For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1 7

Romans 5:12–21 – Romans: The Righteousness of God
Easter Sunday   – April 9, 2023 (am)

It’s an almost inconceivable thought that we live in a world where Someone has risen from the dead—not just revived from no heartbeat, but victorious over death! That could surely sound like fiction, or fantasy. But if you’re a guest with us on this most special of days on the Christian calendar, you need to know right off the bat that you’re among people this morning who genuinely believe this is true! Not only do we believe that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, Himself fully God even while He is also fully human, died as a sacrifice to satisfy the just wrath of God against the sin and rebellion of all humankind, His own image-bearing creation, and that He arose from the grave on that first Easter morning in victory over sin and death, we actually agree with the apostle Paul who wrote that 1Co.15:14 … if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and [our] faith is in vain. We actually believe that we’re wasting our time here today, and so are you, if Jesus Christ isn’t precisely Who He said He is, and didn’t do precisely what the Bible says He did! We just think it’s very important for you to know that about us up front!

And more, we also think that most of the people in modern world history have respected this belief, even if they haven’t fully embraced it themselves. You can see that, for instance, in the fact that Christmas and Easter are celebrated worldwide in one form or another, holidays that center, respectively, around the birth and the death and resurrection of Jesus. We also see it in the fact that the world calendar is anchored to—it hinges on—His birth.All this said, some still ask: What’s so important about the death and resurrection of Jesus? Why do Christians think we need a Savior? What do we need to be saved from?

These are fair questions. We’re studying a book of the Bible right now, a letter from the apostle Paul to the church in Rome, a pretty famous church still today, that answers these very questions in the passage we come to this morning. Oddly enough, we did a quick introduction to the Book of Romans this past Christmas Sunday morning, selecting the text we believe is the thematic center of this whole letter (the longest in the NT), and it was this very passage. So, by God’s providence and without a shred of human intention, we’re covering that same text today! Let’s leave the resurrection question for last.

Why do Christians think we need a Savior?

Let’s begin by recognizing that the first two questions here are really like opposite sides of the same coin. Or, we might say that this first question is more general in nature and the second is more specific. In short, Christians think we need a Savior because they believe the Bible when it tells us we have a life-threatening problem that we’re completely unable to solve! And isn’t that always when we need a Savior, when we have a life-threatening problem with no other solution? We’re drowning in the ocean waves and can’t reach the shore, or in a pool and can’t get to the side. Or we have some organ failure that only a surgeon can address. We’re so vulnerable—self-sufficiency is such a myth—that we often need help of many sorts, whether is for a broken bone or bankruptcy or a babysitter for Saturday night. We need help of some sort every single day. But we tend to reserve the word Savior for truly life-threatening needs. Either we’re delivered or we die! And the need that’s identified here today requires a Savior!

What do we need to be saved from?

Paul answers this one directly, right out of the blocks: 12  … just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned. There’s our problem right there! God is perfectly holy and righteous, which just means that He’s perfectly good. He doesn’t sin. And He can’t have a true relationship with anyone who does; there’s just no way to experience connection on the deepest of levels. So, sin separates us from God, and that’s actually the definition of death, separation from God, because life finds it’s fullest definition in the very nature of God.

What we read here, then, is that sin [entered this] world through one man, Adam, who disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, and death [entered] the world through [his] sin, [such that] death spread to all [people] because all sinned.

The next two verses (13-14) just fill in some blanks for those who want to look further into this issue. Granting the seriousness of our sin problem, that it brings death, Paul helps us understand how to recognize and identify sin, and how it became such an unfixable problem for us.

But just to clarify the answer to our second question: what we need to be saved from is sin and death. We were made for relationship with God. And we can only be truly happy if that is fully restored. Also, the solution God has crafted to address our problem magnifies His glory, which completely enthralls us. God made us to worship and praise things we appreciate; you can see that at any concert hall or sports stadium or political rally. But there’s nothing that enthralls us more—gives us deeper satisfaction and joy—than when we worship and praise and celebrate the God Who saves us!

What is so important about the death and resurrection of Jesus?

To answer this one we need to realize that death is not just a consequence of sin, it’s God’s judicial sentence on the sinner. He said to Adam & Eve in the Garden: Gen.2:16 … You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. Adam was warned, but he sinned anyway and died spiritually that very day; he was immediately separated from relationship with God. (Only later did he die physically.) Then all the rest of us not only inherited this death, but entered into ourselves due to our own sins. This is the biggest reason why we can’t fix this problem ourselves, we can’t undo the crime that landed us in this prison of sin and death.

That’s where Jesus enters the picture, the One Who remains fully God even while He’s born into this world fully human. This was God’s plan to remedy the problem we image-bearing creatures had fallen into, to provide us with a Savior. And this is called grace—we receive something from God that we definitely don’t deserve. We read back in c.3 of this letter that 3:23 … all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Paul returns to that description right here and offers a clarification: 15 … the free gift is not like the [sin]. For if many died through one man’s [sin], and we surely did, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. Are you following what this means? Paul is talking about Jesus’ death and resurrection here! He’s telling us why they were so important! God gave them to us as a gift to solve our problem with sin and death! Jesus did for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves! He died in our place, absorbing the penalty of God for all our sin! Then He arose from the dead showing that He is Master over it! He has defeated our greatest enemy in this life! He’s provided us a Savior! 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one [sin] brought condemnation, death, but the free gift following many [sins] brought justification, a not guilty verdict before God the Judge. 17 For if, because of one man’s [sin], death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. We receive life from the dead through Jesus—by trusting in Him as our Savior—God’s solution to our sin!

Then Paul finishes this stunning thought in these last four verses. 18 Therefore, as one [sin] led to condemnation and death for all [people], so one act of righteousness, Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the grave, leads to justification and life for all [people]. 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. 20 Now the law came in to increase the [sin], to identify it, but where sin increased, grace [increased] all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Conclusion

This is why we make such a big deal out of the death and resurrection of Jesus—He’s saved us from death!Yet, the key word we can’t miss here is in v.17. 17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. This free gift of grace must be received. And we receive it by faith (1), by trusting God that Jesus’ gift is meant for us, and trusting Him with such intense sincerity that we now live our lives in obedience to His teaching and in joyful hope of His return. Jesus is risen! [He is risen indeed!] And we really believe this is true! In fact, we’re staking our lives on it!

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Resources

Arnold, Clinton E., gen. ed. 2002. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Background Commentary. Vol. 3, Romans-Philemon. Romans, by Douglas J. Moo, 2-95. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Barnhouse, Donald Gray. 1952. Romans, four volumes. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans

Beale, G. K., & D. A. Carson, eds. 2007. Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. Romans, by Mark A. Seifrid, 607-694. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic.

Carson, D. A., R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, & G. J. Wenham, eds. 1994. New Bible Commentary 21st Century Edition. Romans, by Douglas J. Moo, 1115-1160. Leicester, Eng.: InterVarsity.

Chadwick, Henry, gen. ed. 1957. Harper’s New Testament Commentaries. A Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans, by C. K. Barrett. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson.

Comfort, Philip W., gen. ed.  2007. Cornerstone Biblical Commentary. Romans, by Roger Mohrlang. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale.

Cranfield, C. E. B. 1990. Romans: A Shorter Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

Dever, Mark. 2005. The Message of the New Testament. Ch. 6, The Message of Romans: Justification, 146-166. Wheaton: Crossway.

Dockery, David S, ed. 1995. New American Commentary. Vol. 27, Romans, by Robert H. Mounce. Nashville: Broadman & Holman.

Green, Joel B., ed. 2018. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. The Letter to the Romans, by Douglas J. Moo. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

Hodge, Charles. 1989. The Geneva Series of Commentaries. Romans. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth.

Hubbard, David A., and Glenn W. Barker. 1988. Word Biblical Commentary. Vol. 38ab, Romans, by James D. G. Dunn. Dallas: Word.

Longman III, Tremper, & David E. Garland, eds. 2008. Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Vol. 11, Romans-Galatians. Romans, by Everett F. Harrison and Donald A. Hagner, 19-237. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Luther, Martin. 1976. Commentary on Romans. Translated by J. Theodore Mueller. Grand Rapids: Kregel.

Moo. Douglas J. 2000. The NIV Application Commentary. Romans. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Morris, Leon, ed. 1985. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Vol. 6, Romans, by F. F. Bruce. Downers Grove: InterVarsity.

Moule, H. C. G. 1977. Studies in Romans. Grand Rapids: Kregel.

Nygren, Anders. 1949. Commentary on Romans. Philadelphia: Fortress.

Owen, John, ed. Commentary on the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans, by John Calvin. Translated by John Owen.

Sproul, R. C. 2005. The Gospel of God: An Exposition of Romans. Ross-shire, Great Britain: Christian Focus.

Stott, John, NT ed. 1994. The Bible Speaks Today. The Message of Romans, by John Stott. Leicester, Eng.: InterVarsity.

Yarbrough, Robert W., and Joshua W. Jipp, eds. 2018. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Romans, by Thomas R. Schreiner. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic.

 

 

NEXT SUNDAY: By the Glory of the Father, Romans 6:1-4