As Deadly as Sin is, Grace is More Powerful
Romans 5:12-21
June 11, 2023 Church 29th Anniversary
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
Bible Baptist Church, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland
I. Introduction
A. We all know the hymn, Amazing Grace – one of the best known hymns in the world
1. “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me!”
2. Some of the best doctrine ever, Describing GRACE that is Amazing
B. But did you notice the words of the hymn, Marvellous Grace, that we just sung?
1. Marvellous grace of our loving Lord,
2. Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
3. Yonder on Calvary’s mount [GRACE WAS] outpoured,
4. There where the blood of the Lamb was spilled.
5. THAT IS STRAIGHT OUT OF ROMANS CHAPTER 5 that we are studying!
a. Grace, grace, God’s grace,
b. Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
c. Grace, grace, God’s grace,
d. Grace that is greater than all our sin!
6. Dark is the stain that we cannot hide;
7. What can we do to wash it away?
8. Look! There is flowing a crimson tide,
9. Brighter than snow you may be today.
C. We pick up where we left off last week, discovering the KIND of people that Jesus died in place of, and justifies!
D. I want to focus our attention on that word… GRACE as we continue our study through the Book of Romans
E. Because the ONLY reason why God would intervene on our behalf is because of His GRACE towards us!
II. Review (Romans 5:6-10)
A. We Learned Last Week the Kind of People that Jesus Christ died for
1. Not the good, the respectable, the religious, the “nice”
2. But… the ungodly – wicked (Romans 5:6) For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
3. While we were yet sinners (Romans 5:7-9) For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
4. Jesus took the place of even God’s enemies, dying so they could be forgiven (Romans 5:10) For if, when we were enemies [OF GOD], we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
5. Those are quite the crowd to be kind towards, don’t you think?
B. So, What is God’s Motive? Why Would Jesus Do That?
1. Why would HE DIE in our place? Is it because we are so worthy?
2. No.
3. Enemies are NOT worthy of a judge pardoning them. Neither are sinful people, or ungodly people! They are worthy of judgment, so that justice prevails and not anarchy
4. It is only because of GRACE!
a. Jump down to Romans 5:15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
b. Grace means, undeserved kindness – being kind to someone who does not deserve your kindness… THAT is grace!
c. You have been known to have grace sometimes…
1) When someone pushes ahead of you in the Grocery line! And you let them
2) When someone is yelling at you and complaining to you, and you smile and are kind and patient in return
d. I’m sure you have experienced grace before…
1) Like when a Garda pulls you over, and then lets you go on a warning instead of giving you a ticket
2) Like when you scratched your parents car and your parents didn’t kill you!
3) Like when you fixed dinner for your family gentlemen, and they said they really liked it… but they didn’t… and yet they ate it anyways!
e. But what about when someone lies about you?
1) Or when someone steals from you, and you can prove it?
2) Or when someone deeply hurts you, or lets you down?
f. Real grace shows kindness even though they are so unworthy of your kindness!
5. Jesus showed constant kindness to unworthy people (Matthew 9:10-13; Eph 2:8,9)
a. Matthew 9:10-13 And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans [TAX COLLECTORS] and [WELL KNOWN] sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
b. So, the healthy do not need the kindness of a physician, but the sick do
c. The same goes with ungodly, sinful, enemies of God – they need a loving Saviour
d. And it was God’s great GRACE that caused Him to step down into human flesh, and personally pay for the sins of all sinners everywhere, so they/we could be saved
e. Ephesians 2:8,9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
6. Thank God he showed great, amazing, marvellous grace towards US!
C. Paul next explains where sin began, and how much grace God has towards sinners
III. Message
A. Where Our Troubles All Began (Romans 5:12)
1. Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
2. Very clear and to the point!
3. Who was this one man? “as by one man sin entered into the world”
4. Adam!
a. Paul refers back to Genesis chapters 2 and 3
b. When one man and one women were living in a perfect garden
c. THAT is where sin came into this world!
d. By the way, THIS is why we believe the entire Bible – not just the parts we like, or just the New Testament, but from the very first verse of Genesis!
5. Let’s go back to Genesis 3
a. Satan disguised himself and entered into the Garden of Eden as a walking-talking-stunning-to-look-at-SNAKE
b. Satan Impressed Eve – no other animal in the Garden spoke, except this thing
c. Then he Provoked Eve – upset her. Got her to think that God was not being good to her and Adam (Genesis 3:1-3) Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
d. Then Lied to Eve (Genesis 3:4,5)
1) Genesis 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
2) DID YOU NOTICE THAT?
3) Genesis 3:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
4) Hmmmm. Calling GOD a liar is serious business
a) Genesis 2:16,17 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
b) Pretty clear to me!
e. Then Satan USED Eve to Manipulate Adam (Genesis 3:6)
1) Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
2) Satan could not have gotten Adam to disobey God, but he knew he could manipulate EVE to get Adam to disobey God
3) And that is JUST what he did
4) He got Eve to convince Adam to live without God’s rule
5) They decided to rebel against God’s one law, and disobeyed His command
6) They started off innocent, sinless, and had become sinful, and enemies of God
f. Then God’s Judgment fell! (Genesis 3:17-19)
1) Judgment began with Satan and the Serpent he had used
2) Then upon Eve
3) And then upon Adam, and all his descendants
a) Genesis 3:17-19 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
b) You will live A CURSED LIFE now
c) And your life will END IN DEATH – Just as God had warned them!
g. And yet, God showed them GRACE! (Genesis 3:20,21)
1) God showed them GREAT, undeserved KINDNESS
a) God should have walked away
b) Abandoned this world to creatures who did not want Him in it
c) But he didn’t abandon us
d) He has stayed with us – put up with us – longer than he should have
2) Adam names his wife – not blames her anymore
a) Genesis 3:20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
b) Eve, NOT the mother of all DYING… but “Mother of all living” Nice!
3) And God replaced those flimsy leaves, with the skins of innocent lambs that He killed in their place, so their sin could be covered!
a) Genesis 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
b) The life of innocent lambs was taken instead of Adam and Eve’s life
c) And they wore the cost of their sin, for the rest of their lives!
d) Those lamb skins was grace being shown towards sinful rebels!
6. And so, when sin entered this world by Adam’s free will choice to disobey God, death entered into this world as well
a. Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
b. Sin NEVER helps anybody – it always leads to trouble and ends in death
c. You have NEVER benefited from lust, lying, stealing, hating, drinking, drugging, mocking God…
d. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is [ALWAYS] death
B. There was Sin before God’s Law was Written (Romans 5:13,14)
1. Romans 5:13,14 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
2. So, Adam and Eve were obviously sinners
a. They had sinned, and their innocence was gone – they were sinners now
b. That was their nature – their desire to rebel against God, and do their own thing had defiled them and changed them on the inside
3. WE are all sinners as well
a. Even though none of us sin the same way as Adam and Eve did…
1) We don’t have the temptation to eat from a forbidden tree
2) But we do have the temptations to do what we know we shouldn’t do
3) And the temptation to NOT do what we know we should!
b. Every sin we do, that is against our conscience, and even against nature is still sin
c. Every person on this planet ever born has been: Selfish, arrogant, proud, rebellious, cruel, impatient, unloving, bigoted, uncaring, lying, stealing, lusting, self-serving, lazy, and covetous at one time or another!
d. Have you ever done something, and felt guilty about it? That is your conscience (if you still have one), and maybe no one can sue you, but you feel guilty anyway
e. That’s because SIN in us, is always pulling us away from what is good and right and godly! And we give in to it!
4. And sin always brings death
a. Even though there was no law against so many things like there are today
b. And even though so many people have never read God’s laws in the Bible
c. Ignorance is no excuse from the law
d. James 1:14,15 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
5. So, death reigns now! An undeniable FACT! Death wins every time!
a. It reigned from Adam until Moses – they all died in the end
b. And then God gave Moses His Laws
c. And sins only got worse! Yep!
C. By the way, Did you notice what Paul says at the end of Romans 5:14?
1. Romans 5:14 …Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
2. Ah! Adam is not the only story being told here
3. Paul reminds us that Adam prefigured… he was someone who was a shadow of Someone to come – WHAT A GREAT STUDY!
a. Both Adam, and Jesus, were sons of God, born sinless
b. But the First Adam, was a failure – couldn’t obey ONE law.
c. Brought sin and death into this world
d. The SECOND Adam came, and has kept ALL God’s Laws
e. And brought righteousness and eternal life into this world, by His death
f. The First Adam gave all of us our first birth – physical, and temporary
g. The second Adam gives us our second birth! Spiritual, and eternal!
D. Extreme Opposites (Romans 5:15-17)
1. Adam’s offence… the breaking of God’s single law
2. Is now compared to a priceless free gift
a. Romans 5:15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
b. One man’s sin brought death to so many people – billions and billions
c. One Man’s righteousness brought God’s gift to so many as well
3. God’s judgment came because of one man’s sin – Adam’s sin
4. God’s free gift of justification / pardon / absolute forgiveness, came because of one Man’s giving – Jesus giving His life
a. Romans 5:16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
b. And NOT in the same amount
1) Sins are so many – they pile up to the heavens
2) Grace is much more! Is actually INFINITE
3) God’s gift of forgiveness is greater than all our offences
5. The reign of death has ended now – at least for those that believe on Jesus!
a. Romans 5:17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
b. Yes, death reigned because of one man’s offence
c. But Eternal Life is now available to anyone who receives it, simply because of ONE Man, Jesus Christ!
E. All Because of the Righteousness of One Man – the Messiah (Romans 5:18,19)
1. Romans 5:18,19 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.
2. Do you see how Paul goes back and forth between the two men: Adam and Jesus?
a. One man’s sin brought judgment upon all of us, condemnation, damnation, hell
b. One Man’s righteous life brought a free gift of a justified life
c. One man’s disobedience made so many sinners
d. One Man’s perfect obedience, can make so many righteous
3. This explains how everyone is a sinner
a. Sin is like a genetic defect (Cystic Fibrosis, Spina bifida, Sickle cell Anemia, etc)
b. But it is a defect not in the body, but in the soul, passed on from the parents to children, in their souls!
4. And the only One who had no sin defect was Jesus of Nazareth!
5. That is why only He could be the Messiah – no one else, because all of us have sinned
F. Lastly, God’s Law Illuminates God’s Grace (Romans 5:20,21) Here’s the best part…
1. Romans 5:20,21 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.
2. “The law” is referring to the written Laws of God, like the Ten Commandments
3. God’s laws entered the world about 1450 BC
4. Paul explains WHY God gave those laws
5. So that our offences would be clearly seen – like a black light showing germs on a countertop
a. God’s Laws never stopped people from sinning
b. They only exposed MORE of our sinning!
c. Ugh! That’s why people HATE God’s Laws!
6. But God’s laws are not an end – they are a tool to show us just how sinful we all are!
7. We all needed something more powerful than laws and limits and expectations
8. We needed GRACE
9. And we needed a lot of it!
a. God has more than enough Grace to cover all sin for all time!
b. Let me say that again…
c. God has more than enough Grace to cover all sin for all time!
d. So, just as death reigned because of sin, and defeated every life ever born
e. Grace now reigns through one man’s righteousness and gives eternal life to anyone who wants it
f. All by the efforts of Jesus Christ!
IV.Conclusion
A. The Only Thing Missing in People’s Lives is…
B. Jesus Christ! HE IS THE GRACE OF GOD
C. Without Him, you will face the righteous wrath of God, alone!
D. You either HAVE Him or you don’t
1. He is not earned or worked for. He is not inherited
2. He is not automatically just in you by accident – you would know it if he was in you!
3. He is only received! Just asked for, and received, like you would accept a gift!
4. John 1:11-13 He [JESUS] came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
E. The Gospel is for you dear friend, to hear, and believe today, so that you can receive the gift of God which is eternal LIFE in the place of all your sins!