15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
The point here is that Christ's righteousness, justification and life doesn't just cancel out or equal out Adam's sin, condemnation and death - it is so much more, so vastly superior, so different!
In v15 , John Piper points out the parallel first...
Many are in Adam and many die because of one man's transgression. Many are in Christ and many experience grace because of the one man's grace. The minor point is simply this: judgment came because of one man; salvation comes because of one man. There was one way for all men to fall – in Adam. There is one way for all to be saved – in Christ. It's the singularity of Christ and his grace and righteousness that Paul wants us to see and savor. See the uniqueness and singularity and greatness of Christ in this text and worship him and love him and trust him.
And then the contrast. Righteousness and transgression are opposites, but it's more than that.
If judgment followed Adam's transgression, it is "much more" certain that God's grace abounded and will abound, because judgment is not God's ultimate purpose in the universe. Rather – and this is the major point – the ultimate purpose of God in creating and governing the world the way he does is the display of abounding grace – not to the exclusion of the display of justice and judgment and wrath, but against the backdrop of judgment and wrath. The display of the glory of his grace is God's ultimate purpose in the world – and here the stress falls on the fact that all of this comes through "the one Man, Jesus Christ." The glory of God's grace is the glory of Christ applied to all who are in him. All of history – all of its sin and redemption – is about the glory of the grace of God in the one man Jesus Christ. That is the meaning of history. That is the main point of verse 15.
In v16 we see that the free gift is not just justification, rather it's the fact that Christ's righteousness is the grounds for justification. Our justification legally stands on the basis of Christ's righteousness, the gift is the foundation on which our justification stands.
Piper also comments on the contrast once again....
One transgression (of Adam) leading to condemnation versus many transgressions (of all of us) leading to justification. What's the point? The point is again to display the greatness of grace far outstripping the display of judgment. How?... condemnation is a natural and fitting response to transgression. But justification is not a natural or fitting response to a transgression, let alone many transgressions. So there are at least two things that grace has to overcome for justification to exist: One is that transgression calls for condemnation; and the other is that many transgressions call for great condemnation. What makes God's grace shine in this verse is that it triumphs over both obstacles. How? By providing a substitute righteousness. Because Christ was righteous for us, God can now justify us in spite of many transgressions.... the great number of our past sins is no obstacle for God to justify us. Because there is a "free gift" that "results in justification" – the gift of Christ's righteousness.
v17 Piper talks about the minor point...
When Paul says "those who receive the abundance of grace" in verse 17b, he implies, I think, that there are those who do not receive it. In other words, Paul shows us here that "the many" in verse 15 who die because of Adam's sin and the many who experience God's grace are not the same group, for all humans are in Adam, but not all are in Christ. Some receive the grace and some do not.
Then he adds this major point - v17 does not say that we exchange the rule of death for the rule of life, it says even more than that - that we become that rulers!
He does not say that we exchange rulers over us: Death for life. He says more. He says that some day through Jesus Christ, we will move from being ruled by death to becoming ourselves rulers in life...So the final declaration of the supremacy and glory of God's grace in this text is that it takes sinners like us who receive his grace and makes us kings and queens in the age to come. It is almost too good to be true. And if you believe it, if you humbly rest in it, this glorious truth will change your life
Major point summary?
Major point of verse 15: God's ultimate aim is to display the preeminence and glory of his grace over the judgment.
Major point of verse 16: God's grace triumphs not just over one transgression, but over many transgressions and justifies us on the basis of the substitute righteousness of Christ.
Major point of verse 17: The triumph of God's grace will not simply replace life with death, but will make us reign in life like kings in the presence of our Father forever and ever.
Christ is so much more!
John Calvin "Christ is much more powerful to save than Adam was to ruin"
MacArthur adds this practical application of v15....
Jesus Christ can break the power of sin and death. Now listen to me. The converse is not true. Adam and his sin and his death cannot break back into that which Christ has already accomplished...So God's free gift is not to be compared with the offense of Adam. By one man's offense the whole race died. To a much greater degree, God's grace and the gift of Jesus Christ has overflowed aboundingly forever and ever and ever through Christ to those who follow Him.
What is the practical use? It is the confident assurance that once we are in Christ we are there forever. And that fills our hearts with hope, doesn't it? And joy and thanksgiving and praise and we live without fear that anyone can break back through the power of Christ.
And v16. With only one sin, the whole world was condemned. That's how seriously God takes sin. It only took one sin by one man to condemn the entire world. But Christ's forgiveness, Christ's justification so great, that not only can it handle one sin, it can handle the weight of innumerable sins! Doesn't that put our own sin into perspective. That God could hate sin that much, and yet still offer us grace, it's phenomenal!
God hates sin so much so that one sin damned the whole human race, and He hates that sin so much and yet He takes all the sins of all the human race and He puts them on Himself and He bears in His body our sins....the only thing that is more powerful in the heart of God than His hatred of sin is His love of the sinner.
And v17 - God is a transformer of life. Adam's sin didn't make him God like he thought it would, it condemned him. But Christ produces even more than the desired results, He turns slaves into a kings and empowers us to rule over sin and darkness.
How amazing is our God?!
Tomorrow's scripture focus: Romans 5:18-19
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