I'll read from the 8th chapter
of the Book of Romans, a few verses. Beginning at verse 27 of the
8th chapter. And he that searches the heart
knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit. because he maketh intercession
for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are called
according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn
among many brethren. Moreover, he did predestinate them he also
called. And whom he called, them he also
justified. And whom he justified, them he
also glorified. What shall we do? What shall we then say to these
things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spareth not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also
freely give us all things. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Who is He that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea,
rather, that is risen again. Who is even at the right hand
of God, who also maketh intercession for us? Who shall separate us from the
love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress,
or persecution, or famine or nakedness, or peril, or sword. As it is written, for thy sake
we are killed all the day long, and we are accounted as sheep
for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are
more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded
that neither death, nor life, nor angels, or principalities,
or powers, or things present, or things to nor height, nor depth, nor any
other creature shall be able to separate us from the love
of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Turn back a few pages, if you
would, to Romans chapter 5. Today I would like to deal with
verses 12 to 21. The grand subject theme, as you
would, that is set forth in this passage of Scripture today is
found in two things. Number one, that all men, without
exception, were accounted, made, charged,
declared sinners because of Adam's transgression. All men, without
exception, are sinners. And secondly, that all the elect
of God, the chosen in Christ that Brother
Scott was just reading about, are justified, that is, declared
blameless. innocent, no guile, holy, justified
before God by the imputed righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, declared
righteous while they themselves, Kevin,
are ungodly. Who justifieth the ungodly I'm
a sinner. I'm a sinner born in Adam by
the effects of his fall, a sinner, and God declares everlastingly
justified in Christ. Now, that's what this passage
sets forth. By one man, the Scripture says. All were made sinners. Paul said
concerning himself, he said, I'm the chief of sinners. I'm
a sinner. I'm a sinner. By one man, all
were made sinners, and by one man, many are made righteous. Alright, let's look at verse
12 here. Romans chapter 5 and verse 12. As by one man, sin entered into
the world, and death by sin. And so death passed upon all
men, for that all have sinned." Now, sin, that which is described
as the body of sin, It is spoken of as having a personality. Sin was in existence before Adam
fell. Sin was in existence before Adam
fell, when Satan rebelled against God, before man was actually
created. Satan and a third of the angels
in heaven rebelled against God. Sin was in existence before man
fell. But the Scripture says, by one
man, sin entered into the world, into the arrangement, into the
order of man. You remember the Scripture, John
3.16, ìFor God so loved the world.î It doesnít mean all Men without exception. That's
not what it means. It means the order of. For God
so loved the order, the arrangement of man. I've explained that before. There's an order called the order
of man. An order of four-footed beasts.
An order of fish. An order of birds. There's different
orders. God so loved the order of man that He was not going
to let the order of man perish. God so loved the world. He loved
the order of man. In order that Almighty God would
not destroy the order of man, the Word was made flesh. It came
and God preserved and redeemed out of every nation, kindred,
tribe, and tongue a people out of that order. Not all of them. That's what this word, world,
means. Whereby as by one man sin entered
into the world, into the order, into the arrangement of man. Before Adam's transgression,
the arrangement, the world, was not affected by sin. It was not until Adam's rebellion
against God that God Almighty told Adam in Genesis 3.17, Because
you have hearkened unto the voice of your wife, cursed is the earth
for your sake. Now, one man's sin. After the
fall, God cursed the ground, that is, the soil, the substances
that would come out of it, everything that came out of it. It doesn't
matter how you look at it, gold, silver, steel, stuff that comes
out, stuff that was built, whatever came out of it was cursed. Not going to endure. By Adam's transgression, the
Scripture says, sin entered, came into existence in men on
this earth. By one man, sin entered. The corruption and the depravity
of our nature started right there by one man's disobedience, one
man's sin. And the Scripture says, "...and
death by sin." After Adam rebelled against God, man became subject
to death. Now, that is physical and spiritual. The difference between physical
death and spiritual death is this. Physical death is the separation
of the soul. There's a me in there that causes
this body to move. There's a soul. The soul, this
sinneth, shall die. The being itself. Physical death
is the separation of the soul and the body. Spiritual death
is this. It's the conscious existence
that is separated from God. Men are walking around. They're
walking around. And they're physically alive. And they get up and they go to
work and they have a cup of coffee. They're just human beings. But
spiritual death means that there is physical life, but it is a
physical life that is separated from God. Separated from fellowship
with God. Separated with love toward God. before Almighty God called you
that believe out of darkness. You are alive physically, but
separated from the knowledge of Him and who He is as He set
forth in these Scriptures. So Paul says, "...by one man
centered into the world, and death by sin. And so death passed
upon all men, for that all have sinned." Death reached to all
men, all of them. For that all have sinned actually
is in whom, speaking of Adam. That's the way it's written.
In whom all have sinned. So when Adam sinned, all men
are said to have sinned in him. When Adam sinned, everybody that
would ever be born out of the lineage of Adam, Adam's blood
would flow in their veins. All of them sinned in Adam. Every
one of them. When Adam rebelled, they all
rebelled. You say, well, I don't see how in the world you can
blame me for something that Adam did. I don't want to have anything
to do with his fall. That was Adam's fall. Well, on
the other hand, let me ask you this. Do you want to have anything
to do with the righteousness of Christ? That wasn't yours
either, personally. You see what I'm saying? But
suffice it to say, In Adam, all men sinned. Sin, death by sin,
death passed on all men for that all are in whom all have sinned. The Lord Jesus Christ, talk about
this substitutionary, federal head. In Him, for God's people,
when He died at Calvary, we died. I don't see how that can be.
God said it was so. If God chose a man in Christ,
and always considered him Christ, when Christ obeyed the law, Almighty
God saw that man in Christ, obedient. When Christ died under the judgment
of Almighty God, Paul the Apostle, under the inspiration of the
Spirit of God, said what? I'm crucified with Christ. I
was crucified with Him. Died with Him. If therefore I
have died with him, died in him, and he is my federal head, paid
my debt. He's paid. He's paid. Now that's good news. Good news. Now, verses 13 and 14. For until
the law, sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed. where
there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from
Adam to Moses even over them that had not sinned after the
similitude of Adam's transgression, who was the figure of him that
was to come." Now, these next few verses, if you'll notice,
it's a parenthesis. They're the beginning of an explanation
that is given to prove the declaration that death passed on all men,
that all men in Adam sinned because of the offense of one. Paul said
in that parenthesis, he says, now, for until the law, or before
the law of Moses was given, until the law, sin was in the world. That is to say, men were sinners
and were regarded and treated As sinners, let me ask you this. Did Cain kill Abel before the
law of Moses was given? The answer is yes. Yes. Before
the law of Moses was ever given. Cain, in the book of Genesis,
killed his brother before the book of Exodus revealed that
God gave Moses the law on Mount Sinai. Cain rebelled against Almighty
God, killed his brother, sinner. God marked him, told him what
he had done. He was a sinner. Sin was in the
world. For until the law, sin was in
the world. But the Scripture says in that
latter part of verse 13, but sin is not imputed where there
is no law. If there is no law, then there
is no sin. If I come to an intersection
and there is no stop sign, and I drive right through it, did
I break a law? No. Why? There was no stop sign
there. A police officer stopped me and
said, you ran through that intersection. I said, there was nothing to
tell me to stop. No sign there, no yield, no nothing. Where there
is no law, there must needs be no sin, but the Scripture says,
There was sin, for until the law, sin was in the world. Sin
was in the world before the law of Moses, and there was death. Nevertheless, that's what verse
14 says, nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even
over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's
transgression. What does that mean? Children, infants, babies, stillborn,
died in infancy. They died, but they did not rebel
against God, even over them that had not sinned after the manner,
the similitude, in the same similar way. How did Adam sin? With his
eyes wide open. He knew just exactly what he
was doing. God told him, He said, in the day you eat of this fruit,
you are going to die. And when Adam took of that fruit, he knew
just exactly. He took of that fruit with this
knowledge. I'm getting ready to openly rebel
against God. That's what I'm going to do.
Death reigned from Adam to Moses before the law was ever given,
even over them that didn't sin like Adam sinned. Open rebellion. Who is the figure of him that
was to come? Paul here states that Adam was
a type. A type, that's what he's saying,
who was the figure of him that was to come. How was Adam a type? Well, two ways really. Number
one, Adam was a representative figure of all that would be born
in him. He was a federal representative. And Adam all died. Adam sinned,
all men sinned. And Christ, of whom Adam was
a figure of Him that was to come, was also a representative, a
federal head of all that the Father had given Him before the
foundation of the world in that everlasting covenant. So Adam
was a figure of Christ as being a representative. That's the
first way he was a figure. But the second way he was a figure
was that Adam was a type of Christ as far as the Lord Jesus Christ
being made sin whenever Eve took of that fruit. Eve being a type
of the church, of the bride. Adam's wife was named Eve. Christ has a bride. I like what
Brother Scott said. Somebody came to him and said
right there, the Lord Jesus Christ was never married. Brother Scott
told him, he said, I beg to differ. Read the book of Solomon. He
talks about his bride. Yeah, he's married. Yeah, he's
espoused. Espoused to her. Everlastingly
espoused to her. Betrothed to her in an everlasting
covenant. He's always been the bridegroom. When did he start being something? He never started being anything. He's always been just exactly
what he is right now. A husband. If it's always been
a husband, it's always been a bride. If it's always been a bride,
he's always loved her. He always has. Adam was a type of Christ
in the sense that, here's Eve, she took of that fruit. She was
beguiled. That's what Scripture says, fooled. She was fooled. Adam, who would not let her die,
died. She ate, deceived, deceived but
just as guilty. Adam took of the fruit and made
it his own by eating it. Adam took knowingly, openly,
took. of that fruit and ate it, that
his wife would not die. The Lord Jesus Christ openly,
willingly, surely made the sin of his bride his own, that she
would not perish. Adam, rather than allowing his
wife to die in rebellion before Almighty God, took her guilt
and associated himself with her. in that guilt. Adam did that. Adam was a figure, Paul says,
of him that was to come. Verse 15 says, But not as the
offense, so also is the free gift. For if through the offense
of one many be dead, much more the grace of God in the gift
by grace which is, by one man, Jesus Christ hath abounded unto
many." Now Paul, at the next few verses, when you just read
them, when you first read them, now this is the way it was to
me, when you first read them, you'll read that and you'll think,
what did I just read? I mean, how is that? Paul had
just said in verse 14 that Christ, the Lord Jesus, I mean, that
Adam was a figure of Him that was to come. That's absolutely
right. But here, Paul qualifies the
statement by saying this, but the free gift is not also like
the deviation. Adam, as a head, sinned against
God. We all sinned in Him. Christ
obeyed and we all all of his elect obeyed in him. So there
are some similarities there. They were both federal head.
But Adam saying this, I mean, Paul was saying, but not as the
offense, so also as the free gift. There is a great difference
in the two is what he is saying in that 15th verse. They are
similar in the sense that they were representative men. But
there is a great difference in the two. Adam's evil brought
death and shame and separation from God. That's what happened
when men fell in Adam, were made sinners. But here's the great
difference in the two. The blessing of Almighty God
in the obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ toward God abounded
to the redemption and the reconciliation and the justification of all
that the Father had given Christ before the foundation of the
world. Great, similar in that they were representative figures,
but great difference in what both of them accomplished in
their acts. If through the offense of one
many be dead, or that is, many died spiritually, much more the
grace of God and the gift by grace which is by one man Jesus
Christ hath abounded unto many." That is to say, by the grace
of God Almighty, Christ's obedience to the law and His substitutionary
death for His sheep did two things. That's what he's saying. Not
as the offense, so also is the free gift. What he said in that
first part is there's a big difference. That's what I just told you a
minute ago. If through the offense of one
many be made dead, much more the grace of God and the gift
by grace which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto
many." This is what Paul said. It was a big difference. One
all died, and sinners, here, many were made righteous. What
did the one, the Lord Jesus Christ, what was that great abounding
grace? Well, putting away their guilt
at Calvary. by the shedding of His own blood,
Him being made sin, and by, secondly, establishing a righteousness
by His life, by Him, in Him. We have obeyed God, and God has
put away our debt. That is what is accomplished.
That is what He has done. That is the great difference.
By one man's offense, many were made sinners. But these similarities
are real different. Paul is saying, here is what
the Lord Jesus has done. Let's look at verse 16. And not
as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift. For the judgment
was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offenses
unto justification. Not as it was by one that sinned,
so is the gift. What did Paul just say? Paul
is continuing in this next verse that we're just reading with
the difference between the effects of Adam's sin and the righteousness
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Adam was a figure of Him that
was to come. But Paul says, let me qualify
what I'm saying here. He was a figure. He was a type.
There's no doubt about it. But let me tell you the big differences,
is what he is saying. For the judgment was by one to
condemnation, but the free gift is of many offenses unto justification. Here is what he is saying. For
the judgment, the sentence of God upon all sin was because
or on account of one sin that was committed. The judgment was
demanded because of one sin. One sin. One sin. Judgment. Judgment. Now, either
the judgment of God is going to be spewed out on account of
where it all started. Either it's going to be spewed
out on men without a substitute in the day of judgment, or it
was spewed out and cast upon the Lord Jesus Christ and His
substitutionary death. But the judgment of God is going
to deal with sin. One sin. One act of disobedience. Not as it was by one that sinned,
so is the gift. For the judgment was by one,
that is, by one sin to condemnation, but the free gift is of many
offenses unto justification." What does that mean? The free
gift, the pardoning grace of Almighty God is for many offenses
unto justification. In Adam's one sin of rebellion,
I was made a sinner. But from that, I did a pretty
wicked job with it myself. From that, many offenses have
come forth. Because of what I am by nature,
I can do nothing good in myself. How many times have I offended
Him? How many times have I not offended
Him? How many times have I not rebelled
against God? Without Him, I can do nothing.
I can sit here The plowing of the field, the Scripture says. Plowing of the field is sin. Why? It's not done in absolute
perfect love and obedience before Almighty God with a perfect heart,
perfect mind, perfect soul. Going out here and working hard. Hard-working man. I tell you,
he's just a hard-working man. He's a sinner. I provide for my family. That's
good. You need to. Scripture says,
man don't work, don't eat. You say, what does that mean?
Man don't work, don't eat. Lazy. Men are sinners because of one
offense in Adam. But the free gift is of many
offenses unto justification. By one man's sin, death reigns. Death passed upon all men, but
the mercy of God through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ
covers all the offenses of His people for their justification.
That's what it means. That's what it means. Verse 17,
For if by one man's offense death reigned by one, much more, they
which received abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness
shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. For if, let me just give
you understanding version of this. For if by one man's one
offense death reigns upon all mankind, much more, or surely
it is to be understood, that those who receive the abundance
of grace and the gift of righteousness, that is, by which men are justified,
the righteousness of God, shall reign in eternal life by one,
Jesus Christ. That's what it means. All right,
verse 18, Therefore, as by the offense of one judgment came
upon all men to condemnation, even so by the righteousness
of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of
life. Now, the parenthesis is over. Verse 12, Paul the apostle made
a statement. 14, 15, and 16, he explained what he
had just said in the 12th verse. Now, in this next verse in 17,
I'm sorry, verse 18, Paul now is going to sum up in these next
few verses the truth that he's been setting forth in the past
few verses. He speaks first of the one offense. one offense, and judgment and
condemnation coming to all men because of that offense. Now,
listen to the wording of the Apostle Paul. Therefore, as by
the offense of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation. All right? Hold that thought
just one minute, and let's look now of another side of this same
statement. He now speaks, secondly, of one
righteousness and the justification that comes upon all men unto
life. He says in the latter part of
the 18th verse, even so, by the righteousness of one, the free
gift came upon all men unto justification of life. Now, by one Act of disobedience,
all were made sinners. Death passed on all men. All
men. Death reigned. Physical, spiritual. I've said when God's elect are
born in this world, when they come forth, they come forth just
like everybody else. Liars, cheats, scoundrels, Jacob's
supplanters. One act. one act of disobedience. Now, Paul is saying here, even
so, by the righteousness of one. If you've got a marginal in your
Bible where it says, even so, by the righteousness of one,
that actually means by one righteousness. By one righteousness. By one
act of disobedience and by one righteousness. Paul is talking
about two things, that one thing was done by each, is what he
is saying. I hope I am explaining that to
where you can understand what I am saying. Now, the word all
is used two times in this verse. And here is the situation. The
word all, verse 18, therefore as by the offense of one. By
one offense. Judgment came upon all men to
condemnation. Even so, by the righteousness
of one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of
life." Those two words right there all are the same thing,
same word, same word. Now, we know, we know according
to the Scriptures, and I won't take time so I can finish this
passage of Scripture. But you know this, if that word,
all, in the latter part means what is consistent with
Scripture, how many of those chosen in Christ are going to
be justified before God? How many of them? All of them. All of them. All of them. chosen
in Christ, redeemed by His blood. How many of them? All of them.
Out of every tribe and kindred, tongue, all of them. All in Christ. So then, what
does the first word, all, mean? Therefore, by the offense of
one judgment came upon all men to condemnation. If the latter
part means, and you know it does, it means that all in Christ are
going to be justified. God's justified them. All in
the Lord Jesus Christ. That means, the first one means,
all of them that are in Adam without a substitute. If you're
going to look at one and say, this is what it means, and the
words are the same, then the first one's got to mean the same
thing. Two men are representatives. Two men. All that are found and
considered to be only in Adam as their federal head are under
the condemnation of God. That's the word, damnatory sentence,
that I told you. Now, Romans 8.1 says, There is
therefore now no condemnation to them that be in Christ Jesus.
There is none. I like what Brother Scott said,
When is now? Now. When was it? Before the foundation of the
world. Now. When will it be? In a billion
years from now. Now. There is now. There is now. The eternal God
who is the I Am. Never referred to Himself as
I was or I'm going to be. Now. Right now. There's no condemnation
to them that be in Christ Jesus. This scripture is setting forth
that all that were found in Adam only, considered in Adam only,
in Adam's rebellion, I fell. Ain't no doubt about that. And
under the judgment of Almighty God, I deserve just exactly what
every man that rebels against Almighty God will receive. The difference is, I was chosen
in Him, and He took my guilt, and He paid what was absolutely
not going to be swept under the rug by one great act of disobedience. All that are found in Adam are
going to be under, and are now, under the judgment of Almighty
God, but by one righteousness. by the righteousness of one,
or by one righteousness. You say, well, didn't He come
into this world in everything He did every day? I mean, all
the acts of obedience? What do you mean when you say,
by one sin, by one act, Adam took of the fruit and ate? One
act! Even so, by the righteousness
of one righteousness. What was it? Hebrews 10 and 12
says, But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for
sins, sat down on the right hand of God. Here is the one righteousness. He paid our debt. Adam plunged
us into sin and death. It rained upon mankind. And by
one act of righteousness, All that he ever did was perfect,
holy. But he by one act of obedience,
by one act of the substitutionary death, he hath perfected forever
them that are set apart, sanctified by one offense. Judgment and
the damnatory sentence of eternal wrath came on all men found without
Christ. That's what it means. Because
the latter part means that all that are in Him are alive. All that are apart from Him.
You know the scripture that says in 1 Corinthians 15, 22, for
as in Adam, representatively, all die. Even so, in Christ shall all
be made alive." There are two men being spoken of. All in Adam
or all in Christ. Oh, I feel the effects. The effects
of Adam's sin. And so do you. But as far as
Adam being my representative head, no sir. That Scripture,
1 Corinthians 15, 22, qualifies that there are two representatives.
And if you are in one, you are not in the other. I can tell
you that. and Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made
alive. One act of righteousness. Verse
19, For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by
the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. By one man's
disobedience many were made guilty, even though there may never be
An open act of rebellion committed by him. An infant comes forth,
stillborn. A little child, just a few weeks
old, a month old. By one man's disobedience, many
were made sinners. An infant that dies in infancy. Was that infant a sinner? Yes. Yes. By one man's disobedience,
many were made sinners. If there was no sin there, the
child would have never died. You know my thoughts, though.
Those that die in that infancy, if I had nothing else but the
one Scripture, when David said, the child can't come back to
me, but I can go where he is. Settle it. By one man's disobedience, many
were made sinners, all men. Born trespassers and sins are
just as guilty before they openly and actively rebel against God. They are just as much a sinner
before. Whenever a child starts lying,
first time your child ever told a lie, is that when they became
guilty? Is that when they became sinners?
No, they lied because they are liars. They sinned because they
are sinners. So by the obedience of one shall
many be made righteous." Actually justified before God even though
the presence of our fallen nature is there. Justified. You say, I just don't look at
myself and just see how I can be considered perfect, pure,
holy, not condemned, justified, No guilt. No guile. How can that
be? God Almighty said that in Christ,
that's the way it is. And by faith, we believe that.
Faith is the evidence of things that are not seen. I don't see
that. What Paul said, I see in me no
good thing. That's what I see. But by faith,
we believe Almighty God. Moreover, verse 20, the law entered
that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace
did much more abound. The law was given in addition. Now this law that's being spoken
of right here, no doubt, is the written law of God. The law that
was given to Moses at Sinai. The law of Moses entered. It was given in addition. That's
what the word entered means. In addition. It entered that
the offense might abound. It was given. It entered in addition
to the law of nature that was written on the conscience of
men. I used Cain a while ago as an
example. Do you think that when Cain killed
Abel, do you think he knew that he had rebelled against God?
The Lord asked him, Where is your brother? Am I my brother's keeper? I don't
know. Do you think he knew that he
had rebelled against God? Sure he did. What did he have? He had the law of nature. The
law of the conscience. He knew, he knew, he knew. There
was a law. Before the law of Moses, death
reigned. That's what it said from Adam
to Moses. A law was broken. That law of nature. Before the
law of Moses, given at Sinai, testified. in the time of Noah. What did God say? That the wickedness
of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of
the thought of his heart was only evil continually. Were there
sinners in the time of Noah? Yes. Was that before the Law
of Moses? Yes. But to hear that the entrance
of the Law of Moses, why was it given? Moreover, the law entered
that the offense might abound, that it might be shown to overflow
abundantly. Almighty God had given man a
law written in nature, in his heart, in his being. He knew
he had a conscience. He gave a law, ten commandments. Why were they given? This is
why the law was given. Moreover, the law entered so
that the offense might be shown to abound. Oh, but where sin
abounded, grace did much more abound. Where sin abounded to
bring man into that state of separation and spiritual death. Here I was born in Adam. I had
broken the law of God. I knew it in my heart. I could
look at His Word and tell you I did it. I'm wrong. Don't covet. Don't steal. Don't, don't, don't,
don't. It abounded. Oh, but where sin
did abound, grace did much more abound. The grace and the power
of Almighty God much more abounded to the redemption, salvation
of all that God had purposed to save. Verse 21, that as sin hath reigned
unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto
eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. The design of Almighty
God. Now, here's an amazing thought
in closing. I know this. God is not the author of sin.
Now, you know that. God said that through His Word,
by His Spirit. God is not the author of sin.
But the design of Almighty God in permitting sin to reign unto
death. You say, what do you mean it
permitted it to reign unto death? When Adam rebelled against God,
that God didn't kill him. That God didn't kill me. You
see, that is, sin hath reigned unto
death. that Almighty God in His perseverance, His long-suffering
to us-ward. God's not slack, as men count
slackness. But His long-suffering to the
us-ward, to the elect, to the beloved, to the objects of His
mercy. Almighty God is long-suffering.
Why did God allow me to go until I was in my late twenties before
I ever truly heard, before God called me out of darkness. Why
did He do that? He chose to do so. As sin hath
reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness
unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. God Almighty allowed
that this sin, death, continued. But I'll tell you what it did
do. It was revealing and did reveal His abounding grace in
the redemption of His people and the triumph of the Lord Jesus
Christ over death, hell, and the grave. Sin abounded. Sin reigned. Oh, but as sin hath
reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness
of Christ unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Paul made
two true statements in this passage of Scripture. All men by one
act of disobedience are made sinners. And death passed on
all men and began to die. They died spiritually and eventually
died physically. But I'll tell you this, by one
act of obedience, by the redemption that is through and by the blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ, many were made righteous. And Almighty
God looked upon him as the substitute, the representative of his people,
and in him declared them righteous. Righteous. And that's good news. Good news. All right. Here you
go.