Romans 5:18-21

Romans 5:18-21

18 Therefore, as one trespassed 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.

Transcript

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Hello, this is Dr. Bill Branks, author of Love the Word. Today's text is Romans 5 verses 18 to 21. Therefore, as one trespass to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 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. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. We are one is a short war story by John French. It is about the Alpha Legion, whose strength is not battlefield power, but the ability to make people doubt what is true. The story is about obsession, deception, and the danger of thinking you understand your enemy when your enemy has been shaping your understanding the whole time. The Alpha Legion's philosophy of we are one is the idea that individual identity matters less than the collective mission. One warrior can be many, and many can be one. The body of Christ is also designed to operate as one. We are also in a battle against an enemy, the great deceiver, who excels at the ability to make people doubt what is true. We are one, is true of believers. We are called to work together, using our unique God given gifts to encourage one another and fight the war against sin. The difference is that we do not lose our identity as a part of the body. We have responsibilities of our own in our relationship with Christ. As believers, we might, at times, find some comfort and anonymity within the massive family of God. It is easy to allow ourselves to be overlooked in the crowd. We may even let others do the hard work, the sacrificing, the missions, loving the unlovable. If we don't step up, we could drift along with the crowd seemingly unnoticed for a long time. We are one is true in another way. We are one, a unique individual who is created to have a personal, private, incomparable relationship with one other, Jesus Christ. We must not get caught in the idea that we're lost in the crowd. There is no crowd in our relationship with Christ. The law was given to increase the awareness of sinfulness, and we have a personal responsibility to trust in Him so that our trespasses and condemnation can be turned into justification and righteousness. One trespass, one act of righteousness, one man's disobedience, one man's obedience. The gift of God to sinners is very personal. It is the ultimate one-on-one. Today's text addresses the singular nature of man's sin. Mankind did not sin as a vast assembly. We sin as one individual against the only one who came to rescue us. Although we inherited Adam's sin, we are willful sinners and bring death that reigns in us. Jesus is interested in you, your redemption, growth, and cultivating a personal relationship with you. We must set aside the notion that God is too large to be at our side, too powerful to weep with us, or too holy to love us. We have God's undivided attention at all times. Our sin brought about our personal guilt and condemnation. Christ's one act of righteousness leads to full justification for each believer. The grace that poured out from the cross fills every true believer and will reign in them forevermore. Glory to God, our personal Lord and Savior.