Here’s the outline for my sermon on Romans 5:15-17 “A Better Adam” Part 2, preached at Cross of Christ Fellowship in Naperville. You can listen to audio here.
A Better Adam (Part 2): Romans 5:15-17
Intro: Who here likes receiving gifts? Think in your minds: what’s the best gift you have received this year? Or, what’s best gift you’ve ever received in your life? Today, I hope you will see with me that Jesus is the GREAT gift-giver and that his gifts are the best: they transform us; they give us hope; they last and endure; they are ours if we will receive them.
As a church we are working our way through Paul’s letter to the church at Rome.
-Main theme of this book is the GOSPEL:
-Rom 1-4 explains the gospel (God’s wrath; our sin; gospel; faith)
-Rom 5-8 unpacks the gospel and deals with particular objections.
Rom 5:1-11: astonishing results of the gospel: peace with God, access to the grace of God, joy in our trials,
God’s love in our hearts, God’s love on display, and assurance of future salvation
The section we are currently in is 5:12-21, where Paul gives a contrast for us between Adam and Jesus.
-Adam was the 1st man to ever live, and head of the human race. His decisions impacted all
-Adam sinned and brought sin and death into the world. We all feel the effects of his decision
-World is not right because of the sin of Adam and the sin of you and me.
-But Adam was a “type” of the one to come, which shows hope
-Jesus is the BETTER ADAM.
-His acts and decisions overcame Adam’s sin and death.
-Jesus came as the head of a new humanity, new sinned, and brought salvation for sinners.
*TODAY we learn this from our passage: Jesus is the better Adam and this is seen in the gifts he gives.
-GIFT is a major theme in these three verses (mentioned 5 times).
-3 gifts mentioned in this text that that we receive through Christ: grace, justification, and life.
1. Gift of Grace (15) We see that Jesus is a better Adam in his gift of grace
The first gift to consider is the GIFT of Grace. Jesus comes to us in grace and gives us His grace. This grace is wonderful and transforming, and abounds MUCH MORE than the ruin of sin and death that the first Adam brought.
-CONTRAST: “NOT LIKE”: But the free gift is not like the trespass.
-We are to consider the difference here between Adam and Jesus.–“FREE GIFT”= here refers to all that Christ accomplished for our salvation through his death & resurrection
-Gracious nature of Christianity. It not something we buy or earn, but a gift to receive.
–“the trespass”=Adam’s sin
-Adam was told not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil.
1ST ADAM: For if many died through one man’s trespass,
-“many died”=another way saying “all have”
-through “one man’s trespass”=Adam’s sin
-1st Adam brought death to the world. His action had FAR RANGING impact.
2ND ADAM JESUS: much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.
Here we have the CONTRAST demonstrated: –MUCH MORE
-The effect of what Jesus accomplished is GREATER Adam’s sin (MUCH MORE)
–GRACE OF GOD:
-SCHRIENER on grace: “The grace of Christ is not merely undeserved favor. It is also a power that reverses the consequences
of Adam’s sin. It overflows to such an extent that it triumphs over what Adam introduced into the world”
-FREE GIFT BY THE GRACE OF THAT ONE MAN JESUS CHRIST
-PRICE was paid for by Jesus and comes to us as a FREE GIFT
-ABOUNDED FOR MANY
-The GRACE shown to us in the gospel has ABOUNDED for many
-It has touched and changed lives and cultures
-LIVES: Sharon Dirckx
-CULTURE: Roman empire with culture of death (abandoning babies)
APP: Jesus is a better Adam and we see that clearly in the gift of GRACE.
-We are saved by grace, and not by our works.
-Our sin is great, but His grace truly is GREATER: abounds MUCH MORE!
-Preach this to yourself as you see your sin.
2. Gift of Justification (16) We see that Jesus is a better Adam in the gift of justification
The second gift is that of JUSTIFICATION. Jesus brings this marvelous gift that they might be right with God once again.CONTRAST:16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin.
-Here we see the RESULTS are different.
1ST ADAM: For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation,
-Adam’s trespass led to “judgment”
-Adam was warned: day he ate from the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil he would die (Gen 2:17).
-Adam experienced spiritual death & estrangement form God; separation from Garden
-All of us are born spiritually dead and under this judgment.
–“trespass brought condemnation”
-CONDEMNATION: Guilty before God and deserve to be punished.
-Everyone one us—apart from Christ—are under this.
-We are not naturally good, but are sinners before a holy God (situation is GRIM)
2ND ADAM JESUS: but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification.
-FREE GIFT came to us while we were spiritually dead and under condemnation
-FREE GIFT brought “justification”
NCC: Justification means our declared righteousness before God because of Christ’ death and resurrection for us.
-SURPRISE IN THE TEXT: “free gift following many trespasses”
-Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but our MANY sin led to justification by grace!
*WONDER of God’s grace! Instead of condemning us, God provided gift of justification in the gospel!
CRANFIELD: “That one single misdeed should be answered by judgment, this is perfectly understandable: that the accumulated sins and guilt of all the ages should be answered by God’s free gift, this is the miracle of miracles, utterly beyond human comprehension”
APP: You cannot earn a right standing with God, it is gift given to us in the gospel.
3. Gift of Life (17): We see that Jesus is a better Adam in the gift of LIFE
The 3rd gift to consider is the LIFE. Jesus gives us the gift of life through the gospel.
-Notice the language of REIGN (to rule). There is a contrast of two reigns: death and life.
1ST ADAM and reign of death: 17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man,
-Adam’s sin led to the reign of death: Spiritual and physical death
-Consider how death reigns all around us.
-Look around you: spiritual and physical death.
-Look at your heart: effects of this reign (spiritually and physically) 2ND ADAM JESUS and reign of life: 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.
-MUCH MORE: What Jesus accomplished conquers death in far greater way (MUCH MORE)
-THOSE WHO RECEIVE…ABUNDANCE OF GRACE AND THE FREE GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
-Christianity is a receiving religion, receiving grace and free gift of right standing with God.
-You must respond to God’s offer of grace to experience his saving grace in the gospel.
-Response comes through repentance of sin and faith in Christ.
-PROMISE: WILL…REIGN IN LIFE THROUGH THE ONE MAN JESUS CHRIST
-Spiritual life, and reigning with Christ that begins now.
-Sin does not reign over us anymore, because of Jesus.
-Christians actively put it to death in the power of the Spirit (Col 3:5)
Moo: “Christ’s act is able completely to overcome the effects of Adam’s. Anyone who “receives the gift” that God offers in Christ finds security and joy in knowing that the reign of death has been completely and finally overcome by the reign of grace, righteousness and eternal life”
APP: -Only Jesus can overcome the reign of death. And he did this through his death and resurrection.
-Outside of Christ, you will remain under the reign of death, now and into eternity in hell.
APPLICATION:
1. See the great gifts Jesus, the better Adam, brings: GRACE, JUSTIFICATION, LIFE. Receive them.
2. Remember that these are the gifts you received in Christ, and rejoice that they are yours in Christ.
3. Rejoice in the fact that because Jesus is the better Adam, all the promises of Romans 5:1-11 will come to pass
