Chapter 5:12-21

You Choose; Death in Adam or Life in Jesus

“¹² Therefore, just as through one man, sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— ¹³ (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. ¹⁴ Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. ¹⁵ But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. ¹⁶ And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification.

“¹⁷ For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) ¹⁸ Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even  so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. ¹⁹ For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. ²⁰ Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, ²¹ so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.“

Last week we talked about the wonderful benefits that we have in Jesus. The most amazing benefit is that we are loved by God. Yes, let that sink in; the God who controls the universe, the God who knows my every fault and every sinful thought, loves me. He loves you. He freely showed us His love by sending Jesus to die on the cross for us and to pay for our sins.

1. Sin and its entrance, verse 12

Sin came into the world by one man, Adam. He sinned in Genesis 3 when he took of the forbidden fruit and ate it. This is very important to understand. Eve, the Bible tells us, was deceived (1 Timothy 2:14), but it was Adam who sinned willfully. Adam was not deceived; he knew exactly what he was doing when he took of the fruit from Eve and ate it. He may not have known the fallout that was coming, but he knew what he was doing was wrong. He had been given the commandment from God himself.

Genesis 2: 15-17, “Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.'”

Man was given boundaries and the free will to either live within the boundaries or step outside. Man chose to step outside of the boundaries that God set in place. Adam did so, knowing the consequences. God told him he would die. Often, I have heard it said that Adam may not have understood the full extent of the consequences; and at times, have thought that as well. But Adam’s brain was pure, fully functioning, not tainted by sin, and having been made in the image of God; his brain was firing on all cylinders. Adam made the choice to sin. He did so with full knowledge and open-eyes.

How many of us sin the same way today? I do. I am sure that you do too. Sometimes we are caught off guard, and we sin out of a reaction to a stressful situation. But, often, way more often than we or I want to admit, we sin willfully. We sin with the full knowledge of the consequences and with the full knowledge that what we are doing is wrong.

Much like rolling a big rock down a hill, you can push the rock but you can’t always control the damage that is done once you let go of the rock. It did not take very long for Adam and Eve to go from eating a piece of fruit to one of their kids killing the other (Genesis 4:8). Sin is in all of us, and it comes out in one of three ways: The sin of pride, the lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh. In this case, Cain killed Abel out of pride. He was upset that God did not accept his gift.

Once again, this was not about ignorance. Cain knew that God was a God who required blood sacrifices. His parents for sure had told them the account of God making coats of skin (Genesis 3:21) to cover their nakedness, and hide their sinful shame. Over the years as they were growing up, Cain and Abel would have seen their father kill animals to offer as sacrifices. But Cain defied God; and when his offering was rejected, he rose up and killed his brother out of jealousy and pride.

One of my dear pastor friends once defined pride as one thinking the rules don’t apply to me. Cain was in this boat; he thought that he could worship God his way and not God’s way. Here is the truth: blood covers sin; that is it. The right kind of blood from the right kind of animal, offered in the right way and with the right attitude and spirit, covers our sins.

In Hebrews 9:19-22 we see this, “For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, ‘This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.’ Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.”

Notice that it was the blood of calves or goats, and with water and hyssop; we know that the animals had to be spotless, no blemishes allowed and no marks allowed. They had to be properly inspected and even killed in a certain way at a certain place, and on and on we can go. But Cain thought he could come his way and God had to accept it. But God is the one who determines how we approach him. We must do it his way to be accepted. Let that sink in how fast sin takes root and manifests itself in us. Adam disobeyed God, but had the sense of shame and sin; he hid from God and tried to cover his shame. Cain, on the other hand, had no sense of shame but that of entitlement and hated those, even his brother, who worshiped God the right way.

It did not take very long for the root of sin to spread and bear its rotten fruit. Look at where we have come as a people. We are more sinful than ever, and we are getting worse. It has become a sport to flaunt our sinful lifestyles and to demand that all accept them. If we mention God’s way or truth, we are called bigots. We are reminded that in a world that tells and honors lies and liars, the truth-tellers are going to be hated. Eventually, like Cain, the liars will rise up and kill the ones doing right.

According to Statista.com, there were 108,541 armed robberies in the US in 2018. That is 297 robberies per day, or about 12 robberies per hour. In the 90 minutes that I have been writing this article, there have been 18 armed robberies in the US. According to the same site, there were 15,505 rapes in California in 2018. That works out to more than 42 rapes per day in California.

The root of sin that we get from our father Adam is rampant and getting worse. We are a sad people; we have made a sport of sin. We have become so accustomed to sin, death and evil that even as Christians we are no longer surprised by it and we are no longer shocked by it. We have grown calloused. Sin eats us up and devours our children; we see them caught up in evil and they are driven to it like moths to flames; we try to warn them but they are willful and defiant and sinful. They are full of pride, unteachable and unafraid of the consequences of sin.

1. Jesus and His entrance

Jesus came into a world that was as sinful as ours. We see the hatred in the people of Israel for the Samaritans, for instance, in John 4. We see that hatred of the truth by the Pharisees, and we see the treatment of people by the Romans. The Roman government was a brutal and deadly government. Its armies conquered and dominated the known world for hundreds of years. Slavery was rampant, wars rampant, poverty rampant and death normal. Many of the Caesars were homosexual, and sexual promiscuity was rampant everywhere. There have been many temples discovered that were simply places for sexual encounters with the priestesses and temple prostitutes.

Robbery and murder were prevalent, and crime required that the Roman government be on the offensive all the time. Jesus came into the time when the religious leaders of the Jews had worn out the people financially; they stole from them, and Jesus had to address that twice when he overthrew their change tables in the Temple. Jesus came in and lived a perfect, sinless life. Like Adam, Jesus too was tempted (Matthew 4). He chose to obey God rather than Satan. But all through his life, he was tempted over and over, and He chose to obey God.

Hebrew 4:14-16, “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Jesus was tempted and He never sinned. Now because of that, He became our perfect substitute. He was able to pay for our sins since He had no sin of his own. God put our sin on Him, and in Him and Him alone we have eternal life. This is the only way of salvation. But there are many Cains still around today. They think that they can come to God any way that they want; they think that God has to accept them as they are and that if He does not, He is some kind of ogre.

Just recently, I saw an interview with a prominent ‘pastor,’ and he was asked by the interviewer if Jesus was the only way to God. He did not answer the question Biblically. He implied that there were many ways to God and that Jesus was only one of them. This man pastors a church of thousands, most of whom it would seem are not saved since they are not taught that Jesus is the only way. This religious leader is just as dangerous as the men that led the Jews in Jesus’ day. They have a form of righteousness but it is their own righteousness and not the righteousness bought for us in and by Jesus. You see, these folks are just modern-day Cains leading modern-day Cains.

But Jesus came and provided enough grace for us all. His blood provided enough power to wash away all of our sins. Like Cain, like anyone else, the choice is up to us. All of the power needed in the blood of Jesus has been provided to wash away and cover our sins eternally. In Adam we got the sin nature, but in Jesus, we have the power to get the righteousness of God in us and once again be in fellowship with God. In Adam, our sins are stacked up against us and there is a constant call for God’s wrath, as he hates sin.

In Jesus, our sins are removed forever and there is a constant call for God to shower us with His grace, His love, His kindness and His peace. What a difference? In Adam, we are kicked out of Paradise. In Jesus, we are welcomed into Paradise. In Adam, we have death and suffering. In Jesus, we have life and healing. In Adam, we have no hope. In Jesus, He is our hope. In Adam, the grave is our enemy. In Jesus, the grave is our victory. Those in Adam can never see Heaven, and those in Jesus can never see Hell. Those in Adam approach the throne of God in their own righteousness; and like Cain, they will be rejected. Those in Adam approach the throne of God in Jesus’ righteousness, they will be accepted.

We have these words of peace in 2 Cor. 5: 17-21, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Are you a new creation in Jesus? Or, are you just the same old man in Adam? The man in Jesus has life forever. The man in Adam is dead already and has no hope to save himself. Choose well. One thief rejected Jesus and died in his sins; the other accepted Jesus and today is alive and well in Heaven. Which thief will you meet one day?

God bless you,

Pastor Sean Gooding

Mississauga Missionary Baptist Church

Missionarybaptistchurch76@yahoo.ca

Chapter 5: 1-11

The Benefits of God’s Promises

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³ And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; ⁴ and perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. ⁶ For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.

“⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. ¹⁰ For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. ¹¹ And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”

Today, the day that I am writing this article, is Good Friday, April 10th, 2020. Most of the Lord’s churches have been worshipping by electronic media methods for a long time in our estimation. In some parts of the USA, there have been preachers being arrested and charged for holding corporate worship, even when their congregants have practiced social distancing. It would seem that in some areas there is a concentrated effort not to allow churches to meet. Here in Canada, we are under an order not to open the church doors; they are deemed as non-essential services.

Yet, all around us, the liquor stores are open and the drunks can get their fixes. They say that a host of detoxing drunks will put further strain on the medical systems. In some states in the US, the powers that be have determined that guns are not essential and are trying to close the gun shops. All of our restaurants can have take-out or drive-up service only.

Millions are out of work, and the Federal Governments of the world are trying to keep economies afloat by giving billions of dollars to companies to keep people on the payroll even though there really is nothing to do.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have taken us through the 4th chapter of Romans. We have talked about the wonderful things that God has given us to secure us during insecure times. We have the promise of His presence, His provision and His protection to those of us that put their trust in Him for salvation. Today we will look at the blessings that we have today in Jesus. Sometimes we are all about the future, but we can bask in the promises today and live in peace with the Lord and life in Jesus.

1. We have Peace with God, verse 1

Look back at the very first chronicles of the creation. God walked with Adam and the Woman. They had fellowship. Genesis 3:8, God came to talk with them. They had peace between God and man. As you will recall from the rest of Genesis 3, God kicked Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden because of sin, and that relationship was marred. In Jesus, however, we have peace with God. When we are saved in Jesus, we have peace with God. The wall of separation has been removed.

Even as Jesus was preparing the disciples for departure, He promised them peace, John 14:27. In Isaiah 9:6, Jesus is called the Prince of Peace. In this unsettled world, a world filled with violence and turmoil, we can have peace. For those that suffer from depression and anxiety, those that are under pressure, our Lord can not only give us peace with God but give us peace in general. We can find a calming balm in Jesus to help us weather the storms of life.

2. We can rejoice in Jesus, verse 2

The word rejoice is defined as ‘to feel or show joy or great delight.’ Jesus gives us a reason to rejoice in life. He gives us a reason to feel great joy and to have great delight in our daily lives. Jesus gives us a reason to have great joy even in despair. The apostles could sing in prison. The Apostles in Acts 4 could rejoice that they were counted worthy to be beaten for the name of Jesus.

We can rejoice on Good Friday because we know that Jesus’ death on the cross is the greatest act of Love ever shown to man. Romans 5:8, God showed his love to us; Jesus died for us while we were still sinners. We can celebrate in the midst of our mourning. We mourn that our sins put Jesus on the cross; we rejoice that Jesus paid for our sins on the cross. No matter what comes our way, no matter the circumstance or the news, no matter in life or death we can find a reason to rejoice in Jesus. We can find a reason to have great delight in Jesus.

3. We will grow in our relationship with the Lord, verses 4-6

God wants us to grow. He does not leave us as stunted children. He, like any good parent, wants to see His children grow and mature into strong persons.

In verses 4-6 we are told the process of growth. You see, when we learn to rejoice in the hard times, to glory, as it says in trials, then we learn patience. So many would like to learn patience the easy way. It is almost laughable; I was the same way. Lord, just infuse me with patience. Then we get the domino effect of things we learn from learning to be patient. One of the things we learn is character. That of being honest and true even in the hardest of times. Imagine a business owner in the COVID-19 pandemic and they have to make a decision about their personal monies, and having learned patience from the Lord, they do the right thing even if it cost them everything. You see, they have learned to trust God.

You see, the Lord works with us; and the longer we trust Him, and have fellowship with Him, the more he changes us and creates in us the right kind of people we should be. This is how we have confidence that God is real; we can see Him working in our lives. He is a personal God. We have a relationship with Him, not some hands-off religion. We can know God as we grow in our relationship with Him.

4. We know we are Loved, verses 7-8

We live in a time where a lot of people suffer from loneliness. They feel abandoned and ignored. The suicide rates, especially amongst our young people, are quite high. We have people who are more connected by electronics than they have ever been but are lonelier than ever. People simply do not feel loved; and frankly, I am astonished by the number of saved people that are committing suicide. I had a dear friend commit suicide a couple of years ago. I am still not sure why. I meet a lot of people, and I can testify that there were times I did not feel loved. But that does not change the facts. God loves me. He says it over and over in the scriptures; John 3:16, 1 John 3:1, Romans 5:8, and on we can go. You and I are loved by the Living God.

Often our view of the Lord is based on how we love others; and as such, the Lord will teach us to love like Him. But to do so, we need to go through some hard times. This kind of love does not grow in easy times, but in hard times. The kind of love that God shows me is the kind of love that I need to have for those that are the ‘sinners’ of our time. God loved me when I was a sinner, and now He loves me as His child. We need to love sinners as well as the brothers and sisters. The security of being loved can get us through a lot of life’s struggles and troubles. The comfort of being loved is calming.

5. We have been reconciled to God, verses 9-11

The word reconciliation is defined as ‘the restoration of friendly relations.’ Let that sink in. At one time, we were children of wrath before God (see Ephesians 2:3), but now in verse 4-5, we have God’s grace. This grace that reconciles us and shows us love even when we are sinners, and brings friendly relationships between us and the Holy God. Think about that God and I are friends. God and you are friends in Jesus, by Jesus and because of Jesus. We have been reconciled to God.

Look at all we have in Jesus now that we have been justified and made righteous before God (see Romans 5:1). We have a tangible relationship with the Lord, one that is measurable and meaningful. One that grows us and offers us true security, not as the world offers, but true, eternal and everlasting security. You are loved, you are growing, you have peace with the Lord, and God is your friend.

Wow, look at all Jesus has done for us! I leave you with my favorite verses in the Bible:

1 John 3:1-3 “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore, the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”

God bless you,

Pastor Sean Gooding

Mississauga Missionary Baptist Church

Email: missionarybaptistchurch76@yahoo.ca