"For as by one
man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by is one Man's obedience many
will be made righteous. Moreover, the
law entered that the offense might abound.
But where sin abounded, grace abounded MUCH MORE. So...that as sin reigned in death, even so
grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ,
our Lord."
That first line is important: Many were made sinners through Adam, but now in the one Man (Jesus) many will
be made righteous.
Constitution, substance is what happens to a person when
they RECEIVE Jesus Christ. We are MADE
something - put into Someone - actually HAVE in our spirits the substance of
Jesus Christ. We also need to mediate on
the two words, MUCH MORE...
The Lord's obedience to God fulfilled ALL righteous
requirements on man's behalf. Adam disobeyed and fallen into sin and death which
spread to all men. And now through God's
gift (of His Son), we enjoy and hold Christ Himself. We are complete in Him and His righteousness. (Colossians 2:10)
The wonder of this to me is that though we do not always
perform right, but we are right with God in justification. You have to be PERFECT/SINLESS to enter
heaven and in the eternal presence of God.
How can this be, if you sin after becoming a child of God? This is why it is ALWAYS our reliance on the righteousness of Jesus
Christ now and forevermore. So, if we
have RECEIVED God's gift, we're in!
Yet later, Paul is going show (Romans 7) that a true
believer also, wants to DO right. Sometimes one is deceived into sin, because
they do not believe they are new in Christ - they believe they are still the
old man. It is still sin and incredibly
AWFUL, but can be cleansed and one can come to know the Truth.
As we mentioned previously, the Law reveals sin in a
person. (Yet for the believer, God wants
to reveal God's Son in us). Years ago,
there was a commercial about Raid, a product that kills roaches. The roaches are in the dark, the door opens
with light piercing through. The roaches
see through the cracked door the big tall can of Raid and scream,
"RAID!" They scramble to get
away, because they are doomed.
Well, the law brings the light to sinful man like the
cracked door peering light into a dark room.
Man has to know how corrupt and sinful he is. But he does need to know too, God has
provided His remedy. And when the Gospel
is preached, the Gospel brings hope. God
reports that the grace in His Son is beyond comparison to sin abounding. He uses the words, "Much More!" Grace abounds much more. God's grace is about a person RECEIVING JESUS
- that He Himself comes to dwell in a sinner!
Later in Romans, Paul is going to talk about the law and why
believers are not sitting in a dark room anymore, waiting for the door to open
to see their doomed condition. In other
words, we are not reporting to the Law anymore.
This is because we've already passed from death to life in Jesus Christ.
It's important for us to grasp this - Romans 7 will tell us
why. Actually I have to say, after years
of observing my own behavior in regard to be held captive by trying to improve
myself (instead of living through Christ), that it was/is not living the life
of Jesus and faith in Him that He already imparted to us.
Center stage throughout all of our lives is Jesus Christ
Himself coming to dwell in our hearts through faith. He is living, He is Life. Peter wrote that we've been given divine
power for life and godliness - and, that we are partakers of the Divine Nature.
It's a huge paradigm shift - from being religious, trying to
achieve and obtain something, versus living a life of discovery in the very
Person who lives and reigns in our hearts.
We are called into relationship and fellowship of God the Father and His
Son, Jesus Christ. What a marvel!
Now, the other thing I've observed in my life - throughout
the years, is just how absolutely stubborn the flesh is with man. Also, that the default of flesh in Adam is to
return to "beggarly" things - religion, fleshly striving, turning
away from God's very prescription to his own ideas and way of thinking.
Paul addresses this in another letter to Galatians. Instead of the cross and identification (as
we will see in Romans 6), they had returned to outward, ceremonial, ritualistic
things and thinking - giving outward appearances - and left the all inclusive
glorious reality of their salvation. We
sometimes are chastened by God as sons, in order that we might learn and know
the Truth that we are to be and live as the sons He made us in Christ.
Our brother, Paul the Apostle was stoned, persecuted for
bringing the glorious message of God -
this is how powerful real it is and Satan fights it - he does not want us to
know and understand. But we can: Jesus Christ is greater than he that is in
the world and all the lies that float in it.
"Sing it over
again to me, wonderful words of Life - let me more of their beauty
"see," wonderful words of Life!"
Sue Gaither
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