Romans 5
Death Reigned
When Adam violated his covenant with God, he brought the curses of that covenant down on him and all of his children. I remember the first time that I read through Genesis. In Genesis 4, I read of Lamech who was born to Mathushael. The Bible tells us of 3 of his sons. Jabal, a nomadic herdsman; Jubal was a musician and Tubal-Cain who was a metal worker. If you've ever heard the phrase “Have you no shame?”, this would've applied to Lamech. If Cain had been wicked in killing his brother Abel, seven generations would find his progeny orders of magnitude more wicked, so I thought. Lamech: “I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me.” And again: “If Cain's revenge was sevenfold, then Lamech's is seventy-sevenfold.”
And so my thinking went: Adam's one small sin (Genesis 3) gave birth to far worse sin. Naturally, for those of us who were raised in a culture where a contract means very little, where covenant is an antiquated and obscure notion, would I see the physical sin of murder as larger than Adam's sin in disobeying God's covenant. Fortunately, a dear brother corrected me.
Paul, here in the 5th chapter of his letter to the Romans, demonstrates for us that the sin of Adam in covenant violation does far worse than any murder. When Adam eats of the fruit of the tree, in his ears MUST have been ringing, “In the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die.” But how could he have known of the far reaching consequence as death spread, “To all men”?
Death reigned, “From Adam to Moses”, Paul says. The curse of the covenant was born on the backs of every single descendant of Adam. Without regard to the degree of their sin (whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam). Adam's sin brought the very real curse of death to all of his children. David says in Psalms 51: In sin did my mother conceive me. The effect of this is that every man is born with a disposition that is naturally opposed to God and to His righteousness. We have a nature which is sinful and opposed to God, even before we act in concert with that nature and commit our first transgression.
Furthermore, the one sin of Adam brings a legal state of condemnation to all of Adam's descendants. We are, because of the curse, guilty before the living God. We don't have right standing with God. Paul says that Adam's sin brought us into a standing of condemnation. The significance of this can't be, and OFTEN is highly, understated. When God looks upon the reprobate (those who are not redeemed), He looks upon them as those under the very same legal standing that Adam had earned in condemnation. Paul says in Ephesians 2:3 “... and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” The wrath of God rests upon all who's father is Adam. Since our default position as members of the family of Adam is one of condemnation from God, we can't understand God's opposition to us to be simply put away by our accomplishments, our means or even our faith (more later).
We are by nature enemies of God. We're born that way! If we take this seriously, we ought to be rightly terrified of God.
The Law – Insult to Injury
Then God's Law is given to Moses. This Law, Paul says has the effect of increasing sin, not doing away with sin. If Adam's sin brings sin and death to all. The Law comes to make sin utterly sinful and “increase” it. The Law's effect is counter-intuitive. Rather than causing a son of Adam to be obedient, it adds a further source of temptation to sin. This isn't because the Law is bad, but because the sinner is, by nature sinful and cannot obey the Law. Additionally, the Law serves to accuse us of our wickedness and demonstrates our complete inability to fulfill the Mosaic Law. The Law, taken seriously, shuts every mouth (Romans 3:20) and ensures that we see ourselves as guilty before God.
It is important to understand that the violation of the Law is not counted (or measured) where there is no Law (Romans 5:13). What this can't mean is that those who have not heard the Law are therefore not guilty of its violation. This is in and of itself a long discussion. Nonetheless, what we must understand Paul to be saying here has to be that we are guilty in Adam, that we are guilty of transgressing God's righteousness and that God's righteousness is clearly seen, and declared in His Law. We remain under wrath, the reason for the wrath of God becomes clear when we see the Law. The next time that you are pulled over for speeding, try and explain to the officer (honest one anyway) that you didn't know what the speed limit was. He is not likely to give you sympathy (I've experienced this).
And so it is that you and I find ourselves to be enemies of the living God. This is no enviable position. Though, in our unregenerate state, walking outside of right relationship with God seems appealing, it is actually the most frightful position, legally in which one could find themselves.
The Righteousness of Christ – A Complete and Perfect Righteousness
I have met many people in my days on this earth, as have you, no doubt. I've met many who, I would say, are pretty righteous, from my perspective. However, we find quickly when confronted with the Law of God, their righteousness falls apart. Isaiah says: “Our righteous deeds are like polluted garments” - Isaiah 64:4. This, incidentally, is why evangelism that is focused (in small or large part) on our life change (no matter how Christ honoring), is bound to lead our listener to see that our righteousness falls apart quickly.
Jesus presents Himself to John the Baptizer, for baptism. John, who knows who Jesus is, is entirely taken aback. To paraphrase: The righteous Messiah, "He who's sandals, I'm unworthy to carry”, he whom I have need of baptism, now requests baptism of me. That is to say, Jesus THE righteous one, comes to me, a sinner, for baptism. John is overwhelmed by Jesus' righteousness. He's a prophet of the living God, like Isaiah (Isaiah 6). He finds himself confronted with the very embodiment of righteousness; Jesus. Jesus request is seemingly absurd. A sinful man, presented with the Author of righteousness, requesting an act signifying the very need of being washed clean of transgression, sin and the corrupt nature of Adam.
Jesus' response to John is emblematic of Jesus' life on the earth. Jesus says: “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Jesus desire was to fulfill every righteous requirement of the Father's will. He lived out His life as a man, with the flesh of a man. He had to wash just like His disciples. He ate, He drank and walked out a man's life. I don't know this, but I'll bet that His feet, those wonderful feet, bore the scent of this fallen earth. But unlike us, without ever once transgressing the holiness and righteousness of God.
“but I do as the Father commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.” - John 14:31
Even more importantly, He didn't begrudgingly obey the Father. Over and over again, He let's us see as He walks out a heart that obeys the summary of the Law: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” - Deuteronomy 6:5. We see His obedience, as He is baptized, not to wash away His sin. He had none. But that every jot and tittle, every part of the Law and of God's demand on mankind, would be completed by Him.
We see Jesus suffering in the wilderness for 40 days, just as Israel suffered temptation for 40 years in that cursed desert. But unlike their wicked and perpetual failing, He was perfect and never once capitulated to the devil's schemes. He doesn't win against temptation as an example. Because we continually fail to be victorious. He is victorious, because He is the only one who ever will, in this cursed age. This, that His very life would be the righteousness that would fulfill the requirement that God has placed upon those who have a position of right standing with Him (Romans 5:10). In other words, that OUR righteousness would be fulfilled in His fulfillment of God's will.
We see His obedience all the way to the end, in the garden as He willingly subjects Himself to the wrath of the Father, to please the Father. “Nevertheless, not My will, but yours be done.” - Luke 22:42. This is such sweetness to the believer that we often miss the most important feature of His obedience. He's not being obedient for us. He's being obedient with a perfect love for the Father.
Is it any wonder that as Jesus is raised out of the waters of the Jordan, that the Father anoints Him in power and complete approval with the Holy Spirit and says “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” - Matthew 3:17 And again, as Jesus is transfigured before John, James and Peter into some measure of the glory of His divine nature (Matthew 17:3), the Father says: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased, ...”. Jesus Himself says “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law, or the prophets; I have come not to abolish them, but to fulfill them!” - Matthew 5:17.
He lives out the perfect life. Obedient, from the heart to every Law, to every desire of the Father and with all His might. UNLIKE US ON OUR BEST DAY!
Now this truly is righteousness!
You may be asking: “How is this good news?!” We're not righteous, this is Ultimate bad news! Especially, if the Bible is right about God's wrath against sinful man. I look at Jesus' righteousness, it's wonderful, but how is this good news to me? He makes me look so bad. My sin is awful, I'm filthy! Even as a believer, my sin is so always before me (Psalms 51). And maybe, I live my Christian walk, just trying to cover over the stench of it. I stink like rotting flesh and I shower and shower, and cover myself in perfume, but at the end of the day, I can still smell it, my own rotten flesh. How, Jesus, is this good news?
Oh how I long that you would identify with this! That you and I would see our absolute poverty before the living God and that we would breath in the fragrance of God's love to His people, KEEP reading!
The Good News
Paul says: “For one will scarcely die for a righteous person. Though perhaps for a good person one would even die. But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” - Romans 5:7 And again: “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, now that we have
been reconciled, shall we be saved by His life.”
What grace is this? The righteous for the unrighteous. God's ultimate justice towards His people is poured out on His Son. And in the place of His wrath, He gives us His well earned righteousness. He removes the list of transgressions that was against us and replaces it with the righteous fulfillment of His good and pleasing will that Jesus COMPLETED. This is great news, if you have trusted and received Him. This means that you are no longer under His wrath, but the same righteousness with which Jesus pleased the Father, is yours. He sees you not in your sin, legally, but He sees the only righteousness that could ever truly satisfy Him.
Jesus righteousness makes US righteous! (Romans 5:19).
Justification – Grace Reigns! Hallelujah
Just as sin abounded, so too grace was so much more abundant towards His people! His grace to you, covers your sin with the glorious righteousness of His Son. Adam's curse is gone! The wrath of God has been satisfied. The second Adam, Jesus, the Life giving Spirit, has given you everlasting life. And He has given you what you could not earn: right standing with God. This is what it means to be justified. To be made in such a way as to please the Father. If you are trusting in Jesus for this salvation, then your sins are washed clean and you ARE right with God.
Paul says “We have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ.” These days we like to talk about peace, not as an absence of enmity, but “inner” peace. This is not the same peace of which Paul is speaking. Paul is referring to an end to war. He says it later in verse 10. We were enemies of the Living God. We could not look on God as “Friend”, but our position, in Adam, and by disposition and our own sin we were enemies of God. We lived under the real and dreadful threat of God's wrath towards us. “for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.” - Romans 1:18. Paul says that this division between us and God is removed through the work of Jesus. Therefore, because of the cross of Jesus, you and I have peace with God. And maybe we didn't even know of the wrath of God. Maybe we were always told Jesus loves you, even in the midst of our worst depravity and we never heard that a life unwashed in the blood of Jesus would land us in Hell. And now, having been saved and made right with Him by Jesus blood, we look on narrowly we escaped the wrath of God, in Jesus.
“Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” - Romans 5:2
We need to get this, the depth and severity of our condition apart from the blood of Christ. So that we might “Rejoice in God, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” - 5:11. There is no genuine joy in anything less. There is nothing so utterly critical for us, as believers in Jesus, to see. And it brings a joy that the world can't understand. The result of the free gift of Justification, or being made right with God, is real and unspeakable joy.
Suffering and Promise
This IS hope, in the middle of our suffering. Because what Jesus is doing in us, no matter how hot the flame, it isn't wrath, it's not empty trivial suffering either. Because of the peace we have with God, it, the suffering, is a mechanism that He is using to produce in us character. And Paul says, that this character produces hope. All of His work in us, in the midst of suffering is actually grace. He ordains the suffering, that we might be given a character that drives us to the hope of the gift that will one day be completely given to us. The hope of the resurrection. This is different than when the unrepentant suffers. Our suffering is a pointer to the healing and restoration that is to come on the last day. Their suffering is a pointer to the wrath which awaits them on that same day, when Jesus returns to “Judge the living and the dead”
Have you ever been let down? You waited and waited for something and it just didn't happen. Maybe you built up a life around a relationship that grew into nothing. Maybe you were stood up by a date. Maybe your parents let you down. Whatever happened there was shame, you had wasted so much in the hope and anticipation that you had invested in what was to come and it was for nothing. Like a bad relationship, those around you said: “I told you it would all end in pain.” We've all experienced this in some way. This, Paul says in verse 5, is precisely what the outcome of this life for us as believers will NOT be. We won't be put to shame. And the love from God, to us His children, has been poured into our hearts, through the Holy Spirit WHO, has been given to us. So that we would know this, as we look on the free gift of Jesus' righteousness given to us.
Therefore, there is no more condemnation... We'll have to save that for next week!
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