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Romans 5:18-21
In this passage of Romans 5:18-21 is a summary of all that has taken place between the sin of Adam which resulted in judgment and condemnation (Romans 5:18a), and the free gift which resulted in justification of life through Jesus (Romans 5:18b).
Adam was created in God’s image without sin in a perfect world created by a perfect God (Genesis 1-2). In perfection is innocence, and innocence is trusting without doubt – doubt does not exist in perfection. But Satan is against God and the first to doubt God and His Almighty power and Godhead. Satan’s desire is to disrupt God’s great plan for man, so he presented the idea of doubt to Adam and Eve. In this, Adam and Eve were asked to question God’s authority, and in their innocence had no reason to doubt until it was presented to them, and in the questioning of God’s authority is doubt in God, which is the open door to disobedience to God, which is sin. Satan used the innocence of Adam and Eve to trick them into disobeying God. Once Adam and Eve questioned God’s authority, they went through the door to sin without even being aware of it, even though God had commanded them to not eat of the forbidden fruit.
One thing that we must strive to grasp in understanding how sin was able to enter into a perfect world is that God is love (1 John 4:8, 16). God, in Himself has always existed, but to be love, a reflection of love is desired by love to come back to love in being truly fulfilled. Love, without something or someone to love is left wanting, but in giving love to someone or something, that love must be freely returned to its original source to be fulfilled – love must be a choice. This is the free-will of man that is in itself open to the choice not to return the love that was first given. It is impossible to feel love without having a choice to accept that love or to reject that love – it cannot be forced.
But the free gift was given out of God’s great love for us in sending His one and only Son Jesus into this world as a love sacrifice to redeem all of humanity back to Him. As sin came through the one man (Adam), resulting in judgment and condemnation for his disobedience to God, so the righteousness of Christ Jesus came through the free gift of the one Man (Jesus) to justification of life (Romans 5:18-19).
The law was given through Moses so that humanity would become aware of sin and acknowledge before God the awareness of it in seeking (out of love) the desire to be made right once again. The connecting point is the death of the perfect Man (Jesus) in paying for the sins of all humanity. The question now is, “How does Jesus’ death pay the price for the sins of all humanity?” The answer is found in the Bible; Romans 6:23 (NKJV) states, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” What we need to understand here is that Jesus was sinless and yet He died – as Satan tricked Adam and Eve into questioning God, which is disobedience and it itself – to God is sin, God sent the purity in Jesus to death on the cross to give sin, death, and Satan their judgment and condemnation once for all (Romans 6:10). Satan was so excited to defeat God in the death of Jesus that he did not realize that death is only for sinners which Jesus is not! You can’t kill Jesus! He lives! He always will! That’s why He arose from the grave, and that’s why He is our Lord and Savior! That’s what Paul is trying to relay to us in this passage as he declares in Romans 5:20-21 (ESV), “Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
This is the power of Almighty God over the sins of this world.
We all have the ability to love; God gave it to us so we could experience a taste of what He has for us if we will put our faith in Him – it’s the only way to overcome the sins of this world – in Christ! Jesus is the only one to defeat sin, death, and Satan. We cannot do it on our own and we will only continue to fall into the trickery of Satan as long as we keep our hearts closed to Jesus. If this is you, I plead with you today – right now – to humble yourself before God and ask Him to forgive your sins and profess Jesus to be your Savior from sin as He is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6).
Dear LORD,
Please let this lesson dig deep into our hearts that we would gain a better understanding of salvation in and through Christ Jesus, Your Son who You sent into this world to save us all from sin for all who will put our faith in Him. Thank You so much for sending us a Savior to redeem us back to You and experience true love that is Your love. In Jesus name I pray, amen.