A Powerful Statement Of Truth
A lack of Holy Spirit revelation can lead someone into a life of mixture and confusion regarding who they are and what they have received in Christ.
Romans 5:18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. 20 Moreover, the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, 21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
It is so clear here. Judgment came to all men, meaning everyone without exception came under Adam's sin. Just as because of Jesus' righteous act, all men are offered the free gift of righteousness.
Then we are told why the Law came. The entered so that the offense may abound. In other words, so that it might be made obvious just how pervasive sin is in the human race. The law revealed that sin was abounding, it was prolific, and it had infected everyone.
But now comes the truth about the power of sin and the power of grace.
Everywhere grace is at work, sin is obliterated. Why is that? Because grace abounds even more than sin does. In other words, God made sure to offer a flood of grace above and beyond the level of sin on the earth.
How did He achieve this? Well, it was clear that sin reigned in death, so God made sure to make grace reign through righteousness to eternal life. How? Through Jesus Christ our Lord. It is interesting, it doesn't say here Jesus Christ our Savior. It says our Lord.
To say Lord is to imply that the one addressed as Lord is the one now in charge. But notice how grace is to reign. It reigns by means of righteousness made possible through Jesus.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
We are only the righteousness of God in Him. We are never the righteousness of God apart from Him or in ourselves. This should eliminate the thought that our performance procures righteousness. However, that does not eliminate the reality that the righteousness and grace we have received have freed us from the tyranny of sin's power over us.
Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
Freedom from sin will never be our reality through our efforts to avoid it, as we become increasingly conscious of it through the constant application of the law. Freedom is ours when we realize through revelation what was done for us, and we learn to walk in faith in Christ. It is the revelation of being in Christ that prevents us from embracing the silly notion that grace means sin is acceptable to God now. Instead, it trains us in His righteousness by bringing us into a continual realization of fellowship made possible to us in Christ.
What sane husband or wife would invite their spouse to watch them commit adultery? The fellowship reality is the game changer for all who wish to walk in the freedom from sin that is truly ours in Christ Jesus our Lord.
