Question of the day: Rain, do you like it? If so why?
Good morning class. This morning we are going to finish up the 5th chapter in Romans.
Read: Romans 5: 12-21
Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ
12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—
13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law.14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.
15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!
18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
In the message it reads:
The Death-Dealing Sin, the Life-Giving Gift
12-14 You know the story of how Adam landed us in the dilemma we’re in—first sin, then death, and no one exempt from either sin or death. That sin disturbed relations with God in everything and everyone, but the extent of the disturbance was not clear until God spelled it out in detail to Moses. So death, this huge abyss separating us from God, dominated the landscape from Adam to Moses. Even those who didn’t sin precisely as Adam did by disobeying a specific command of God still had to experience this termination of life, this separation from God. But Adam, who got us into this, also points ahead to the One who will get us out of it.
15-17 Yet the rescuing gift is not exactly parallel to the death-dealing sin. If one man’s sin put crowds of people at the dead-end abyss of separation from God, just think what God’s gift poured through one man, Jesus Christ, will do! There’s no comparison between that death-dealing sin and this generous, life-giving gift. The verdict on that one sin was the death sentence; the verdict on the many sins that followed was this wonderful life sentence. If death got the upper hand through one man’s wrongdoing, can you imagine the breathtaking recovery life makes, sovereign life, in those who grasp with both hands this wildly extravagant life-gift, this grand setting-everything-right, that the one man Jesus Christ provides?
18-19 Here it is in a nutshell: Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it. But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us into life! One man said no to God and put many people in the wrong; one man said yes to God and put many in the right.
20-21 All that passing laws against sin did was produce more lawbreakers. But sin didn’t, and doesn’t, have a chance in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace.When it’s sin versus grace, grace wins hands down. All sin can do is threaten us with death, and that’s the end of it. Grace, because God is putting everything together again through the Messiah, invites us into life—a life that goes on and on and on, world without end.
As I read this passage for the first time, I thought what poetic justice. How beautiful, tidy in a way, that one man brought sin, and one man eradicates it. So what is the life application in that? Adam brought it, Jesus is the answer, just interesting? Is this one of those points that is like a side note, just an interesting idea?
What does this passage say to us, and how do we apply that to our lives?
1. This passage retells us that we can't be saved by keeping the law. After all, before Moses, before God gave His people a law they still experienced death and the separation from God. So without the law we still are sinners doomed to death. Therefore it can't be the keeping of the law that saves us.
2. Jesus, one man, saves us. It is because of what he did that we can have eternal life.
For us this is strengthening the argument that we can't be saved on our own, it takes Jesus and only Jesus.
In my life application bible it reads: "As a sinner, separated from God, you see his law from below as a ladder to be climbed to get to God. Perhaps you have repeatedly tried to climb it, only to fall to the ground every time you have advanced one or two rungs. Or perhaps the sheer height of the ladder seems so overwhelming that you have never even started up. In either case what relief you should feel to see Jesus offering with open arms to lift you above the ladder of the law, to take you directly to God! Once Jesus lifts you into God's presence, you are free to obey- out of love, not necessity, and through God's power, not your own. You know that if you stumble, you will not fall back to the ground. Instead you will be caught and held in Christ's loving arms."
Do you spend more time in your day thinking about the rungs and going up and down, or do you spend more time in the arms of Jesus?
What does spending time in the arms of Jesus look like?
In the message bible it says, "God is putting everything together again through the Messiah, invites us into life"
What does this life look like?
This past week we had lice hit MPA. After trying to get a handle on it, we finally decided to send as many kids home as possible. Those staying at school were international students without a place to go. I decided to offer to bring home the three girls who are from Ethiopian and one of their friends who lives in Florida and couldn't make it home. Two of the Ethiopian girls were excited and ready to go, but the third didn't feel comfortable coming with me. She was afraid. I tried to calm her fears and assure her it would be a safe and good place to be, but she declined my invitation. I can't express to you how sad I felt for her. I knew she would have delicious Ethiopian food at my house. I knew she would have a fun time with her friends. I knew she would be better off with us than at school alone. It made me so sad for her, and sad for us too.
Jesus has prepared a place for you. Jesus wants to pick you up and carry you above that law ladder and sit you at the feet of God. He did the work, He yearns for you to come with Him. Will you?
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