But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. Romans 5:15
We just celebrated Easter together, a day where we celebrate the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter is a time that we remember that God is in control and that even when sin and death appear to have won, God always has the final say. It is also a day we remember that as soon as sin came into the world, God set a plan in motion to rescue humanity.
We first learn about the effects of sin in the book of Genesis. God had created Adam and Eve, the very first people, and placed them in a luscious garden. He gave them one command: not to eat from the fruit of one specific tree in the garden, or they would die (verse 17). Satan came to them in the form of a serpent and tempted Eve to eat the fruit. Eve gave the fruit to Adam. Because of their actions, sin and death entered the world. It seemed that all hope had been lost. Even still, God had a plan. God said to the serpent, "I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel." Many Bible scholars believe that this passage is the first promise of a Savior in the Bible and that this passage alludes to Jesus, who would ultimately defeat Satan, sin, and death. Even when the situation seemed hopeless, God had a plan. Years and years later, God would send His Son, Jesus, to pay the price demanded for sin to rescue humanity. Paul said it this way in Romans 5, “For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ" (verse 15). While Adam brought sin into the world, Jesus came and brought life for all who trust in Him.
Praise God that we are not left on our own, facing a life of sin and death and an eternity apart from Him. When we were lost in sin, God sent a Savior to lay down His life to rescue us and defeat sin and death once and for all.
Is there any sin you need to confess to God today? Maybe you have failed to love someone in your circle well. Maybe you have given in to a temptation that you know is not pleasing to God. Take time to ask God to reveal any sin in your life. Then, confess that sin to God. Ask Him to help you live in a way that pleases Him. Oh, what a Savior we have!
12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. 13 Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. 14 Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. 15 But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. 16 And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.
18 Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. 19 Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.
20 God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. 21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
