This is the manuscript of the second sermon of the God's Grace series at Christ Church, Los Angeles, CA.
Grace is the most important concept in the Bible, Christianity, and the world. It is most clearly expressed in the promises of God revealed in Scripture and embodied in Jesus Christ himself.
Living in a world where there’s no such thing as a free lunch, it’s sometimes hard to understand the meaning of grace. Every day God calls to us, offering the free gift of his grace, and all we need to do is accept it. Grace doesn’t require a down payment, it doesn’t ask you to do something first, and it’s never a bonus for something you’ve already accomplished. Grace is a gift, the only thing in this world that is truly free.
To hear an audio recording of the sermon click the YouTube link at the end of the manuscript.
This is the second in our series on grace.
Our main text for the entire series is:
Ephesians 2:8-9 (HCSB) For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—9 not from works, so that no one can boast.
Living in a world where there’s no such thing as a free lunch, it’s sometimes hard to understand the meaning of grace. Every day God calls to us, offering the free gift of his grace, and all we need to do is accept it. Grace doesn’t require a down payment, it doesn’t ask you to do something first, and it’s never a bonus for something you’ve already accomplished. Grace is a gift, the only thing in this world that is truly free.
Grace is the most important concept in the Bible, Christianity, and the world. It is most clearly expressed in the promises of God revealed in Scripture and embodied in Jesus Christ himself.
Here are some of the things we talked looked at last Sunday.
Greek word for grace is Charis (pronounced cars)
In Greek, the original language of our New Testament, the word grace implies a favor freely given.
The definition from the NAS New Testament Greek Lexicon is;
good will, loving-kindness, favour;
the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues
The Greeks used this word cars to describe favor shown to a friend.
We learned that grace becomes the source from which all blessings flow from God.
In other words, he who saves us by grace also brings us into an aspect of life that give us all the blessings and favors that accompany His divine expression of love.
When Jesus came and died on the cross, grace changed from being an expression only to friends as the Greeks described it, to include not only friends but
enemies too.
Matthew 5:43-44 NIV “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Romans 5:8 NIV But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:10 NIV For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
In other words God's grace includes everybody.
Titus 3:4-7 NKJV But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Whether you accept the gift or not is on you.
We said, last week, that God’s grace is sufficient.
When the Apostle Paul asked God to take the thing that was bothering him away God said that His grace or His favor, was sufficient for him to handle it.
2 Corinthians 12:5-9 NIV I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
His grace is sufficient because it comes to us from the nature of God Himself. It is one of His infinite attributes, and it is the result of the eternal purpose of his will.
Grace is an act, not just a favor or a gift from God. Grace reveals what God is as well as what he does. He gives us grace because He loves us, and because He loves us He showers us with mercy.
Psalms 145:8 NKJV The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy.
Grace is getting what we don't deserve. Mercy is not getting what we do deserve.
Romans 5:1-2 NKJV Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
This means that we have been reconciled with God, creating a bond between God and the redeemed, that is impossible to break.
Grace is the most important concept in the Bible, Christianity, and the world. It is most clearly expressed in the promises of God revealed in Scripture and embodied in Jesus Christ himself.
Living in a world where there’s no such thing as a free lunch, it’s sometimes hard to understand the meaning of grace. Every day God calls to us, offering the free gift of his grace, and all we need to do is accept it. Grace doesn’t require a down payment, it doesn’t ask you to do something first, and it’s never a bonus for something you’ve already accomplished. Grace is a gift, the only thing in this world that is truly free.
To hear an audio recording of the sermon click the YouTube link at the end of the manuscript.
This is the second in our series on grace.
Our main text for the entire series is:
Ephesians 2:8-9 (HCSB) For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—9 not from works, so that no one can boast.
Living in a world where there’s no such thing as a free lunch, it’s sometimes hard to understand the meaning of grace. Every day God calls to us, offering the free gift of his grace, and all we need to do is accept it. Grace doesn’t require a down payment, it doesn’t ask you to do something first, and it’s never a bonus for something you’ve already accomplished. Grace is a gift, the only thing in this world that is truly free.
Grace is the most important concept in the Bible, Christianity, and the world. It is most clearly expressed in the promises of God revealed in Scripture and embodied in Jesus Christ himself.
Here are some of the things we talked looked at last Sunday.
Greek word for grace is Charis (pronounced cars)
In Greek, the original language of our New Testament, the word grace implies a favor freely given.
The definition from the NAS New Testament Greek Lexicon is;
good will, loving-kindness, favour;
the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues
The Greeks used this word cars to describe favor shown to a friend.
We learned that grace becomes the source from which all blessings flow from God.
In other words, he who saves us by grace also brings us into an aspect of life that give us all the blessings and favors that accompany His divine expression of love.
When Jesus came and died on the cross, grace changed from being an expression only to friends as the Greeks described it, to include not only friends but
enemies too.
Matthew 5:43-44 NIV “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Romans 5:8 NIV But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:10 NIV For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
In other words God's grace includes everybody.
Titus 3:4-7 NKJV But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Whether you accept the gift or not is on you.
We said, last week, that God’s grace is sufficient.
When the Apostle Paul asked God to take the thing that was bothering him away God said that His grace or His favor, was sufficient for him to handle it.
2 Corinthians 12:5-9 NIV I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
His grace is sufficient because it comes to us from the nature of God Himself. It is one of His infinite attributes, and it is the result of the eternal purpose of his will.
Grace is an act, not just a favor or a gift from God. Grace reveals what God is as well as what he does. He gives us grace because He loves us, and because He loves us He showers us with mercy.
Psalms 145:8 NKJV The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy.
Grace is getting what we don't deserve. Mercy is not getting what we do deserve.
Romans 5:1-2 NKJV Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
This means that we have been reconciled with God, creating a bond between God and the redeemed, that is impossible to break.
Grace
The word grace is used in the Old Testament, 39 times in the King James Version, but is used 131 times in the New Testament. King James.
Why is Grace Mentioned So Many More Times in the New Testament?
The Old Testament or old covenant was a covenant of law where in order to be justified by God you had to obey the law, to the letter, in other words you had to work to gain favor or grace. This law was the Mosaic Law found in the Old Testament Books of Exodus through Deuteronomy. This requirement of obedience, to the letter, in order to gain favor, was done away with when Jesus gave His life as a sacrifice for mankind and his blood sealed a new covenant.
Hebrews 9:13-15 NIV The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
Why was this grace which came as the result of Christ's sacrifice necessary?
Grace Was Necessary Because Of Adam’s Sin
Romans 5:12(HCSB) Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all men, because all sinned.
While we all sin that's not what Paul was saying. He was saying that yes physical death came to all mankind, but not because they were all in the process of individually sinning. What he says is that all men, and women sinned when Adam sinned.
How is that possible you ask? Here is an example from the Old Testament that illustrates how and why it’s possible. It is from the book of Joshua and the account of something that happened after the defeat
of Jericho that we talked about a few weeks ago. Before the walls fell God gave some instructions which included this;
Joshua 6:18-19, 18 But keep yourselves from the things set apart, or you will be set apart for destruction. If you take any of those things, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and bring disaster on it.19 For all the silver and gold, and the articles of bronze and iron, are dedicated to the LORD and must go into the LORD’s treasury.”
Well not everyone followed this instruction.
Joshua 7:1-5 (HCSB) 1 The Israelites, however, were unfaithful regarding the things set apart for destruction. Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of what was set apart, and the LORD’s anger burned against the Israelites. 2 Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and scout the land.” So the men went up and scouted Ai. 3 After returning to Joshua they reported to him, “Don’t send all the people, but send about 2,000 or 3,000 men to attack Ai. Since the people of Ai are so few, don’t wear out all our people there.” 4 So about 3,000 men went up there, but they fled from the men of Ai. 5 The men of Ai struck down about 36 of them and chased them from outside the gate to the quarries, striking them down on the descent. As a result, the people’s hearts melted and became like water.
Because of Achan’s disobedience the Hebrews lost the next battle to a ragtag group from the town Ai and they were disheartened. When the Lord pointed out Achan and he administered the punishment, not only Achan but also all his property, his sons, his daughters, his animals everything connected with Achan was blotted out of Israel. Achan didn’t blame anybody else he took full responsibility but everyone and everything associated with him was destroyed.
Joshua 7:21; 24-25(HCSB) When I saw among the spoils a beautiful cloak from Babylon, 200 silver shekels, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, I coveted them and took them. You can see for yourself. They are concealed in the ground inside my tent, with the money under the cloak.” 24 Then Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the cloak, and the bar of gold, his sons and daughters, his ox, donkey, and sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and brought them up to the Valley of Achor.
25 Joshua said, “Why have you troubled us? Today the LORD will trouble you!” So all Israel stoned them to death. They burned their bodies, threw stones on them,
Here is another example this one not discipline but blessings coming through the actions of a single person affecting many many others.
Genesis 14:18-20 NIV Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
When God gave Moses the law He required the people to tithe and this tithe was given to the Levites or the descendants of Jacob's son Levi.
Numbers 18:21 NIV “I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting.
The writer of Hebrews said;
Hebrews 7:9-10 (HCSB)9 And in a sense Levi himself, who receives tenths, has paid tenths through Abraham,10 for he was still within his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.
In my example;
Achan’s family was considered guilty because Achan sinned; and, Levi was considered as paying tithes because Abraham represented the Hebrew nation.
So, Adam’s posterity, which is mankind, is looked on as having disobeyed and sinned along with him.
The result of Adam’s actions was the introduction of sin, and with sin death, and death was passed on to his descendants, us.
Romans 6:23 (HCSB) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
So what was God's solution to this dilemma?
God’s Solution
God’s solution to this problem of all mankind being under the penalty of sin because of Adam, is grace.
(defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary as, unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification).
From the beginning, even before mankind’s fall into sin, the Father, lovingly predesigned the rescue that He knew only his Son could carry out.
1 Peter 1:18-21 HCSB For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from the fathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. He was chosen before the foundation of the world but was revealed at the end of the times for you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
God’s grace was personified through Jesus Christ, the Son of God who came to earth as a man.
What God immediately did after Adam and Eve sinned was promise He would save fallen mankind.
Genesis 3:14-15 NIV So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
What we just read at Genesis 3:15 is the beginning of the gospel announcing that someone (we now know it was Jesus) born of a woman would ultimately triumph over Satan:
Satan thought he crippled (bruised heel) Jesus on the cross, but the resurrection fatally wounded (bruised head) Satan’s power. This is the first of many promises that God made, and every one He has faithfully kept.
Isaiah 55:10-11 HCSB For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return there without saturating the earth and making it germinate and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, so My word that comes from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do.”
Since the penalty of sin is death and all mankind is under that penalty because as Adam’s posterity they all sin God’s only solution was to provide a way for the penalty to be paid. The only one who could pay that penalty for all mankind was someone who was like Adam, a human, but not from Adam.
Luke 1:34-35 (HCSB)34 Mary asked the angel, “How can this be, since I have not been intimate with a man?” 35 The angel replied to her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.
Adam, a human being had nothing to do with the conception of Jesus. He was not from Adam but from the Holy Spirit.
The word grace is used in the Old Testament, 39 times in the King James Version, but is used 131 times in the New Testament. King James.
Why is Grace Mentioned So Many More Times in the New Testament?
The Old Testament or old covenant was a covenant of law where in order to be justified by God you had to obey the law, to the letter, in other words you had to work to gain favor or grace. This law was the Mosaic Law found in the Old Testament Books of Exodus through Deuteronomy. This requirement of obedience, to the letter, in order to gain favor, was done away with when Jesus gave His life as a sacrifice for mankind and his blood sealed a new covenant.
Hebrews 9:13-15 NIV The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
Why was this grace which came as the result of Christ's sacrifice necessary?
Grace Was Necessary Because Of Adam’s Sin
Romans 5:12(HCSB) Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all men, because all sinned.
While we all sin that's not what Paul was saying. He was saying that yes physical death came to all mankind, but not because they were all in the process of individually sinning. What he says is that all men, and women sinned when Adam sinned.
How is that possible you ask? Here is an example from the Old Testament that illustrates how and why it’s possible. It is from the book of Joshua and the account of something that happened after the defeat
of Jericho that we talked about a few weeks ago. Before the walls fell God gave some instructions which included this;
Joshua 6:18-19, 18 But keep yourselves from the things set apart, or you will be set apart for destruction. If you take any of those things, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and bring disaster on it.19 For all the silver and gold, and the articles of bronze and iron, are dedicated to the LORD and must go into the LORD’s treasury.”
Well not everyone followed this instruction.
Joshua 7:1-5 (HCSB) 1 The Israelites, however, were unfaithful regarding the things set apart for destruction. Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of what was set apart, and the LORD’s anger burned against the Israelites. 2 Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and scout the land.” So the men went up and scouted Ai. 3 After returning to Joshua they reported to him, “Don’t send all the people, but send about 2,000 or 3,000 men to attack Ai. Since the people of Ai are so few, don’t wear out all our people there.” 4 So about 3,000 men went up there, but they fled from the men of Ai. 5 The men of Ai struck down about 36 of them and chased them from outside the gate to the quarries, striking them down on the descent. As a result, the people’s hearts melted and became like water.
Because of Achan’s disobedience the Hebrews lost the next battle to a ragtag group from the town Ai and they were disheartened. When the Lord pointed out Achan and he administered the punishment, not only Achan but also all his property, his sons, his daughters, his animals everything connected with Achan was blotted out of Israel. Achan didn’t blame anybody else he took full responsibility but everyone and everything associated with him was destroyed.
Joshua 7:21; 24-25(HCSB) When I saw among the spoils a beautiful cloak from Babylon, 200 silver shekels, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, I coveted them and took them. You can see for yourself. They are concealed in the ground inside my tent, with the money under the cloak.” 24 Then Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the cloak, and the bar of gold, his sons and daughters, his ox, donkey, and sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and brought them up to the Valley of Achor.
25 Joshua said, “Why have you troubled us? Today the LORD will trouble you!” So all Israel stoned them to death. They burned their bodies, threw stones on them,
Here is another example this one not discipline but blessings coming through the actions of a single person affecting many many others.
Genesis 14:18-20 NIV Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
When God gave Moses the law He required the people to tithe and this tithe was given to the Levites or the descendants of Jacob's son Levi.
Numbers 18:21 NIV “I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting.
The writer of Hebrews said;
Hebrews 7:9-10 (HCSB)9 And in a sense Levi himself, who receives tenths, has paid tenths through Abraham,10 for he was still within his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.
In my example;
Achan’s family was considered guilty because Achan sinned; and, Levi was considered as paying tithes because Abraham represented the Hebrew nation.
So, Adam’s posterity, which is mankind, is looked on as having disobeyed and sinned along with him.
The result of Adam’s actions was the introduction of sin, and with sin death, and death was passed on to his descendants, us.
Romans 6:23 (HCSB) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
So what was God's solution to this dilemma?
God’s Solution
God’s solution to this problem of all mankind being under the penalty of sin because of Adam, is grace.
(defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary as, unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification).
From the beginning, even before mankind’s fall into sin, the Father, lovingly predesigned the rescue that He knew only his Son could carry out.
1 Peter 1:18-21 HCSB For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from the fathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. He was chosen before the foundation of the world but was revealed at the end of the times for you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
God’s grace was personified through Jesus Christ, the Son of God who came to earth as a man.
What God immediately did after Adam and Eve sinned was promise He would save fallen mankind.
Genesis 3:14-15 NIV So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
What we just read at Genesis 3:15 is the beginning of the gospel announcing that someone (we now know it was Jesus) born of a woman would ultimately triumph over Satan:
Satan thought he crippled (bruised heel) Jesus on the cross, but the resurrection fatally wounded (bruised head) Satan’s power. This is the first of many promises that God made, and every one He has faithfully kept.
Isaiah 55:10-11 HCSB For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return there without saturating the earth and making it germinate and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, so My word that comes from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do.”
Since the penalty of sin is death and all mankind is under that penalty because as Adam’s posterity they all sin God’s only solution was to provide a way for the penalty to be paid. The only one who could pay that penalty for all mankind was someone who was like Adam, a human, but not from Adam.
Luke 1:34-35 (HCSB)34 Mary asked the angel, “How can this be, since I have not been intimate with a man?” 35 The angel replied to her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.
Adam, a human being had nothing to do with the conception of Jesus. He was not from Adam but from the Holy Spirit.
The Gift of Grace was Much Greater than the Sin
Last week we said that God’s grace abounds.
Romans 5:20-21 NKJV Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The word translated “abound” means to “exist in superabundance.” All of God’s dealings with his people are filtered through his marvelous grace!
Romans 5:15 (HCSB) But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man’s trespass the many died, how much more have the grace of God and the gift overflowed to the many by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ. (Emphasis mine)
Here’s something from a commentary that I use it’s the Wycliffe Bible Commentary
"The many" is the same group who were affected by Adam's transgression and therefore died. God's grace and the gift in the sphere of Christ's grace abound to all men. Adam's act brought death. Divine grace abounds to those affected by Adam's act.
Many transgressions brought God's gracious gift into operation, and its outcome or goal is acquittal. How powerful must be this gracious gift when it is directed toward such an end! The reign of death, because of the trespass of the one, is contrasted with the reign in life—on the part of those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness. The abundance of grace has to do with all that God has accomplished and promised to do in Christ. Those who are receiving God's abounding favor toward them in Christ and the righteousness which he provides will reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. Because of what the one man, Jesus Christ, accomplished, death no longer reigns, but men reign in life. Why are there not as many who reign in life as there were under the reign of death? Because the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness were rejected by many rather than received.
What Does This Grace Produce?
Grace produces righteousness.
The fact that the righteousness of Christ is bestowed upon those who believe means not only that they are declared righteous but that they participate in the victory of grace. The victory of grace is eternal life.
Eternal life is a quality of life; it is living by God's life and for God. Believers have this life now. Eternal life means not only living by God, and for him, but in an environment that he has made perfect—free from all sin. Eternal life is the believer's reality as well as their destiny. How is eternal life achieved? It is achieved through a person—through Jesus Christ our Lord.
For us to succeed in this life we need the abundance of grace and the righteousness that God makes available.
ROMANS 3:21-26 AMP But now the righteousness of God has been clearly revealed [independently and completely] apart from the Law, though it is [actually] confirmed by the Law and the [words and writings of the] Prophets. This righteousness of God comes through faith in Jesus Christ for all those [Jew or Gentile] who believe [and trust in Him and acknowledge Him as God’s Son]. There is no distinction, since all have sinned and continually fall short of the glory of God, and are being justified [declared free of the guilt of sin, made acceptable to God, and granted eternal life] as a gift by His [precious, undeserved] grace, through the redemption [the payment for our sin] which is [provided] in Christ Jesus, whom God displayed publicly [before the eyes of the world] as a [life-giving] sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation (propitiation) by His blood [to be received] through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness [which demands punishment for sin], because in His forbearance [His deliberate restraint] He passed over the sins previously committed [before Jesus’ crucifixion]. It was to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the One who justifies those who have faith in Jesus [and rely confidently on Him as Savior].
We can’t measure God’s grace because our sinfulness has limits but God’s grace has no limits.
Romans 5:15-17 (HCSB)15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man’s trespass the many died, how much more have the grace of God and the gift overflowed to the many by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ.16 And the gift is not like the one man’s sin, because from one sin came the judgment, resulting in condemnation, but from many trespasses came the gift, resulting in justification.17 Since by the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
Do You Want This Grace?
This grace that I have been talking about is available to everybody. By definition it’s unmerited so you can’t work to earn it. It’s a gift from God.
John 6:29 (NLT) Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”
When you break man’s laws, you pay man’s penalty. When you break God’s laws, you pay God’s penalty, which is eternity in hell. Somebody has to pay for all the things you’ve done in life that hurt other people, yourself, and God. But God has a plan. He says, “I’ll send my Son, Jesus, to pay the penalty. He will take your place so you don’t have to go to hell. You can be with me forever.”
Do you understand why the Gospel is called Good News? It means everything you’ve ever done or will ever do wrong in life has already been paid for by Jesus Christ on the cross. Through Jesus you can be made right with God.
“[God] saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy” (Titus 3:5 NLT).
We have to accept by faith what God did for us.
To be made right with God, just believe and accept by faith that what Jesus did on the cross paid for your sins. Then, you are a part of God’s family. You can live the way he wants you to live now and then go to heaven in eternity.
Romans 10:9-10 says, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved” (NLT).
Last week we said that God’s grace abounds.
Romans 5:20-21 NKJV Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The word translated “abound” means to “exist in superabundance.” All of God’s dealings with his people are filtered through his marvelous grace!
Romans 5:15 (HCSB) But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man’s trespass the many died, how much more have the grace of God and the gift overflowed to the many by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ. (Emphasis mine)
Here’s something from a commentary that I use it’s the Wycliffe Bible Commentary
"The many" is the same group who were affected by Adam's transgression and therefore died. God's grace and the gift in the sphere of Christ's grace abound to all men. Adam's act brought death. Divine grace abounds to those affected by Adam's act.
Many transgressions brought God's gracious gift into operation, and its outcome or goal is acquittal. How powerful must be this gracious gift when it is directed toward such an end! The reign of death, because of the trespass of the one, is contrasted with the reign in life—on the part of those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness. The abundance of grace has to do with all that God has accomplished and promised to do in Christ. Those who are receiving God's abounding favor toward them in Christ and the righteousness which he provides will reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. Because of what the one man, Jesus Christ, accomplished, death no longer reigns, but men reign in life. Why are there not as many who reign in life as there were under the reign of death? Because the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness were rejected by many rather than received.
What Does This Grace Produce?
Grace produces righteousness.
The fact that the righteousness of Christ is bestowed upon those who believe means not only that they are declared righteous but that they participate in the victory of grace. The victory of grace is eternal life.
Eternal life is a quality of life; it is living by God's life and for God. Believers have this life now. Eternal life means not only living by God, and for him, but in an environment that he has made perfect—free from all sin. Eternal life is the believer's reality as well as their destiny. How is eternal life achieved? It is achieved through a person—through Jesus Christ our Lord.
For us to succeed in this life we need the abundance of grace and the righteousness that God makes available.
ROMANS 3:21-26 AMP But now the righteousness of God has been clearly revealed [independently and completely] apart from the Law, though it is [actually] confirmed by the Law and the [words and writings of the] Prophets. This righteousness of God comes through faith in Jesus Christ for all those [Jew or Gentile] who believe [and trust in Him and acknowledge Him as God’s Son]. There is no distinction, since all have sinned and continually fall short of the glory of God, and are being justified [declared free of the guilt of sin, made acceptable to God, and granted eternal life] as a gift by His [precious, undeserved] grace, through the redemption [the payment for our sin] which is [provided] in Christ Jesus, whom God displayed publicly [before the eyes of the world] as a [life-giving] sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation (propitiation) by His blood [to be received] through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness [which demands punishment for sin], because in His forbearance [His deliberate restraint] He passed over the sins previously committed [before Jesus’ crucifixion]. It was to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the One who justifies those who have faith in Jesus [and rely confidently on Him as Savior].
We can’t measure God’s grace because our sinfulness has limits but God’s grace has no limits.
Romans 5:15-17 (HCSB)15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man’s trespass the many died, how much more have the grace of God and the gift overflowed to the many by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ.16 And the gift is not like the one man’s sin, because from one sin came the judgment, resulting in condemnation, but from many trespasses came the gift, resulting in justification.17 Since by the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
Do You Want This Grace?
This grace that I have been talking about is available to everybody. By definition it’s unmerited so you can’t work to earn it. It’s a gift from God.
John 6:29 (NLT) Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”
When you break man’s laws, you pay man’s penalty. When you break God’s laws, you pay God’s penalty, which is eternity in hell. Somebody has to pay for all the things you’ve done in life that hurt other people, yourself, and God. But God has a plan. He says, “I’ll send my Son, Jesus, to pay the penalty. He will take your place so you don’t have to go to hell. You can be with me forever.”
Do you understand why the Gospel is called Good News? It means everything you’ve ever done or will ever do wrong in life has already been paid for by Jesus Christ on the cross. Through Jesus you can be made right with God.
“[God] saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy” (Titus 3:5 NLT).
We have to accept by faith what God did for us.
To be made right with God, just believe and accept by faith that what Jesus did on the cross paid for your sins. Then, you are a part of God’s family. You can live the way he wants you to live now and then go to heaven in eternity.
Romans 10:9-10 says, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved” (NLT).
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