This
week we have been looking at the third statement that comprises our doctrinal
statement as a church where I serve. This third statement addresses what we
believe as a church when it comes to the human condition. This statement
summarizes the answer to the question “Where did humanity come from? Who am I?
And what went wrong? Why does the world seem so messed up?”
And it
is in this statement that we discovered the timeless answer to these questions
in that what we believe about humanity really
matters because all of humanity has been separated from God as a result of our
rebellion against God. We talked about the reality that just like our first
parents, all humanity throughout history has had this selfish and rebellious
bent within us that has driven us to reject the relationship with God that we
were created for. And just like our first parents, that selfish and rebellious
bent leads us to do things out of that selfishness and rebellion that hurt God
and others. And it is that selfishness, rebellion and sin that separates us
from God.
And
ultimately, it is because of this principle of Adam as our representative that
we can have hope that God would provide another representative that could
represent us and live the life that we were created for in relationship with
God and one another. And as the
Apostle Paul continues in this section of this letter, we will discover a
timeless truth that provides hope of the possibility of rescue from our
rebellion against God as a result of this second Adam, this second
representative. So let’s discover this timeless truth together, beginning in
Romans 5:15:
But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the
transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the
gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.
I this verse we
see Paul reveal for us the reality that while Adam’s action of selfish rebellion
and sin was credited to our account in a way that separated us from the
relationship with God that we were created for, the transformational actions of
Jesus Christ provided all humanity the opportunity to be rescued. Jesus entered
into humanity in order to live the life we refused to live and die the death
that we deserved to die for our selfishness and rebellion.
And it was in Jesus willingness
to be our representative and His actions here on earth that overcame the
actions of our original representative, Adam. And as Paul continues to compare
Adam and Jesus, we see a second comparison between Adam and Jesus, beginning in
verse 16:
The gift is not like that which
came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in
condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. For
if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more
those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will
reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. So then as through one
transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act
of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as
through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through
the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.
In
these verses, we see the Apostle Paul continue to compare and contrast the
implications that the lives of Adam and Jesus have as our representatives.
First, in verse 16, Paul explains that unlike the first Adam who brought
judgment, guilt, and condemnation, Jesus brought the free gift of rescue that
declares us not guilty of having a problem with God.
Second,
in verse 17, Paul reveals for us the reality that unlike the first Adam, who
brought humanity death, Jesus Christ brought humanity the opportunity to
experience life. Third, in verse 18, Paul reminds us that through Adam’s one
act of selfishness and rebellion, all of humanity was condemned as being guilty
of having a huge problem with God; a problem that resulted in physical,
spiritual, and eternal separation from God.
However, through Jesus one act righteousness, there resulted
justification of life to all men. Paul’s point here is that Jesus death on the
cross satisfied God’s absolute justice by paying the penalty that all humanity
faced as a result of the act of our first representative, Adam.
And
because of this one act by Jesus, justification is available to all humanity.
All of humanity has the opportunity to be declared not guilty and experiencing
the eternal life that they were created for with God. And in case the members of the church at Rome missed his
point, the Apostle Paul reminds the readers of his letter of this timeless
truth again in verse 19. Paul here is revealing for us the reality that while
Adam brought all humanity at odds with God in a way that resulted in us being
treated as outsiders when it came to a relationship with God, Jesus Christ
brought all humanity the opportunity to be right with God so that we could be
treated as though we were insiders with God.
And you can respond to the opportunity that Jesus brought
to all humanity to be rescued,
reconciled and renewed. Jesus offers all humanity the opportunity to be rescued
from the selfishness and rebellion that separates us from God so that we can be
reconciled, or to exchange hostility against God for a relationship with God.
Jesus offers all humanity the
opportunity to be rescued from the selfishness and rebellion that separates us
from God so that we can be renewed from being a sinner who sinners to being a
saint who sometimes sins. And we experience the forgiveness and the
relationship with God that we were created for when we respond to all that God
has done for us through Jesus life death and resurrection by believing, trusting
and following Jesus as our Lord and Leader.
And it is to Jesus that we will
turn our attention to next week...
No comments:
Post a Comment