we find yet another aspect which often goes unnoticed. When we read that, due to Adam's disobedience, "many were made sinners", the original Greek word used is "katestathesan", translated literally as "were appointed." In other words, Adam's sin caused us all to be predetermined to be sinners, designated worthy of death. By comparison, when we read that, due to the obedience of Jesus, "shall many be made righteous", the Greek word used is "katastathesontai", which literally means "will be appointed." This tells us that the obedience of Jesus will cause us, at the day of judgment, to be declared as righteous, our belief in His sacrifice deeming us worthy of eternal life. The distinction which Paul makes between the past and future tense of the verb is an important one because it shows us that, while we all have been established as, and declared to be, sinners in the past, we, as believers, look forward to a future ordination of righteousness, as God, for Christ's sake, forgives us our trespasses.
"Moreover, the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:" One question which naturally arises when reading this verse is, "If God's plans for mankind centered upon Adam and Christ, what was the point of the law, and what was its intended purpose?" The law was given in order to reveal the ruin which sin had created as well as the recovery which was to come. Simply put, the law was instituted so that sin could be seen for what it is, and be labeled as disobedience to God. Even so, the longsuffering love and mercy of God would not allow us to be left in a state of separation without hope. The unspeakable gift of grace was given in order to provide a way of reconciliation back to God.
"That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." Paul here sums up the entire chapter as we see the stark contrast between the sin that reigned over us and brought death upon us, and the grace which brings righteousness and eternal life by Jesus Christ. No greater gift has ever been given, or higher price been paid, than that which Jesus gave for us. May we never feel alone, unloved, or abandoned, because we have a Savior who gave His all for us, who loves us with a love that we cannot begin to comprehend. His is an unspeakable and boundless love that transcends all that we know or feel. Let us never be discouraged or downtrodden, because we were bought with a tremendous price, paid for by His precious blood, and therefore we belong to Him. He lived to teach us, He suffered in our stead, He died to save us, and He was resurrected to reconcile us back to God. May we find peace and rest for our souls in the knowledge that He intercedes on our behalf even now, as well as in His promise that He is preparing a place for us, that where He is, there we may be also.
"Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
Paul expands upon his previous thoughts and closes out the chapter in a beautiful and reassuring way. Let's take a closer look at these verses, and how they apply to us...
"Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men to justification of life." Much more than a simple reiteration of the points that Paul had previously made, this bold statement highlights the contrasts of the actions of Adam, with their condemning consequences, with the actions of Jesus, and their resulting justification. Let's think about this phrase for a moment, "justification of life." Because of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us, and because of His righteousness, our life is justified in the eyes of God. What does it mean to be justified? So many times, we feel that we just don't belong, or that we have no purpose or meaning, but these verses prove otherwise. Because of Jesus, we are justified to be here, to be who we are. We are somebody in God's eyes, we matter to Him, because we have obeyed the gospel, and believed in what Jesus did for us. This feeling of belonging and of being seen as precious in the eyes of God is absolutely vital to our well-being, and we cannot allow the darkness around us to steal it out of our hearts. This all important peace of mind is what is missing in the world around us, what so many people are searching for. No small wonder that despair has taken hold of so many, and weighs on their minds so heavily. They are seeking for something, but it won't be found through vanity or possessions, or in a needle or a pill or a bottle; no doctor can prescribe it, only the healing of the Great Physician can bring the cure. This is what we are compelled to share with others. This is our very identity, for without it, we are lost and without hope. It is only through Jesus that we can find, and feel, this justification of life.
"For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." This is a description of the transference of Adam's disobedience onto all of us, and in contrast, the transference of the righteousness of Christ onto us through His obedience. One point of clarification becomes necessary here. In order to grasp the full extent of the sacrifice as well as the obedience of Jesus, we must come to terms with the fact that He was not "murdered" for our sake. He was crucified by the Romans at the insistence of the Jews, but this was all a part of God's plan, and Jesus was well aware of it. Throughout His ministry, Jesus referred many times to the fact that He would have to give His life. He also made it clear that this was not only by Divine design, but also by His own choice. He told His disciples in John 10:18, referring to His life and death..."No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father." This gives us a deeper insight into the amazing sacrifice that Jesus was willing to make on our behalf. When we read this verse in the original Greek text, we find yet another aspect which often goes unnoticed. When we read that, due to Adam's disobedience, "many were made sinners", the original Greek word used is "katestathesan", translated literally as "were appointed." In other words, Adam's sin caused us all to be predetermined to be sinners, designated worthy of death. By comparison, when we read that, due to the obedience of Jesus, "shall many be made righteous", the Greek word used is "katastathesontai", which literally means "will be appointed." This tells us that the obedience of Jesus will cause us, at the day of judgment, to be declared as righteous, our belief in His sacrifice deeming us worthy of eternal life. The distinction which Paul makes between the past and future tense of the verb is an important one because it shows us that, while we all have been established as, and declared to be, sinners in the past, we, as believers, look forward to a future ordination of righteousness, as God, for Christ's sake, forgives us our trespasses.
"Moreover, the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:" One question which naturally arises when reading this verse is, "If God's plans for mankind centered upon Adam and Christ, what was the point of the law, and what was its intended purpose?" The law was given in order to reveal the ruin which sin had created as well as the recovery which was to come. Simply put, the law was instituted so that sin could be seen for what it is, and be labeled as disobedience to God. Even so, the longsuffering love and mercy of God would not allow us to be left in a state of separation without hope. The unspeakable gift of grace was given in order to provide a way of reconciliation back to God.
"That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." Paul here sums up the entire chapter as we see the stark contrast between the sin that reigned over us and brought death upon us, and the grace which brings righteousness and eternal life by Jesus Christ. No greater gift has ever been given, or higher price been paid, than that which Jesus gave for us. May we never feel alone, unloved, or abandoned, because we have a Savior who gave His all for us, who loves us with a love that we cannot begin to comprehend. His is an unspeakable and boundless love that transcends all that we know or feel. Let us never be discouraged or downtrodden, because we were bought with a tremendous price, paid for by His precious blood, and therefore we belong to Him. He lived to teach us, He suffered in our stead, He died to save us, and He was resurrected to reconcile us back to God. May we find peace and rest for our souls in the knowledge that He intercedes on our behalf even now, as well as in His promise that He is preparing a place for us, that where He is, there we may be also.
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