If you're following along, turn
again to Romans chapter 5. I'm going to read one verse this
morning. This verse is the verse that
got me to thinking about this chapter. I had originally planned
us to preach on this one verse, but then that didn't happen. I figured I'll at least go through
the whole chapter. We've done that. Romans chapter 5 and verse 19.
Listen to what it says. For as by one man's disobedience
many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many
be made righteous. I have something for you this
morning, but I pray that God has something for you this morning. This, as I said, is the verse
that got me to thinking about this whole chapter. In this verse, Paul narrows his
focus down to two clear areas. Number one, for as by one man's
disobedience many, and here's the phrase, were made sinners. He's narrating the focus down
now. He's spoken of judgment and condemnation, justification
of life, but now it says many were made sinners held by one
man's disobedience. Here's the other side of that
focus, that other area. So, and never forget just that
little so. So, by the obedience of one,
shall many, and then here's the phrase, be made righteous. My title is this, Made Sinners,
Made Righteous. An unassailable fact is here.
Neither of the maids, that's maid sinners or maid righteous,
neither of the maids depend on anything the represented do. You hear what I said? Either one of the maids, neither
one. Neither of the maids depends
on anything the represented do. For as by one man's disobedience
many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many
be made righteous. Both maids depend solely on what
the representatives did. And I said did. There is a difference in the
maids. Many were made righteous by one man's disobedience. By
one man's obedience, many shall be made righteous. But it's both,
both of it, both maids depend solely on what the representatives
did. Christ is not up in heaven obeying
now. that we might be made righteous.
He obeyed in his condescension when he was on this earth. Not
to say he is disobedient now, and I don't think anyone should
misunderstand that. But again, listen, an unassailable
fact. If you don't see this fact, you'll
not get anything else I preach today. Anybody who hears this
tape, if you don't get this, Neither of the maids depends
on anything the representative do, the represented do. Both maids depend solely on what
the two representatives did. That's the truth taught here.
It's the truth taught in the whole last part from 12 all the
way down through verse 21. But here he narrows, as I said,
the focus down. I want to try to draw three truths
from this this morning. There are more than this, but
I want to concentrate on the most vital things because they
are directly related to the words that are said. Here's number
one. Seeing that this is true, for
as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by
the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Here's the
first thing. How heinous then is disobedience? How heinous then is disobedience?
In other words, sin. That's what we're talking about
with all disobedience. Not a mistake. Not an accident. We're talking about this here.
This is sin. This is to offend. In other words,
it defies toward God. That's what Adam did in that
one act of disobedience. That's what is one sin. One sin. It wasn't a whole bunch of sins,
Mason. It was one sin by one man. Many were made sinners. You know
what, Adam's act, Eve's act was an act of deception. Adam's act
was an act of defiance. Adam knew full well what was
going on. That's what we mean when I say
how heinous is disobedience. Do you see God's holiness here? One singular offense One. And this is real. As I stated
last Sunday in our gleanings, this one man's one act of sin,
one act of offense, one act of disobedience, one act of defiance
was a real one act from a real man. One singular offense, according
to Paul, plunged the human race into death. Verse 12. One act! Not a whole bunch that kept adding
up and getting worse. One act! Wherefore, as by one
man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so that death
passed, past tense, death passed upon all men, for that all have
sinned. Just like when Abraham, wasn't
it Abraham that paid tithes to Melchizedek? Levi paid tithes
in him. Because he's in his loins We
were in Adam's loins when he did that one act of disobedience
Therefore for as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners
that was an act of God That was an act of what that was God carrying
out the judgment to condemnation that he had told Adam about The
prohibition was all the trees are there you can eat whatever
you want basically you need it freely he said yeah At your desire,
but there's one. You don't eat of that fruit. That was the prohibition. Then
he warned him what was going to happen when he did eat it.
For in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. That's how holy God is. That's
how heinous sin is. One act, Paul says, plunged the
whole human race into death. One act of disobedience placed
us all under judgment to condemnation. Verse 16. One act of disobedience, that
one act, it made us sinners. You see that? For as by one man's
disobedience, it doesn't say many became sinful. Many were made sinners. Truly, as the scripture says,
fools make a mark of sinners. Anytime you and I, even as believers,
We in any way try to lessen the heinous nature of sin is to make
a mock of God Almighty and His holiness. For as by one man's
disobedience many were what? Made sinners. That's how much
God hates sin. Somebody says, I don't like that. I don't care. That's your problem. Paul is not trying to philosophize
this thing. He's simply telling us how it
is. Here's the second thing. See
the effect of Adam's one disobedience. See it? Made sinners. Again, not made sinful. Listen to me. We sin because
we were made sinners. Not vice versa. We do not become
sinners by sinning. Now someone said that's just
words. It's exactly what it is. It's God's Word. We are not made
sinners because we sin. We sin because one man's act
of disobedience made us sinners. And sin is what sinners do. Our rebellion, our corruption,
our depravity, our unrighteousness, our degradation, our self-righteous. Even our human religion flows
from what we are, not vice versa. For as by one man's disobedience
many were made sinners. We conduct ourselves like we
conduct ourselves because when Adam sinned we were made sinners. So much so that one prophet,
let's put it this way, even our righteousnesses are as filthy
rags in God's sight. Anything I do in Adam flows from
what Adam did in that garden in that one act of disobedience.
And no matter how it looks to us or to others, it is filthy
rags in God's sight. To where one of the New Testament
writers put it this way, I think he was quoting Christ, that which
is highly esteemed among men is what? An abomination in God's
sight. That ain't a mistake. An abomination
ain't a mistake. It's an abomination. Do you see how heinous disobedience
is? Do you see the effect of Adam's
one act of disobedience? Do you see the holiness of God? You might see those other two
things. If you don't see the holiness of God, you've kind
of missed it all. Because you can look at everybody
else and find somebody that looks to be overtly a little worse
than you are, and you might feel pretty good about yourself. But
look at it. No. Look at God. And this is
what God did. For as by one man's disobedience
many were made sinners. Now that's the two things. It's
two of the three. Here's my summary to those two.
We did nothing. We did nothing to be made sinners. Did we? That innocent, put that
in quotes, that innocent little child back there David, much
as you love him, he's a sinner. He's a sinner! From, not the
cradle to the grave as some say, but from Adam to your death,
you was made a sinner. I didn't even say from your conception.
I said from Adam unto your death. In him, made sinners. For as by one man's disobedience,
many were made sinners. So. That one word, so. It means, it indicates that there
is similarity here. Right? He didn't say but. There's not
a but here. It's so. So, what did you do
to be made a sinner? Anything? Nothing. It didn't have to do with you.
It had to do with Adam. You see it? You and I were made
sinners before we ever even existed. And even when we began to exist
with material being in our mother's womb, David said, in sin did
my mother conceive me. And as Earl used to say, he wasn't
talking about his mother's and father's act of copulation. He's
talking about this fall right here that happened in Adam. That's
what he's talking about. Made sinners. We did nothing
to be made sinners, but oh, here's the glory, so. So, by the obedience
of one, shall many be made righteous. Now I'm gonna give you, here's
my five points. Here's the five things that I've been thinking
about for ever so long. God help me this morning. And
God help us all this morning to be given once anew and afresh
ears to hear. I'm not going to ask you to think
outside the box. I'm here to tell you right up
front I'm afraid too many of us have been thinking outside
the box for too long rather than looking at what God said in the
box. When we think of being made righteous,
what's one of the first things that pops into your head? Now
maybe not all of us, but I know for years, when I talk about
righteousness before God, what did I always think about? Imputed
righteousness by faith. Don't you? But it's far more
than that. By so, by the obedience of one. This is one man's one act of
obedience. And that obedience was the death
of the cross. That's the main thing right there. Shall many
be what? Made righteous. The only difference
in the two is one is aorist, that's a past tense. Made sinners. The next one is future, but they're
both passive, is shall be what? Made righteous. In both you're
absolutely passive. Why? Because the first made depended
on the first man. But the second made depends solely
and only on the second man. This is not imputed righteousness.
Almost every commentary you read, even sound commentaries, start
going back to chapter 4 now. No. Chapter 4 puts it this way. Look at it. It's all about Abraham.
Be not weak in faith, verse 19. But consider not his own body
now dead, when he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness
of Sarah's womb. He staggered not at the promise
of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory
to God, and being fully persuaded that what he had promised, he
was able to perform." That's the definition of faith. Right
there. Right? But look, and therefore,
what? Because of what Abraham did in
believing. Do you see it? That's right. Now granted, I know, believing
comes from God. But yet, as Earl used to say,
God don't believe for you. He enables you to believe. But
He don't believe for you. We actually believe. Men and
women actually believe. Therefore, it was imputed to
Him for righteousness. You see it? Now it was not written
for His sake alone that it was imputed to Him, but for us also,
to whom it shall be imputed. What? Him. we believe. That's not what he's talking
about in chapter 5 verse 19. See what I'm saying? Do you get just a little insight?
Has God shown you anything yet in these past couple minutes?
It's not the same thing. Christ has made unto us wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification, redemption. That's neither one
of these two. That's what God causes us to see by faith concerning
who Christ is. He is made unto us. Wisdom. I see Him as that now. Wisdom.
Righteousness. Sanctification and redemption.
But this says, so by the obedience of one shall many be what? Made
righteous. Just like we were made sinners
through Adam's one act of disobedience, many shall be made righteous
through his one act of obedience. Do you see it? to be made righteous. Listen to me. This is what you
will not hear or read, I should say, in too many commentaries. Sadly, you may not hear it in
many messages. I don't know. I can't vouch for that. I've
only heard what I've heard. That's just a very, very small,
limited portion of all the countless millions of messages God sent
men to preach. So don't say, Walter, judging
everybody else. You'd be wrong. But listen to
me. To be made righteous must precede
the imputed righteousness of faith. Can I prove that from Scripture?
Yeah. What does Jeremiah say? You don't
have to turn to it, but Jeremiah 17 verse 9. The heart is deceitful
above all things and desperately wicked And you and I don't even
really get the depth of that. He says, who can know it? We
know it to a degree, but we don't know it like it really is. We
don't know it like it really is. We don't really see the heinous
nature of it like God does. We see something of it, thank
God for that. The heart is deceitful, right? And desperately wicked. Who can know it? Now I read these
verses. Here's what I read, these are
the words of our Lord. He was talking about a sower
going forth to sow, and that sower is sowing nothing but good
seed. And he says this, and other,
talking about seed, and other fell on good ground. What? Well, yeah, hold on. "...and
sprang up," that's the seed, other seeds, some of it fell
on three different kinds of ground. Then he gets to this one, "...and
other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bear fruit, and
hundredfold. And when he had said these things,
he cried..." Can you hear him? Can you hear him? "...he that
hath ears to hear, let him hear." In other words, pay attention,
especially to this last one. You don't even need me to explain
it for you. He gives the explanation. Look, verse 15 of Luke 8. I didn't tell you where I was
at, did I? Anyway, verse 15. But that on good ground are they
which in an... What? In an honest and good heart. Heart? Huh? Where'd that come from? Since
the heart Is what? Deceitful! Desperately wicked
above all things! And who could even know it? Now
if Christ called it a good and honest heart, bless God, what
is it? It's a good and honest heart. What's a good and honest
heart? It's a righteous one. Ain't it a righteous one? Honesty
is righteousness. Goodness is righteousness. They're
the same thing. Do you hear it? Now where'd that
come from? Where'd that come from? The seed?
No, it didn't come from the seed. The seed has to meet good ground. The good ground comes from, so
as by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. And when He makes it good ground,
good ground it is. And that didn't even talk about
election. Even your election didn't make you good. It didn't
make me good. We were born in Adam just like
everybody else. I said to be made righteous must
precede the imputed righteousness of faith. This book teaches it. Isn't that the truth? That's the truth. See, when I
first seen this, I thought, God, I've got to preach this to them.
And then God said, no, just hold on. Lay the foundation first. Folks, this rejoices my soul.
Because Proverbs 20 and verse 9, Solomon said, who can say
I've made my own heart clean? You can't. Now some people have
a good and honest heart. Right? Christ said some would.
They do. Where did it come from? The only
answer this book teaches, it comes from God. It comes from
God. It comes from the obedience of
Christ. There's hope for one who's been
made a sinner. I didn't have anything to do
with that, and let me tell you, you ain't got nothing to do with the second
one. Nothing whatsoever to do with the second one. But let
me tell you, when God gives you a good and honest heart, it is
for the reason of the good seed finding a place to lodge. He
don't just give you a good and honest heart. You die and you
go to heaven one day. No, you're given a good and honest
heart so when the good seed is sown, and it will be sown, that
the two meet together and it brings forth what? Fruit unto
God. And that's why Paul says, moreover
the law entered that the offense might abound. The law shows us
how bad it really is. Not only what Adam did, but look
at what the effects of it. Look at what we are. But look,
but where sin abounded, grace did what? Much more. Therefore
you find imputed righteousness? You find imparted righteousness?
Huh? But before any of them, you gotta
be what? Made. Made righteous. Number three, the believer has
this righteous principle within himself or herself. not by an
act of them. Now listen to it. Ephesians chapter
four and verse 17, this I say therefore, and testify in the
Lord that you henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk in
the vanity of their minds. having the understanding darkened,
being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance
that is in them because of the blindness of their what? Their
heart. The heart's the main problem.
That's the main thing. The heart's got to be fixed first.
How's that done? It's made righteous by the obedience
of one. Look, who being past feeling
have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all in
cleanness with greediness, but ye have not so learned Christ.
If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him,
as the truth is in Jesus, that ye put off concerning the former
conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to deceitful
lust, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and look, and that
ye put on the new man, which after God is created in what? Righteousness and true holiness. I said that the believer then
has this righteous principle within them. And it's not to
talk about putting on, it's talking about clothing. Put on, put off
the old man, put on the new. But it's not talking about reaching
up on a nail and getting it from up here, it's talking about from
here. The old man's where? In here. Put that off. The new
man's where? In here. Put that on. You see
it? But here's the point I'm getting
at. What is this new man? We don't know a whole lot about
it other than what the book says. It is what? Which is after God
created in righteousness and what? True holiness. Not even
just a pronounced holiness. It's a real thing created by
God that's righteous and holy. It's a creation of God Himself. There's to be made righteous.
Isn't it? Now not only, turn to 1 John
now. Not only that, this righteous
principle is real. It's not theoretic. It's real. It's not just okay we say it's
kind of in there, or maybe ethereal. You can't really lay your hands
on it. It kind of slips through your fingers. You can't really
ever describe it. Be careful now. Be careful. Turn
with me to 1 John chapter 3. I said this righteous principle
is real, not theoretic. Look at verse 7 of 1 John 3.
Little children. Let no man deceive you. He that
doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. Now,
folks, let us not try to ease it because we know we're so bad
as sinners even yet. Let us not try to ease on this. That's why
we try to let it slip through our fingers, don't we? Yeah,
it's there. It's true. But it's more theoretic. It's
more ethereal. It's not something you can lay
your hands on. Be careful. Don't let nobody
deceive you. He that commit a sin, that's
talking about being in a constant way of life. That's what it's
talking about. He that commit a sin is of the devil. For the
devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God
was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Whosoever is born of God. Now we see, just going back to
that principle of God. Remember, birth must precede
even belief, even reception. They believed on his name, they
received him. Even as many as believed on his
name, which were born. That's this righteous principle.
This new man, the scripture calls. We call it the new nature. It
never really calls it that. It calls it the new man. You
know why? Because it's not just... It's real, I'm saying. It's not
theoretic. It's not something separate from
us. It becomes a part of us. Or better, we become a part of
it. We become a part of it. Because
we're whosoever. Not a thing. You see, the new
nature is not born of God. Just put in me there, Joe. I'm
born of God. Do you see it? Whosoever is born
of God doth not commit sin. Is that not what it says? Yeah.
For his seed remaineth in him, and he cannot sin. For he, because,
there's that word Joe, probably the same one, I haven't checked
it, but because he's what? Born of God. Now, but look, in
this the children of God are manifest, and the children of
the devil. Whosoever doeth not righteousness
is not of God, and then he gives us something to really lay, in
other words, so it don't slip through your fingers. You know
what I'm saying? So you don't think of it as just theoretical.
So you don't think of it as something just ethereal, look. Neither
he that loveth not his brother. For this is the message that
you've heard from the beginning, that you should what? Love one
another. Now how is the only way you can
do that? In the new man. By the grace of God, having been
made righteous in Christ Jesus. You have to have a good and honest
heart to be able to love one another. Don't we? You're not
love worthy and I'm not love worthy. Are we? Because we still have both. Yeah,
we're born of God. And in that nature, or better,
that man, we cannot sin. But in the other one, that's
all we do. That's all we do. But in the
other one, we don't do it at all. We don't sin at all. Somebody
says, I don't get that. It's because you never experienced
it. Now, be careful. Don't try to
meld the two. Our problem is sometimes we don't
know which one's which. We lay credit to one when it's
really the other. We lay credit to the other when it's really
the one over here. There's our problem. But it's still real
and tangible. We love one another. We really
love one another. We'll put up with one another when we won't
put up with anybody else. Why? Because this righteous principle
is in both of us. And there's a fellowship and
a union there. Now listen, for this is the message
that you've heard from the beginning, that you love one another. Then
it gives us an opposite, shows us how it's not. Not as Cain,
who was of the wicked one, and slew his brother. And why did
he slay him? And wherefore did he slay him?
Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. See it? See it? Huh? Marvel not, my brethren, if the
world hates you. We love one another, but the
world's going to hate us. And now you go on, we know we've
passed from death into what? Life. Because why? We love the
brethren. Mason, that's righteousness. That's real. That's tangible.
Now somebody says, I don't love like I ought to. You do in the
new man. The problem is you often give credit to the old man of
what you should be doing in the new man. In the old man you ain't
never gonna love like you ought to. At best you may be able to
work up a little natural affection, but this ain't natural affection
from the new man. It's the love that comes, it's
the fruit of the Spirit. It is God that worketh in us,
what? Both to will and to do, what? Of His good Pleasure. When we love one another by the
new man, through the Spirit, it's perfect. Even though you
may see the old man right there with it, coming up with all this
garbage. See the difference here? Here's what I'm saying. Not everything
we do is tainted by sin, but everything we do is accompanied
by sin. I want to change that. Not everything we do is tainted
by sin, because when God's working in me both to will and to do
His good pleasure, there's no sin in it. But everything we
do is accompanied by sin. That's why we're told, that old
man, put him off. Right, put him off. Be in constant
warfare against him. Be constantly taking your arms
out of the sleeves and letting it drop as best you can. Let
you drop as best you can. So remember, this is not imputed
righteousness. to be made righteous must precede
the imputed righteousness of faith. The believer has this
righteous principle within, and this righteous principle is real. It's not merely theoretic. But
remember Ephesians 4 and verse 22, as I've tried to constantly
remind you, but you've not so learned Christ. if so be that
you've heard him and been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus.
And the first thing to do is what? Put off the old man. That
you put off concerning the former conversation, the old man, which
is corrupt according to deceitful lust. Why? Because that's the
closest thing to us. We were made sinners before we
were ever made righteous. And we're more accustomed to
the made sinners than we are made righteous. We're prone to
even tried, as I said, to give credit to the old man when it's
really God Almighty working by the Spirit through the vehicle
of the new man. So again, I say this righteous
principle is real, not theoretic. Now, one more thing. Turn to
2 Peter. 2 Peter chapter 2. Listen to this. Here's the fifth thing. This
righteousness is within our immaterial being. You're not going to see
it in your physical flesh. What you love, you're not going
to see it with just, you know, physical things. And let me show
you why. Look at 2 Peter chapter 2. And I'll try to move through
to the main point. Look, 2 Peter 2. But there were
false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be
false teachers among you, who privately, privily, shall bring
in what? Damdible heresy. Heresy ain't just a little mistake.
redamnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them and
bring upon themselves swift destruction. And here is a sad thing. And
many shall follow their pernicious ways. People don't talk about
sin like that anymore, do they? But by reason of whom the way
of truth shall be evil spoken of. Listen, you can talk about
things all day long when it comes to the things of this world and
the things of Adam. compassionate, forgiving, and
understanding. But you mention the truth of
the personal work of Jesus Christ, and next thing you know, all
hell breaks loose. My wife just experienced that
today. By reason of whom the way of
truth shall be evil spoken of, and through covetousness shall
they with feigned words make merchandise of you, whose judgment
now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth
not. In other words, they're not in
charge. This is God's business, okay? They have their end, and
God's working Mason, all of it, right to their end. Now look,
four, here's why, look, four, if God spared not the angels
that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into
chains of darkness to be reserved in the judgment, and spared not
the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher
of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the
ungodly, and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes,
condemning them with an overthrow, making them an example unto those
that should After, that after should live ungodly. Let me stop
for a moment. In my mind, I think, well, if
God just do that today, you know what, we'd have, we'd revert,
it wouldn't be but just a matter of a very short period of time,
we'd revert right back to our ungodly ways again. If God just
wiped out the whole U.S. today, you know what, it wouldn't
be long, the whole world, for a while they'd stand in amazement.
Whoa, what happened here? Whoa! But within a few days,
I figure, you know what, we'd resort right back. Why? Because that's what we've always
done. The flood, those fires, right? But look, and delivered
just lot. That don't mean only lot, that
means justified lot. Now look, vexed with the filthy
conversation of the wicked. And I love the way the Spirit
of God moved because He puts that out in your mind, out to
your mind first. My first thought is, well that
means He was dabbling around with them. No, huh? No, look. For that, what's that next word? For that righteous man. Dwelling
among them in seeing and hearing vexed his righteous soul. Huh? What? Made righteous. Do you see it? I got a righteous
soul if I'm a just man. And let me tell you, if you are,
the filthy conversation of the wicked all around you, it'll
vex your righteous soul. If it don't, then you ain't a
just and righteous man. You ain't got a righteous soul. For that righteous man dwelling
among them, and seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from
day to day with their unlawful deeds. But then look at it. Then
he's actually content. That was in parentheses. Just
so you don't get the wrong idea about and delivered just Lot
vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked. Lot had his problems.
We all do. Right? But he defines this for
us. But then look, the Lord knoweth
how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve
the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished. But there's a
chief group I'm talking about here, and he goes on. You see
it? There's specifically a group of men I'm talking about here.
Do you see it? Look at it. For as by one man's
disobedience many were what? Were made sinners. That's all
one word. Were made sinners. So by the
obedience of one shall many be made righteous. What's my conclusion? Made sin, we did nothing to cause
this. Made righteous, we can do nothing
to gain that. that has to happen by sovereign
act of God. And it will for everyone he chose
in Christ before the foundation of the world. My conclusion is
this. If Christ represents, he will
in his good pleasure make righteous. Won't he? Whereas by one man's
disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall
what? Many shall, shall many be made righteous. Here's my
last thing, is that my testimony? I'm not asking, I'm asking you
to ask yourself, I'm asking God, oh God show me, oh God show you,
is that my testimony? Is this the way God's made me?
Have I been made righteous? Or am I only made sinner? You
see? You see, Father? Comfort us,
Lord, with your truth. Not my words, Lord, but your
truth. Encourage us, warn us, guide us, lead us, and direct
us in Christ's name. Amen.