The Mystery of God as explained by Paul in Romans 5 is so good, it seems too good to be true. It is truly the Good News of what God has already accomplished, in Christ, for each person that gets born on this planet. It doesn't get any better than this.
SHOW NOTES
The Mystery of God
Ephesians 3:3-9 refers to God’s mysterious plan. Paul explains this mysterious plan in seven different ways in Romans chapter five. It is as if he must make sure we understand the reality of the gospel or good news or the mysterious plan of God. Why is it a mystery? Because we were not ready to receive it before Jesus came (John 16:12).
Romans 5 NLT 5 Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith (justified), we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. • Justified=Innocence=God’s justice • More than pardon, mercy, forgiveness, salvation
Romans 5 NLT 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. • God’s glory defined in Exodus 33:18-19 • Royal children Rom 8:14-17 • Promise to sit with him on his throne Rev 3:21
Romans 5 NLT 3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. Problems Endurance Character Hope of Salvation
Romans 5 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Our hearts are being filled by the Holy Spirit with love! (Self-knowledge tells us it’s getting worse, we need others to tell us what God is doing in our life.) What more could we ever ask for?
Romans 5 6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Utterly helpless: BUT not worthless! No solution in ourselves. Human race was about to destroy itself. Rome was imploding, Jewish revolts No love in our hearts. right time (Galatians 4:4)
Romans 5
7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good.
Image of God is still in us.
There is some nobility left in the worst of us.
Bad in the best of us and good in the worst of us.
8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Christ died for sinners NOT saints Sinners are angry, revengeful, deceitful, disloyal, selfish beings. The death of Jesus illustrates this claim. The cross is an innocent man dying at the hands of angry sinners.
9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. Jesus saved us, among other things, from believing we are condemned by God. That means that God is NOT angry and NOT filled with wrath towards us.
10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. We were his enemies. He was our friend. (A & E) Reconciliation, Atonement, BFF
Adam and Christ Contrasted
12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned (in Adam). Vulgate Bible (400 AD): “in whom (Adam) all have sinned.” Wycliffe Bible (1400): “in which man all men sinned.” Geneva Bible (1599): “in whom (Adam) all men have sinned.” Jubilee Bible (2000): “in the one in whom all sinned,”
Adam and Christ Contrasted 12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned (in Adam). “for everyone sinned” is not referring to personal sin but the consequence of Adam’s sin. This is confirmed six times in verses 13 to 19. 15 “For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many.”
Adam and Christ Contrasted 12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned (in Adam). Our default position from Adam is hostility towards God (8:7), ourselves and others. Babies, animals, trees all die but they have not sinned. We die the first death because of Adam’s sin, NOT because we sin. We do not have the potential to die. We all DIE. Because of Jesus we do not just have the potential to be saved. We are saved.
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. 1. Originally the only commandment was “Don’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” 2. God did not say to Cain why have you murdered or killed your brother? 3. The law was given at Sinai 3000 years after Creation. 4. 430 years after Abram & the promise (Gal 3:17) 5. People were dying because of Adam’s sin. 6. Unfair? God’s justice is . . . 7. Penal and Restorative Justice.
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. Adam: First corporate head of the human race. Jesus: Second corporate head. Corporate head=King=President=PM=dictator =boss=CEO The corporate head determines the fate of the organization.
First Statement
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. (Many means All contrasted with One—word play) Adam’s legacy through ONE sin is death for MANY. (Spiritual, emotional & physical) If the sun went out . . . Jesus’ legacy is forgiveness for ALL sins, for ALL people, for ALL time.
Second Statement
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. Opposite of “condemnation” is “innocence” = made right=justified for many sins Being made right with God (justification) is MORE than pardon or forgiveness!
Third Statement
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.
“Allwhoreceiveit”=humans
Righteousness=nosinfrommomentofbirthto instant of death
Babyinnocentbutnotrighteous.R>I
Jesusrewroteourhistoryforus.
Fourth Statement
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. Default position in Adam: Guilt and Shame = condemnation & death Default position in Jesus: Innocence and Righteousness = life for evermore
Fifth Statement
19 Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous. Many=All Adam made us Sinners (no choice) Jesus made us Righteous (no choice) Adam refused or rebelled against God. We can also rebel against God.
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. Law increases out guilt so that we may cry out for relief or God’s grace. God’s grace is always greater than our sin. Can you believe this?
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. • Sin Death(guilt,shame,condemnation) • Grace RightStanding(noguiltorshame)& Eternal Life (new attitude, new understanding, new confidence, new eyes, new hearts)
Free from Slavery
“Whereas, on the twenty-second day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, a proclamation was issued by Abraham Lincoln, the President of the United States, containing, among other things, the following, to wit:
Free from Slavery: "That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free;”
OnJan.2,1863therewerestillcloseto 200,000 former slaves working on the plantations and factories of the south.
Somebelievedandlefttheplantations.
Thecautiousonesthoughtitwasatrickand stayed.
Othershadnotheardabouttheproclamation.
Somepreferredthesecurityoftheirslaveryto the insecurity of freedom.
Shelby Foote: . . . an Alabama slave said in 1864 when asked what he thought of the Great Emancipator, “I don’t know nothin’ ‘bout Abraham Lincoln, ‘cep they say he set us free. And I don’t know nothin’ ‘bout that neither.”
Q: How can one be lost if God is this good? A: By determined, persistent rebellion against the love of God. By refusing to come to the real Jesus. By choosing to believe the lies of the devil about God. Its not ignorance or deception but rebellion that gets one lost. The justice of God lies in redeeming us from the consequences of Adam’s choice through Jesus’ choice. Daniel 7