Romans 5:12-21: The Best Gift Ever Given

Romans 5:12-21: The Best Gift Ever Given

Last Sunday, I have to say that Becky and I were blessed beyond what I can describe to you by what you as a congregation did for us. I had a vague awareness that something was coming, but Becky and I were absolutely blown away by the generous gifts you presented to us as well as by the thoughtful cards you wrote. In fact, I think reading those cards when we got home that afternoon was probably one of the most moving and encouraging things we’ve experienced since coming here to Pittsburgh four years ago. And of course the money was much appreciated as well. I’ll never complain about receiving that. Yet as we think about Christmastime and the generosity and thoughtfulness and gift exchanges that are woven into our Christmas celebrations, we always want to be very intentional about remembering the best gift that’s ever been given. That gift, of course, was given by God when he sent his own Son, Jesus, to be born into this world in astonishingly humble circumstances—in a stable outside the tiny town of Bethlehem. And this morning, we’re going to see why I’m calling that gift the best gift that’s ever been given. 

You know, a really good gift takes into account the person it’s being given to. If someone gave me a box of sugar-free chocolates as a present and told me that they had searched extensively through all different kinds of sugar-free chocolates in order to get me the nicest box of sugar-free chocolates that was available, I would certainly appreciate the gesture. Obviously, they want to bless me. But I would be a little confused about why they bought chocolates that were sugar- free—because I’m not a diabetic. I like real sugar. Artificial substitutes just aren’t the same. So sugar-free chocolates wouldn’t really be my favorite gift because they don’t meet a need that I have. A good gift takes into account the needs and desires of the person to whom it’s being given. And that’s why the gift of Jesus is the best gift that’s ever been given. It addresses our greatest and most fundamental need, which is a need for rescue. And we’ll learn more about that need as we go along. 

So please turn with me in your Bible to Romans 5. That’s the main text we’ll be looking to this morning. If you’re using one of the Story Bibles we provide, that’s on page 780. We’ve been working our way passage by passage through Paul’s letter to the Romans, and the next passage we come to is Romans 5:12-21. Thankfully, this passage happens to tie in very nicely with Christmas and tells us why Jesus is the best gift ever given and how he meets our greatest need. And before we read this text, here’s the main thing to get from the passage—a kind of summary statement: the life that came into this world through Jesus far surpasses the death that came through Adam. That’s the main idea. The life that came through Jesus far surpasses the death that came through Adam. So let’s look at this passage under those two headings. Number one, death through Adam. That’s the need we have. And number two, life through Christ. That’s the gift God’s given.

Death through Adam

So first, death through Adam. Look at verses 12-14: 12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. Now I know those verses are a little dense, but here’s what Paul’s basically saying: through Adam, death entered the world. And that’s not just talking about physical death. As we’ll see in a few moments, it refers to a death that has a number of different aspects. 

But first, before death entered the world, there was a time when everything in this world was wonderful. The first two chapters of Genesis describe how God created this world as a place of perfect peace and harmony. He also created Adam and Eve, the first humans, and blessed them immeasurably. Every day of their lives was like the best vacation you’ve ever had. In fact, it was even better than the best vacation you’ve ever had. And in addition to enjoying God’s creation, Adam and Eve also got to enjoy God himself. They had direct access to God there in the Garden of Eden and were able to bask in the light of his glory. God also created them with a very clear purpose in life. He created them to worship him. After all, he was the one who gave them life and breath and all of the other blessings they enjoyed. So he deserved their worship. 

But instead of worshipping God and following his ways, Adam and Eve rebelled against God. The Bible calls this rebellion sin. And from that moment on, everything was radically different. Death had entered the world. So that’s what verse 12 back in our main passage is describing when it says that “sin came into the world through one man [Adam], and death through sin.” Then it says that “death spread to all men because all sinned.” So this isn’t just Adam’s problem. It’s your problem and my problem. Death has come to every single person in this world—kind of like a disease. Think about the way a disease spreads. Especially for those of you who have young kids, what typically happens when one of those kids gets sick? It’s often not long until everyone in the house is sick, right? The sickness gets passed from one person to another to another until it eventually works its way through the entire household. And in the same way, the Bible says that death has come to every single person in this world. It entered the world through Adam. He’s the one who brought it in through his rebellion. Adam then passed it on to all of his descendents so that now, everyone in the world lives under the plague of death. 

Now you may be wondering, what does that mean?  What exactly are we talking about when we speak of “death”? We’ve already said that it’s not just physical death, so what is it? Well, I believe there are four aspects of death as that word is used here in Romans 5. The first is indeed physical death. In Genesis 3:19, right after Adam rebels against God, God pronounces a curse on him. He says to Adam, “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” And that’s no secret, right? Even though we don’t like to think about it, we know that everybody has their time. Physical death eventually comes to everyone. Even now, our bodies are in the process of dying. Every ache and pain you have is a reminder that your body is slowly giving out on you and will one day cease to function. That didn’t used to be the case before Adam’s sin. But when sin entered the world, death entered the world, and physical death is one aspect of that. 

Another aspect of death is that we now possess a sinful nature or you might say an inward bent toward sinning. A lot of people think we enter this world in a basically neutral state and are then led toward either good or evil by influences that are outside of us. But the Bible says that even though there certainly are many things that influence us from the outside, there’s something very significant influencing us from the inside. It’s called a sinful nature. From the time we enter this world, everyone has that inward bent toward sinning. That’s why you don’t have to teach your children how to lie, steal, or manipulate. They do all of those things very well without any training because all of us have a sinful nature. Our sinful nature is kind of a like this alternate ego of sorts that lives within us and induces us to do certain things. You might compare it to the Hulk. Now, I have to admit that I’m certainly no expert on the Hulk. My knowledge is extremely limited. I think I’ve seen maybe two Marvel movies and that’s pretty much it. So I’m sure many of you know way more about the Hulk than I do. But from the little bit I understand, there’s a really smart scientist guy who turns into the Hulk whenever he gets stressed out. So apparently, the Hulk is some kind of alternate creature I guess who lives inside of this guy and comes out whenever he’s provoked. And the guy can’t control him. The Hulk just sort of takes over. And that’s similar to the way our sinful nature functions within us. It makes us act in certain ways and desire certain things. And it just kind of takes over. It gives us a desire for sin that frequently overrides all other desires. You might say it gives us an insatiable appetite for sin. And it’s because of that sinful nature that we commit sinful acts. So we’re not sinners because we sin. We sin because we’re sinners by nature. Our sinful acts come from the nature that’s within us and that we inherited from Adam. So that’s a second aspect of death—a sinful nature. 

Third, we’re alienated from God. That’s another aspect of the death Paul references in chapter 5: alienation from God. Back in Genesis 3, after Adam rebelled against God and God responded by pronouncing a curse of death upon him, notice what God did after that. Genesis 3:22 states that God “sent him out from the Garden of Eden.” Then the next verse repeats that idea but says it in an even stronger way, stating that God “drove [him] out.” It was no longer possible for people to have access to God or enjoy the sweetness of fellowship with God. Sin destroyed all of that and brought death to the harmonious relationship people had with God in the Garden of Eden. That’s why, in the passage from Romans 5 we looked at last week, Paul referred to us as “enemies” of God. Because of sin, humanity’s harmony with God immediately became enmity with God. We became alienated from him.  

Then the fourth aspect of death is the granddaddy of them all: eternal judgment. God gives us the punishment our sins deserve in hell for all eternity. This is death in its most ultimate sense. In fact, the Bible elsewhere calls this the “second death.” Revelation 21:8 says, But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” So for those who aren’t Christians, after they experience the first death, which is physical death, they experience the “second death” and are eternally cut off from God and under God’s wrath with no hope of escape. There’s no second chance. This is both final and eternal. It’s a sobering thought. 

So those are the four aspects of death: physical death, a sinful nature, alienation from God, and the prospect of eternal judgment in the future. Hopefully you see that our situation couldn’t be more desperate. You know, I think one of the most tragic misunderstandings people in our society have when it comes to spiritual things is that they don’t understand how desperate their situation really is. A lot of people aren’t even convinced they have a moral problem. And even if they are convinced, they think their problem is something along the lines of picking up a few bad habits in life. And so they think that what they need is just a list of some spiritual guidelines to help them live a little better. But as we’ve just seen, the Bible teaches us something strikingly different. It teaches us that we’re not just misguided or imperfect. We’re dead. Death reigns over this world and over every aspect of our lives personally. And so what we need isn’t just a few spiritual guidelines—we need salvation! We don’t just need rules—we need rescue! Imagine someone falling off of a ship into the ocean and desperately fighting to keep their head above the water. Let’s say the waters of the ocean were rather turbulent and it was all this person could do just to tread water and keep from drowning. What does that person need? Do they need someone from the ship to get on a megaphone and explain to them some better methods for swimming? Or do they need some sort of life coach to come along and help them have a more positive attitude about their circumstances? Obviously, either one of those interventions would not only be unhelpful, it would be cruel. What that person needs is rescue. And that’s our condition spiritually. If I really am as bad off as the Bible says I am and dead in my sin and alienated from God and under God’s sentence of condemnation, then please don’t give me principles for better living. Don’t even give me rules for more righteous living. Give me a way to be rescued! If I’m under the curse of death, show me how I can have life!

Life through Christ

Thankfully, that rescue and that life are exactly what Jesus offers. Death through Adam isn’t the end of the story. No, the Bible is a story of God bringing life to the dead—and actually bringing life in a fuller and more glorious sense than Adam and Eve ever experienced even in the Garden of Eden. And the way God brings life to the dead is through Christ. Hence, our second point, life through Christ. And before I read the next part of our main passage in Romans 5, look again at the tail end of verse 14 that I’ve already read. It describes Adam as “a type of the one who was to come.” That word “type” has a very specific meaning. It refers to something that prefigures something else. The NIV translates it with the word “pattern,” calling Adam “a pattern of the one to come.” And of course, Jesus is the fulfillment of that. Adam prefigured Jesus. Just like Adam brought sin and death into the world, Jesus brings life into the world. 

And that’s what we see in verses 15-21. Look what it says: 15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. 18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

So notice that throughout this passage, Paul continually comes back to the superiority of Jesus. Adam and Jesus may be parallel in some respects, but Jesus is superior. Remember what I said the main idea of this passage is: the life that came through Jesus far surpasses the death that came through Adam. So Jesus didn’t just make up for what Adam did; he made up for it, and then some. And as I said, a good way to summarize what Jesus did and what he brought is to simply say that he brought life. As we read in verse 17, believers will “reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.” Then verse 18 states that Jesus brought “life for all men.” By the way, that doesn’t mean Jesus actually imparts life to everyone but rather that he makes life available to everyone.

So what then is included in that “life”? What exactly does “life” consist of? Well, perhaps the easiest way to describe it is to say that life is the opposite of death. More specifically, life is the opposite of each of the four aspects of death we’ve already looked at. It reverses each one. First, the life Jesus offers reverses physical death. Of course, that doesn’t mean Christians don’t die physically. But it does mean that after our physical bodies die, God promises to one day resurrect those bodies and join them to our souls once again in heaven. If you want to read more about that, just read 1 Corinthians 15, where Paul spends a whole chapter describing how God’s going to do that. Paul says that our physical body will be transformed in heaven so that it’s vastly superior to what it once was here on earth. It will now exist in a glorified state of being. 

Then in addition to reversing physical death, the life Jesus brings also brings reversal to our sinful nature. Ezekiel 36 describes it as a heart of stone being replaced with a heart of flesh. In other words, our dead heart is replaced with a living heart. Instead of being inclined toward sin, we’re now inclined toward God. Now it’s important to understand that this only happens partially in this life. Even as Christians, we still have a ghost of the old sinful nature within us, and there are times when it rears its ugly head. However, it’s no longer dominant in our life the way it once was. We’re no longer helpless to resist its inclinations. Through Jesus, we can walk in victory over the sinful nature. That victory comes as we utilize the means God’s given us to fuel our spiritual appetite—things like immersing ourselves in the Bible and devoting ourselves to prayer and spending time in fellowship with other Christians. As we give ourselves to these things, we’re able to walk in victory over the sinful nature through the Spirit’s power. And one day in heaven, the sinful nature will be totally eradicated. You might say that we’re freed from the power of sin now and will one day be free from even the presence of sin in heaven. 

Then, the third aspect of life is that it brings reversal to our alienation from God and brings us back into close fellowship with him. In Colossians 1:21-22, Paul writes to the church at Colossae, 21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him. So through the death of Christ, we who were once alienated because of our sin are now reconciled to God. We can enjoy his presence, we can commune with him in prayer, and we can even call him “our Father.”

Then finally, the fourth aspect of life is that it reverses the judgment we would otherwise face in the future and gives us the certainty of eternal life. And this really is the ultimate sense in which Jesus gives us life in that all the other aspects of life find their fulfillment in this. This is the centerpiece. Through Jesus, you and I can dwell in God’s presence for all eternity and obtain what the Bible describes in 1 Peter as a heavenly inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. Also, in Psalm 16:11, David says to God that “in your presence there is fullness of joy [and] at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” That’s what we’ll get to experience in heaven. We’ll get to experience that fullness of joy and those unending pleasures in God like never before. 

So Adam brought death, but Jesus reverses everything Adam did and brings life. And notice back in our main passage that he’s the only one who brings life. In Romans 5, Jesus is presented as a universal Savior. Remember, Paul presents Jesus and Adam as parallels. So just like Adam’s rebellion touched the whole world and was in that sense universal in its scope, Jesus is the Savior for the whole world. He’s the Savior God’s provided for the entire human race. God hasn’t provided multiple solutions to the problem of death. He’s provided just one solution, which is Jesus. And if that’s doesn’t seem explicit enough in Romans 5, just look at other passages that state this truth even more clearly. For example 1 John 5:11-12 says it like this: 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I’m really not sure how else you can interpret that other than to say that life is found in Christ alone. Muhammed can’t give you life, Buddha can’t give you life, self-help books can’t give you life. Only Jesus can give you life. 

Conclusion

So have you received life from Jesus? Verse 17 of Romans 5 describes it as a “free gift.” Have you received that gift? Have you ever looked to Jesus to forgive your sin and give you life? He can do it because of his work on the cross. When Jesus died on the cross, he was dying in your place, to bear the penalty for your sin. Then three days later, Jesus triumphed over sin and death by resurrecting from the grave. And on the basis of that resurrection life, he now offers you life as a free gift. You don’t have to earn it; you just have to receive it. So let me invite you to look to Jesus and put your trust in him to receive that gift even this morning. Please don’t let the best gift of all get lost in the shuffle of your Christmas busyness. 

You know, one time several years ago, Becky and I received at $100 Amazon gift card for Christmas, which as you know is pretty much as good as cash. And we had a number of other presents that we unwrapped as well, so there was wrapping paper all over our living room. And somehow, the gift card got mixed in with the mess of wrapping paper and ended up in the garbage bin outside. Thankfully, we noticed we were missing it and initiated a search, which eventually included me going out to the trash bin and digging through all the wrapping paper and at long last finding the gift card. So that gift card was a very generous gift but was nearly lost. Don’t let God’s gift, the greatest gift of all, be like that this Christmas. Because when it comes to God’s gift, we’re not just talking about having $100 to spend on Amazon. We’re talking about the difference between eternal death and eternal life. Have you received God’s gift? As Romans 6:23 states: For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.