1Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; 2through whom we also have our access by faith into this grace in which we stand. We rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3Not only this, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces perseverance; 4and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5and hope doesn’t disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
6For while we were yet weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For one will hardly die for a righteous man. Yet perhaps for a good person someone would even dare to die. 8But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we will be saved from God’s wrath through him. 10For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we will be saved by his life.
11Not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. 12Therefore, as sin entered into the world through one man, and death through sin, so death passed to all men because all sinned. 13For until the law, sin was in the world; but sin is not charged when there is no law. 14Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those whose sins weren’t like Adam’s disobedience, who is a foreshadowing of him who was to come.
15But the free gift isn’t like the trespass. For if by the trespass 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. 16The gift is not as through one who sinned; for the judgment came by one to condemnation, but the free gift followed many trespasses to justification. 17For if by the trespass of the one, death reigned through the one; so much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ.
18So then as through one trespass, all men were condemned; even so through one act of righteousness, all men were justified to life. 19For as through the one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one, many will be made righteous. 20The law came in that the trespass might abound; but where sin abounded, grace abounded more exceedingly, 21that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
That One Act of Obedience
18 So then as through one trespass, all men were condemned; even so through one act of righteousness, all men were justified to life. 19 For as through the one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one, many will be made righteous. 20 The law came in that the trespass might abound; but where sin abounded, grace abounded more exceedingly, 21 that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
This verse gives an overview of human history from the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden to the present day. It explains that you and I carry what I like to refer to as a “sin gene” within us. This genetic predisposition to sin is because of the rebellion of our ancestors, Adam and Eve. They chose to rebel against what God had commanded of them, and a megaglitch entered into the operating system (in computer terms) of the human race. As a consequence, men and women now experience death. We were innocent before the fall, but now we know the difference between good and evil. Unfortunately, we have a propensity to do wrong. We lie, cheat, steal, covet, and by default engage in many more awful things. BUT, God loved us even when we were in that fallen state which Adam and Eve brought on us. They did it, and they did it to all of us. HOWEVER.
In the same way that Adam’s fall affected each and every one of us, Jesus’ obedience makes it possible for each and every one of us to experience righteousness. He offers us the opportunity to come back into a love relationship with Him. The law was tough, and it exacted its toll on mankind’s psyche. How? Because no one could measure up to the Law. No one could keep it perfectly. It resulted in a wholesale failure of all who tried to live under it. And then came grace. As strong as the Law might have been, grace was greater still. Grace was more powerful and more extensive than the Law could ever have been. When we choose to walk in God’s grace, we instantly receive the power to no longer be bound by sin. It is sometimes referred to as the stage of our salvation called sanctification. It is in walking in grace that we are free from the bondage of sin. Grace can trump sin, and that’s a marvelous truth. You can choose today to say, “God, give me power over this or that sin in my life. I am going to rely on you God to give me the strength and the power to be free of that _______________ which dominates my thoughts, words, or deeds. Take it, Lord. May your grace in my life have more power than that thing. Amen." That grace is a promise to all who receive it and walk in it. Walk in it today. The old hymn has a wonderful refrain that we can join in and sing. “Grace, grace, God's grace
grace that will pardon and cleanse within; grace, grace, God's grace, grace that is greater than all our sin.”