Romans ~ Part 15

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As I’ve stressed in my previous post, our journey to comprehend the profound significance of Sha’ul’s Letter to the Romans is not just a study but a crucial cornerstone of our faith.

Freedom from Condemnation ~ Part 2

While discussing Romans 5:15-21 with your spouse or family, you might realize that unfinished conversations or lingering hurts prevent you from fully experiencing the grace of God. Identify a specific conflict or unresolved issue and prioritize a time to discuss it. Approach the discussion with humility, acknowledging the grace that God shows to you and encouraging each other to extend that same grace in your relationships at home. This openness can transform your home environment into a more loving and gracious space.

All Can Be Justified

¹⁵ But the free gift is not like the offense. For if, because of one man’s offense, many died, then how much more has God’s grace, that is, the gracious gift of one man, Yeshua the Messiah, overflowed to many! ¹⁶ No, the free gift is not like what resulted from one man’s sinning; for from one sinner came judgment that brought condemnation, but the free gift came after many offenses and brought acquittal.

The works of Adam and Yeshua have similar scope but drastically different effects. One sin plunged humanity into ruin, but God gave the gift of justification despite our many trespasses. What was gained through Yeshua is far greater than what was lost through Adam.

¹⁷ For if, because of the offense of one man, death ruled through that one man, how much more will those receiving the overflowing grace, that is, the gift of being considered righteous, rule in life through the one man Yeshua the Messiah!

Death took the entire human race into its kingdom. The author of Hebrews portrayed this vividly when he wrote about what Yeshua accomplished through His death on the cross: ¹⁴ Therefore, since the children share a common physical nature as human beings, he became like them and shared that same human nature so that by his death he might render ineffective the one who had power over death (that is, the Adversary) ¹⁵ and thus set free those who had been in bondage all their lives because of their fear of death. (Hebrews 2:14–15). Believers, who, with the rest of humanity, were once slaves in the kingdom of darkness (Colossians 1:13), were brought into Yeshua’s Kingdom as sons and daughters to reign with Him.

¹⁸ In other words, just as it was through one offense that all people came under condemnation, so also it is through one righteous act that all people come to be considered righteous.

Adam’s sin condemned everyone, whereas Yeshua’s substitutionary death made it possible for all people to be considered righteous.

¹⁹ For just as through the disobedience of the one man, many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the other man, many will be made righteous.

The expression “will be made” does not refer to the last judgment, as if our salvation were pending until then. Instead, it shows believers are made righteous when they come to faith. It was fitting to use the future tense since Paul knew many people had not come to faith when he wrote.

Grace Increased

²⁰ And the Torah came into the picture so that the offense would proliferate; but where sin proliferated, grace proliferated even more. ²¹ All this happened so that just as sin ruled by means of death, so also grace might rule through causing people to be considered righteous, so that they might have eternal life, through Yeshua the Messiah, our Lord. ^[1]

As in Gal 3:19, Paul describes the law as a subordinate player in the drama of redemption. The law was never an end unto itself. Instead, its function was multiplying trespasses by bringing the knowledge of sin. This highlighted the need for grace, allowing God to bestow it even more. The law also had other functions that Paul does not discuss here.

Our next post will begin with the theme: Freedom from Sin.

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^[1] Romans 5:15–21.