By
1.
INTRO:
1.1.1. In our last study, we looked at verses 10-15 of chapter 5
1.1.1.1. We talked about “the saving life of Christ” for
believers whereby we are being saved from sin in the present tense through the
indwelling Holy Spirit working in us and through us.
1.1.1.2. Then, also talked about how that because of Adam’s sin
that we all became sinners (this is Original Sin), and likewise through the
death of one man, Jesus Christ, we are able to receive the grace of God and
eternal life.
1.1.1.3. We saw that Jesus is the second Adam because what He
did on Calvary’s cross affects all men (providing salvation for us) in the same
way that what Adam did affected all mankind, causing all to become sinners
(inherit a sin nature).
1.1.2. In our study today, we will discuss verses 16-21 of
chapter 5.
1.1.2.1. In our
previous study, we noted the fact that though this latter section of chapter 5
of the book of Romans is not easy to understand that it is the fact that
understanding it provides a doctrinal key for us in the scriptures, and all of
those from the cults who have fallen into doctrinal error have misunderstood
this important section of scripture.
Therefore, it is important for us as Christians to study and understand
this section of the scripture.
1.1.2.2. In our
previous study, the concentration was primarily upon the similarity of what was
accomplished by Adam in his fall into sin and Jesus Christ in His going to the
cross. The point was that both acts
produced results that affected all mankind.
However, in this study we will concentrate upon the contrasts, the
qualitative differences in what was accomplished by Adam in his fall and what
was accomplished by Jesus Christ in going to the cross.
1.1.2.3. The apostle
Paul intends in these verses to instill in all of us an appreciation of the
goodness of God in providing blessing beyond measure or calculation through
Jesus Christ and the cross of
2.
VS
5:16 - “16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who
sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting
in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many
transgressions resulting in justification.” - Paul tells us that the action of Adam in his
transgression resulted in condemnation however the free gift of eternal life
arose from many transgressions and resulted in justification
2.1.
In this verse, Paul contrasts again the effect
produced by the sin of Adam verses the obedience of Jesus. He says that what Jesus Christ did upon the
cross was of a much greater magnitude and produced a much more proportionate
effect.
2.2.
It is interesting that Paul mentions for the second
time in this later section of chapter 5 that salvation is a “free gift,”
especially since every gift by definition is free. I think Paul was still in holy awe of the
magnificence of a salvation which he as a Pharisee did not have to work hard
for.
2.3.
Paul writes that as a result of that one single sin of
disobedience by Adam in the garden, that God’s ‘judgment arose from his one transgression’
and that it produced ‘condemnation’ to all men. In contrast to Adam’s single transgression,
Jesus went to the cross because of the innumerable transgressions people have committed since
the beginning of creation.
2.4.
Our estimation of the magnitude of what Jesus Christ
did for mankind upon Calvary’s cross rises as we think of the number of
transgressions committed by sinful men, none of which deter Jesus from being
willing to go to the cross.
2.5.
Another way that the magnitude of what Christ did is
expressed by Paul in this verse is in his stating what that obedience of Christ
produced in the lives of people, namely, ‘justification.’ All those who accept the free gift of
salvation, for which Christ paid by the giving of Himself up to the cross for
sins, were made to be “just as if they had never sinned.” Justification as we remember means to be
declared “righteous” before God.
2.6.
The very righteousness of Christ is imputed to all of
those who trust in Christ for salvation.
3.
VS
5:17 - “17 For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the
one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of
righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”
- Paul tells us that if death reigned
through Adam and his transgression that much more will those reign in life who
have received the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness through
Jesus Christ
3.1.
Someone once said that there
are two constants in life, death and taxes, and here in this section of Romans
we are again reminded of why all people on this earth eventually die.
3.2.
In this verse, Paul contrasts two things between Adam
and Christ regarding what was accomplished by each. Adam and Eve were told by God in the garden
of Eden that they could do whatever they wanted to do except eat of one of the
trees, and that they would not die as long as they did not eat of that
tree. However, they chose to eat of that
tree and as a result they fell into sin and became the originator of a species
and race bounded by mortality. Because
of Adam’s single sin in the garden of Eden, Paul says that ‘death reigned’
among mankind. This means that Adam’s
sin produced death and its domain (if such a thing exists) to all men. Death was reigning over all men, for all men
eventually die.
3.3.
Enoch and Elijah are two men in the Old Testament who
were taken directly to heaven without having their earthly bodies go through
the process of dying, however everyone else on earth has or will die, and this
fact occurs not because of their sin but because of the sin of Adam.
3.4.
As was mentioned in the last study, the ‘death’
produced by sin is characterized in three ways as we know from scripture. First, a person will die physically. Secondly, every person will be born out of
fellowship with God, or dead spiritually. Third, there is eternal death that
consists of an eternity spent in hell.
The sin of Adam has produced in all of his physical descendants (except
for Jesus who was not implicated to be a sinner from birth) all three of the
aspects of ‘death.’
3.5.
When analyzing these chapters in Romans, one has to
come to an interpretation of what Paul is meaning when he again uses this
phrase ‘much more.’ Some
interpreters have said that in using it that Paul is saying that if the
consequences brought about by Adam’s sin are certain, then it is even more so
the case the certainty of the consequences brought about by Christ’s act of
obedience. Others, myself included, tend
to think that Paul uses this term ‘much more,’ in a second sense, and
that here in this verse he uses it to describe the fact that the results
produced by Christ and His one act of obedience upon the cross were more far
reaching and were more of a glorious and wonderful nature.
3.6.
What Christ effected through His death on the cross
was to produce ‘life.’ The Greek
word used here for ‘life’ is “zoe,”
which is that quality of life that comes from God and is maintained in
spiritual fellowship with Him through the Holy Spirit. This life is the highest quality of life that
a person could experience, as it emanates directly from God Himself, and it is
actually the outpouring of His life through a yielded vessel.
3.7.
Jesus talked about this “eternal life” that He
would give to all who believe in Him in John 3:16, “16 “For God so loved the
world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should
not perish, but have eternal life.”
The one who believes in Jesus as Lord and Savior begins to walk in this
new quality of life at the moment they come to salvation. Likewise, the afterlife for the one who
believes in Jesus for salvation is described as being this same “eternal
life.” We can have a very definite
taste of this “eternal life” right now and today. Jesus said in John 14:6-7 that He is “the
life” and when we know Him we know and can walk in that life that is in
Jesus.
3.8.
Not only does Paul say that the one who believes in
Jesus will receive eternal life, he says that he or she will also ‘reign in
life through the One, Jesus Christ.’
The one who trusts in Christ for salvation will have this precious “eternal
life” as the ruling and governing principle in his life. Those who descended from Adam had as the
ruling and governing principle in their life, death. When a believer is placed into Christ, “eternal
life” now begins to flow and reign in him/her.
3.9.
Some commentators have stated concerning this verse
that God’s plan for redeeming man is to
have him reign in heaven with Him, so that this thus verse has also a second
meaning. Jesus says in Rev. 3:21, “21 ‘He
who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also
overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.’”
3.10.
We talked about what Paul referred to as “the
saving life of Christ” within us in our last study and noted how that this
life is intended to give us victory over the present struggle of indwelling sin
in our lives during this period of time before the Lord returns for us. We are being saved moment by moment through
the Holy Spirit dwelling and reigning within us as we are living the exchanged
or crucified life. This life is the “eternal
life” we are referring to in this study.
3.11.
Is God’s “eternal life” reigning in your life
today? Is that the principle that is
governing and controlling all that you do in your life? If someone from outside were to come and
visit your home, or your job, or your hobby, would they see more of the ‘life’
of God working within you than this sinful world that is in rebellion against
the Lord? Is there anything in your life
that might be hindering or damming up that flow of ‘erternal
life’ (the saving life of Christ) in you?
4.
VS
5:18 - “18 So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation
to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted
justification of life to all men.” - Paul tells
us that Adam’s one act of transgression resulted in condemnation to all men,
however Jesus Christ’s one act of righteousness resulted in justification of
life to all men
4.1.
Because of Adam’s single sin in the garden of Eden,
all of his physical descendants have incurred the ‘condemnation’ due to
him. There has been much speculation
though as to what this ‘condemnation’ in this verse refers. We have already seen in this last section of
chapter 5 which began at verse 12 that all people die because of the sin of
Adam (Rom. 5:12) and that death has a three-fold aspect, effecting physical,
spiritual, and eternal death.
4.2.
When Paul says that because of Christ’s obedience unto
the death of the cross for man’s sin, there resulted ‘justification of life,’
this defines the fact that the state of justification in which a believer is
placed is a state where God’s “eternal life” (and all that it means)
reigns in his/her life.
4.3.
In this verse Paul says that the justification of life
results to ‘all men.’ In the case
of Adam, the ‘all men’ literally refers to every physical descendant of
Adam’s, however in the case of Christ, the ‘all men’ refers to those who
will believe upon Him for salvation.
There have been groups who have been badly led astray in their theology
by interpreting this phrase ‘all men’ in a literal manner. Universalists, such as the Mormons for
instance, wrongly believe that just as this verse teaches that ‘all men’
suffer death and condemnation because of the sin of Adam, that this verse also
teaches that ‘all men’ (literally every single person who has ever
lived) will be saved because of what Christ has done on the cross. However, there is a principle in interpretation
of scripture that is important to employ when you find a scripture that seems
to teach a certain point. You have to
look at all of the scripture (the flow of the lake of truth on a subject) and
when a scripture seems to go against what that verse seems to say or imply then
because the scripture is inspired and therefore cannot contradict itself there
must be another interpretation for the scripture. Universalism cannot hold up when you look at
the rest of scripture.
4.3.1.
Whenever we see an all-inclusive term such as ‘all
men’ used in scripture, you must ask the question as to what the scope of
the phrase in fact includes. There are
numerous places in scripture that if interpreted literally, in the same way
that the Universalists interpret this verse literally, people would come to
wrong conclusions. For instance, in John
3:26 it is said, “all men come to him,” in John 12:32 it is said, “I,
if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto Me,” and in the first part of
Luke it says that “all the world should be taxed,” and we know in each
of these instances the scope of whom “all” referred to was limited by
the context to the group being specified.
4.3.2.
We know from scripture that there are plenty of verses
that plainly teach that not everyone on earth shall be saved. Jesus Himself talked about dividing the sheep
from the goats which was in reference believers destined for heaven from
unbelievers destined for hell. In fact,
in the gospels Jesus mentioned hell more often than He mentioned heaven.
4.3.3.
There are so many scriptures that teach that not
everyone will be saved that I won’t belabor the point that we cannot interpret
this verse to teach that ‘all men’ will be saved who have ever lived
upon the earth. What this book of Romans
clearly teaches is that what makes the difference in whether you go to heaven
or hell after this life is whether or not you place your faith in Jesus Christ
as your Lord and Savior, just as Paul wrote in Romans 3:21-22, “21 But now
apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being
witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God through
faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction.”
5.
VS
5:19 - “19 For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners,
even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.”
- Paul tells us that through the
disobedience of Adam the many were made sinners but because of the obedience of
Jesus the many will be made righteous
5.1.
The word for ‘made’ used in this verse is
defined as “constituted.” What
Paul is therefore saying is that through what Adam did in his sin in the garden
of Eden, all mankind are in God’s sight ‘regarded’ or “constituted”
to be ‘sinners,’ having fallen short of the glory of God, and thereby
unable to have fellowship with God.
Likewise, through what Christ did in His obedience to the point of the
death upon the cross for the sins of mankind, people who place their faith in
Him for salvation are ‘regarded’ or “constituted” as being ‘righteous’
in the sight of God.
5.2.
Again in this verse we see Paul use this phrase ‘the
many,’ and we see that as was the case in verse 15 that ‘the many’
refers to the group being specified. In
the case of Adam and his sin ‘the many’ that were affected was every
physical descendant of his. In the case
of Christ and what His obedience unto the death on the cross affected, ‘the
many’ refers to all of those who will believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord
and Savior, and thus receive salvation.
5.3.
We Christians need to realize that God regards us as
being ‘righteous’ in His sight, not because of any goodness or virtue in
us, but because of the righteousness of Christ being imputed to us. We must realize that even when we have
grievously sinned in His sight, He still has made a legal pronouncement
concerning us, that He considers us as being ‘righteous’ in His sight
through His Son. God the Father is
completely satisfied in His only begotten Son and therefore we too are
completely acceptable to Him because when the Father sees us He sees the ‘righteousness’
of Jesus Christ.
6.
VS
5:20 - “20 And the Law came in that the transgression might increase; but
where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” - Paul tells us that the Law of Moses was given
so that transgressions might increase, however where sin increased God’s grace
abounded all the more
6.1.
In these last two verses, we must finish up with
Paul’s reflections upon justification and its results which he began at the
beginning of chapter 5. In chapter 6 we
will look at the believer’s identification with the death of Christ, and the
current life of Christ. However, these
last two verses complete Paul’s expounding upon God’s plans for justifying men
and women through the giving of His Son upon the cross.
6.2.
In this verse, Paul again begins to address the
subject of where the Law of Moses fits into God’s plans for mankind.
6.3.
This phrase ‘came in’ in this verse does not
communicate all that the original language that the text was written in is
saying. Strong’s Greek Dictionary has
the following definitions for this word translated ‘came in’ :
1)
to come in secretly or by stealth, or creep or steal in
2) to enter in addition, come in besides
6.4.
What Paul is saying with these words ‘came in’
referring to the Law is that the Law (speaking of all of the Law of Moses) “came
in alongside” sin. Previously in
this book, Paul had minimized the importance of the Law in God’s overall plan
for mankind. Sin existed well before the
Law was given. Likewise, men were judged
and condemned for sin long before the Law was given. We can see this in the action of God against
men with the flood, destruction of
6.5.
Paul writes in this verse that the Law came in
alongside in order that ‘transgression might increase,’ yet we know that
it is never God’s will that people sin.
Did God then really desire that ‘transgression might increase’ ? In Gal. 3:19, Paul writes that the Law was
given because of transgressions, “19 Why the Law then? It was added because
of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a
mediator, until the seed should come to whom the promise had been made.”
6.6.
Likewise, in Rom. 7:7-13 Paul says that the Law simply
revealed sin to him and that it was God’s agent used for him to come to the end
of himself and die to sin, “7 What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it
never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the
Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “You
shall not covet.” 8 But sin, taking
opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for
apart from the Law sin is dead. 9 And I was once alive apart from the Law; but
when the commandment came, sin became alive, and I died; 10 and this
commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me; 11
for sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, deceived me, and through
it killed me. 12 So then, the Law is
holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. 13 Therefore did that
which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it was
sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through
that which is good, that through the commandment sin might become utterly
sinful.”
6.7.
In verse 13 of this chapter, Paul had already written
that before the Law that sins were not “imputed,” which we saw in the
Greek meant that they were “not written in God’s ledger,” “13 for
until the Law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law.”
6.8.
So, taking all of these verses into account, I
conclude that sin existed before the Law was given, however the giving of the
Law helped people to be convicted of sin in their life. Thus, the added conviction of sins prepares
the hearts of people to receive the Savior who alone can heal their sinning and
wayward heart. The Law then becomes the
tool or “tutor” to lead people to Christ as it shows them that they
cannot keep the Law under their own strength, and, it reveals their utter
sinfulness and need of God’s mercy and grace in order to be forgiven and
accepted by God.
6.9.
The Law prepares a person so that he can then
appreciate and see his need for God’s forgiveness and pardon of his sins, as
Paul writes about in Eph. 1:7-8, “7 In Him we have redemption through His
blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace,
8 which He lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight.”
6.10.
There is however a sense in which because of our sin
nation that a person’s knowledge of the Law causes him to transgress more
before he finally comes to know Christ as his Lord and Savior. Paul writes about this operation in his own
life before coming to Christ, in
6.11.
Paul writes in this verse ‘but where sin increased,
grace abounded all the more,’ and our translation tries to bring out the
fact that Paul is using a comparison here between what was caused by sin’s increase
as a result of Adam’s sin verses the much greater and more magnificent
overflowing and abounding of God’s grace and mercy in response to man’s sin.
6.12.
Theologians refer to a period before time began when
the three figures of the Godhead discussed what they would do in response to
mankind’s future rebellion of sin.
Mankind could easily have never been created because of the problem of
dealing justly and righteously concerning their sin. Likewise, mankind could also have been
completely destroyed after their rebellion.
However, as the members of the Godhead debated this issue, it was
determined that the eternal Son of God would become a man and take on the sins
of mankind making atonement for their sins.
I believe that the author of the book of Hebrews, in Heb. 10:5-10, has
inferred that this conversation occurred when he writes, “5 Therefore, when
He comes into the world, He says,
“Sacrifice and offering Thou hast not desired, But a body Thou hast
prepared for Me; 6 In whole burnt
offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou hast taken no pleasure. 7 “Then I said,
‘Behold, I have come (In the roll of the book it is written of Me ) To do Thy
will, O God.’” 8 After saying above, “Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt
offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou hast not desired, nor hast Thou taken
pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the Law), 9 then He said,
“Behold, I have come to do Thy will.” He takes away the first in order to
establish the second. 10 By this will we have been sanctified through the
offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
6.13.
The three persons of the godhead determined to deal
with man consistently according to grace, and not in accordance with what
mankind deserved being sinners. Malachi wrote in Mal. 3:6 that the reason why
God had not destroyed His people was that He didn’t change and deal with them
one way one day, and another way another day, “6 “For I, the Lord, do not
change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.”
6.14.
Nehemiah wrote in Neh. 9:30-31 about how even when the
people whom the Lord had chosen continued to rebel against Him He did not
destroy or abandon them, “30 “However, Thou didst bear with them for many
years, And admonished them by Thy Spirit through Thy prophets, Yet they would not give ear. Therefore Thou didst give them into the hand
of the peoples of the lands. 31
“Nevertheless, in Thy great compassion Thou didst not make an end of them or
forsake them, For Thou art a gracious
and compassionate God.”
6.15.
Paul in Eph. 1:3-6 writes about how that before the
creation of the world, God who knew that man would sin, chose those of us who
were to come to salvation in Christ, “3 Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the
heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He
predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according
to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace,
which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.”
6.16.
These verses are evidence that before creation God had
determined how that He would deal with man according to grace after that man
had fallen. In 2 Tim. 1:8-9 Paul writes
about God’s aims from all eternity in dealing with us in grace, “8 Therefore
do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me His prisoner; but join
with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has
saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus
from all eternity.”
6.17.
Law and grace are opposites and are contrasted by the
apostle John in Jn. 1:17, “17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and
truth were realized through Jesus Christ.”
John is also saying that the fact that God gave His only-begotten Son
for mankind’s sins is evidence of the fact that God is dealing with mankind now
according to the principle of grace.
6.18.
The Lord has chosen to deal with mankind by given them
“undeserved favor and merit” with Himself, and by not giving them what
they deserve for their sins. As one
person has defined God’s grace, it is “God’s riches at Christ’s expense.”
6.19.
As prevalent and destructive as we see that the
effects of ‘sin’ are and have been on earth since Adam’s sin,
nevertheless Paul writes that God’s ‘grace abounded all the more.’ What God has accomplished through His grace
has overflowed and abounded much more than the effects of sin.
6.20.
Some have said that this verse perhaps implies that we
can see that God’s grace has abounded in that more people will be saved than
will go to hell. That could be true if
all those who die before an age of accountability will go to heaven... You can definitely see though that the good
effects produced by God’s grace have been much greater (actually they are
magnificent) than the bad effects produced by the sin of mankind.
6.21.
Having established a plan to deal with mankind
according to grace, we must now see that everything that the Lord has and will
in the future do for us is done because of His ‘grace.’ There is nothing that we have ever done or
will do that could deserve what the Lord has and will do for us.
6.22.
We need to realize that the Lord does not in some
cases deal with His children other than according to grace. He does not give out only so much grace to
His children and then when they go over a certain line He hits them with the
demands of the Law. Rather, everything
that the Lord does with us is and will always be according to and consistent
with grace.
6.23.
The Psalmist wrote in Ps. 103:10-14 that the Lord has
not dealt with us according to our sins, “10 He has not dealt with us
according to our sins, Nor rewarded us
according to our iniquities. 11 For as
high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His lovingkindness toward those
who fear Him. 12 As far as the east is
from the west, So far has He removed our
transgressions from us. 13 Just as a
father has compassion on his children,
So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. 14 For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.”
6.24.
We must realize that if the Lord were going to deal
with men and women according to what they as sinners deserved, then He would
not have sent His Son into the world to die for us. He would have destroyed mankind long ago if
He had not intended to deal with us according to His grace. Therefore, the Lord will “always consistently”
deal with His children according to grace, and therefore the author of
Lamentations could write in Lam. 3:22-24, “
22 The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never
cease, For His compassions never
fail. 23 They are new every
morning; Great is Thy faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I have hope in Him.””
6.25.
Daniel prayed that the Lord would answer his prayer
not because he was righteous and deserving the Lord to answer but because of
the Lord’s great compassion, Dan. 9:18, “18 “O my God, incline Thine ear and hear! Open Thine
eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Thy name; for we
are not presenting our supplications before Thee on account of any merits of
our own, but on account of Thy great compassion.”
6.26.
We Christians ought to be people who treat others in
the same way that the Lord treats us. We
need to extend grace and mercy to those around us just as the Lord extends His
grace and mercy to us. We ought to seek
to be like our Lord.
7.
VS 5:21 - “21
that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness
to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” -
Paul tells us that just as with sin producing or reigning in death that
God’s grace will reign through righteousness through Jesus Christ our Lord
7.1.
In this verse, Paul writes of sin as well as of grace
as if they were personages, speaking of them as if they were kings which reign
upon a throne.
7.2.
Sin’s kingly reign produces a kingdom that is
characterized by ‘death.’ I have
already commented extensively in this chapter about how that the “Original
Sin” of Adam has produced death and therefore that all mankind will die
(death being physical, spiritual, and eternal).
7.3.
Grace’s kingly reign produces a kingdom that is
characterized as being ‘through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus
Christ our Lord.’
7.4.
Grace ‘reigns through righteousness’ because
Jesus Christ is righteous. It is His
righteousness that is imputed to a Christian and makes him right with God, not
because of anything that the believer has done or deserved by his works. Jesus Christ is the believer’s righteousness.
7.5.
Eternal life is the reward received by believing upon
Jesus Christ and His sacrifice upon the cross for one’s salvation. The righteousness of Christ imputed to a
person takes him all the way to heaven.
The believer immediately begins living in the ‘life’ that
emanates from God (“zoe”) and is the highest
quality of life there is.
7.6.
The Bible is full of stories of God displaying His
grace upon people. Likewise, the gospels
show Jesus, who was God in the flesh, displaying His grace upon people
everywhere He went. In the gospel
of John, 1:14-18, the apostle writes of
Jesus, “14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His
glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth”.
15 John *bore witness of Him, and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I
said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before
me.’” 16 For of His fulness we have all received, and
grace upon grace. 17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were
realized through Jesus Christ. 18 No man has seen God at any time; the only
begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”
7.7.
One story in particular comes to mind as an excellent
picture of the extent of God’s gracious dealings with man, and that is the
parable of the Prodigal Son. This son
had done nothing to deserve anything but the wrath and indignation of his
father, yet when he returned his father lavished his love and graciousness upon
his son. Likewise, Paul wrote in Eph.
1:7-8, “7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of
our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, 8 which He lavished upon
us. In all wisdom and insight.”
7.8.
Paul began and ended all of his letters with a mention
of God’s grace. Paul mentions the word ‘grace’
in his letters in the KJV translation 91 times.
In fact, because of the grace which Paul had received, he laid his life
completely at the feet of the Lord so that He might be the bond-slave of the
Lord preaching the grace of God to all whom the Lord wanted him to, as Luke
records in Acts 20:24, “24 “But I do not consider my life of any account as
dear to myself, in order that I may finish my course, and the ministry which I
received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of
God.”
8. CONCLUSIONS:
8.1.
Non-Christians sometimes
criticize a God who could consider all men to be sinners because of Adam’s sin
however those people haven’t considered how God could bring such great
blessings to sinful people through Jesus Christ, the “Second Adam.” Does not this study answer the criticisms of
the unbelieving against the Lord.
8.2.
When we consider this message and what an incredible
and wonderful salvation that we have received through faith in Jesus Christ and
His death upon
8.3.
Seeing as how God deals with us all consistently
according to grace, we have to ask ourselves what we should do with this
information. Let me suggest a few ways to apply ourselves to the truth of God’s
reign of grace:
8.3.1. FAITH: Man’s primary response to understanding the
revelation of God’s grace is to exercize faith in God
and His Word.
8.3.1.1.
a) It is by
faith through grace that a person comes to salvation in the first place, as
Eph. 2:8-9 points out
8.3.1.2.
b) We ought to
trust God fully to do what is best for us in every situation, since He cannot
do otherwise.
8.3.2. MOTIVATION: God’s
grace works within us and gives us motivation to serve Him in everything we do
in life, as Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 15:10, “10 But by the grace of God I am
what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more
than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.”
8.3.3. COURAGE: We Christians need courage enough to allow
the Lord to minister to our hearts through the power of His grace. We first need to be willing to seek for and
allow God to pour His love and healing touch into our life, and then, we need
to become a vessel through whom He can pour out His grace to this world. In Mike Macintosh’s new book, “The Tender
Touch of God,” he includes a story from WWI that is an example of courage
for us: “One one
side, trenches were filled with Germans;
on the other, with Americans.
Between the two forces lay a desolate and narrow no-man’s-land. A young German soldier attempting to cross
that no-man’s-land was shot and had become entangled in the barbed wire. He cried out in great anguish, whimpering
periodically. Between explosions, all
the Americans could hear the man scream in pain. When one American soldier could stand it no
longer, he left his trench and crawled on his belly to the enemy soldier. When the American side realized what their
comrade was doing, they stopped firing.
Soon a German officer realized what was happening and ordered his own
men to cease fire. Now a weird silence
enveloped the no-man’s-land. At last the
American stood up with the German in his arms, walked straight to the enemy
trenches, and placed the wounded soldier in the waiting arms of his
comrades. Then the American turned and
started back across no-man’s-land.
Suddenly a hand on his shoulder spun him around. There stood a German officer who wore the
Iron Cross, the highest German honor for bravery. He jerked it from his own uniform and pinned
in on the American, who walked back to the American trenches. When the soldier reached safety, the insanity
of war resumed.”
8.3.3.1.
Paul wrote to Timothy in 1 Tim. 2:1, “2:1 You
therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”
8.3.4. COMMUNITY: We ought to deal with our brothers and
sisters with the same grace that the Lord deals with us, not being judgmental
or condemning of them.
8.3.5. EVANGELISM: We need to tell the lost about God’s
wonderful grace.
8.3.5.1.
a) We need to
tell non-believers about how that God can set them free through His wonderful
grace in their lives if they will come to salvation through Jesus Christ.
8.3.5.2.
b) There will
come a day when the Lord will no longer deal with the rebellious people of this
world according to grace. At the Great
White Throne He is going to judge and send to hell those who refuse to yield
the lordship of their life to God and trust Jesus Christ as their Lord and
Savior. We who know the truth must warn
them.