Romans 5:18-21 (NIV)
Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
In these paragraphs, Paul uses a series of contrasts to show not only the difference between Adam and Jesus, but the difference between the two dispensations that they operated in.
He reemphasizes that through one trespass (going past a line drawn by God to define righteousness and thus crossing over into sin), condemnation impacted everyone born in Adam’s line. (Which is everyone!) But through one righteous act, Jesus’ death on the cross, justification and eternal life became available to everyone who believes in Him.
Through Adam’s disobedience, all humanity became sinners because of the distortion of the divine image in them and the resultant tendency toward sinful behavior that he passed down to his descendants. But Jesus’ death and resurrection transform the heart of those who believe, undoing the damage to our hearts caused by the sin, and giving every believer a clean slate, a fresh start, and a genuine righteousness before God that provides a firm footing to start again.
Paul statement that the law was given to multiply sin might seem confusing. But without knowing what God’s standards and requirements are, it is difficult for people to know and understand how lost they really are. When we hear and understand what God requires and what He has commanded, we suddenly see all our sins for what they really are, and it becomes very clear to us how far from righteousness we have been living and how much we need to repent so that we can receive forgiveness and justification.
Sin leads to death, spiritual death leading ultimately to physical death and eternal death. Thus, before Jesus came, sin and its resultant death were the predominant spiritual forces at play in the world, imprisoning and dooming all humanity. But when Jesus appeared, He brought God’s grace into the world (John 1:16-17). And that grace ultimately leads to spiritual life, thence to justification and true righteousness, and finally to eternal life, something that the law was never able to accomplish (Romans 8:3-4).
Father, some might wonder why You even bothered with the law, since it couldn’t save people. But its purpose was to more fully reveal Your character and Your standards, so that people could easily see how far we are from Your holiness, and how much we need Your grace, so that we are driven to repentance. And, if we use the law for what is was designed for, it can draw us to You and Your salvation, as Paul found out when he finally surrendered to You and repented. That’s my story, too! Thank You for Your word, Your law, and Your grace that makes it all work in our hearts, so that we can be saved, so that we can be justified, and so that we can have eternal life. Amen.