Romans 5:19  For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
20  Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
21  That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Throughout the Bible it is evident that God cares about the soul of man. When Adam sinned, it was God that reached out to him, not the other way around. As we have noted from Romans 3, there is none that seeketh after God.
In Romans 5 God was very meticulous in reminding all who would read or hear His Word, that one man brought sin into the world. God also reminds us that we are all born as sinners because of that one man’s disobedience. Adam was not a serial murderer. He did not blow up a building with multiple people in it. He did not rob a corner store. He disobeyed God. There were only two people on earth at that time. Eve was deceived by the serpent to eat of the forbidden fruit. Adam chose to disobey a clear command from God.
We get a picture of the severity of sin when we stop to consider what God says. We also get another look at the love of God when we realize that One — more than just a man, the Lord Jesus Christ, provides salvation for all who will turn to God in repentance and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. Anyone who listens to the work of the Holy Spirit as they read or hear God’s Word, can never accept the lies being spewed out by New Evangelicals.
We know a man who calls himself a pastor, who has to go on a “sabbatical” every few years. I can understand why New Evangelical preachers need to go on sabbaticals. They have to get further brainwashing to try to block out the heavy conviction they are under. They know they are lying to themselves and to the people. They know they are guilty before God, but they love the money and they love the glamour. What a heavy price to pay for a future in the lake of fire.
In our text, God continued to remind all people that it was one man’s disobedience that plunged humanity into sin. Adam’s sin had far reaching consequences that he did not take into account prior to his disobedience. God wants us to stop and think about our thoughts and our actions. There are far reaching consequences to our thoughts and actions as well. We do not see that all. We can begin to see that if we get saved and let God open our eyes. We cannot control the effects of our sin. We can choose to turn to the One that God provided to make us righteous.
The Bible is very clear that Jesus Christ is the only Saviour. The Bible is very clear in teaching us that His obedience makes all the difference in those who are saved. The devil puts a faulty sense of care for others into the hearts of anyone who lets him. His version of love is the opposite of God’s love. He has a great tolerance for sin because he is the tempter. He takes pleasure in seeing others follow his wicked ideas.
In verse 20 we see that the law did not fix the sin problem. God did not give the law as a means of stopping sin. God gave Adam a law. Adam had to make a choice. He chose to defy God’s law. God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. No one, including Moses, could keep those Ten Commandments. No one since Moses has been able to keep them. Moses was also given many others laws which he taught the nation of Israel. Aaron broke God’s law before Moses ever came down the mountain with the Ten Commandments.
The law was never designed to save. It simply magnified the fact that man cannot keep God’s law. It simply proved the depravity of man. When you build a house and you mark a piece of wood for cutting, the square, or the tape measure will show whether you made the necessary cut properly. The square or the tape measure cannot fix a bad cut. It cannot lengthen a piece that was cut too short. It cannot fix a bad angle. All the square or tape measure can do is show whether the cut was right or wrong.
The law of God is righteous. It will show the sin of man every time. It cannot fix the problem. It cannot even prevent the problem. It can only show the righteousness of God. God’s grace cannot fix the effects of sin either. God’s grace will provide the forgiveness of sin. God’s grace is for those who trust in the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.
God’s Word is designed to feed man for his entire time on this earth. There is so much that we need to learn. We need to gain a clearer perspective on the gift of God’s salvation. We need a greater appreciation of His grace toward us.
In verse 21 we see that sin reigns unto death. Sin brought death to Adam and Eve at the moment they sinned. They were immediately dead, spiritually. God had to deal with them differently from that moment on. He now came seeking for Adam. He knew where Adam was, but He had to call out for him. Adam no longer wanted to be with God. He could not stand in His presence any longer. He tried to cover up his nakedness and failed at that. He tried to hide in God’s creation and he failed at that. He tried to lie his way out of his sin and he failed at that. He did everything except the right thing. Sound familiar?
It was God, in His grace that reached out to Adam. God gave Adam the opportunity to acknowledge his sin and to turn to God for forgiveness. Adam did not do that. God addressed Adam’s sin and declared the judgment necessary for the sin. God clothed Adam and Eve after their sin. He drove them from the Garden to keep them from living eternally in their sin.
God eventually provided the “seed of the woman” to bruise the head of the serpent. That promise was a “done deal” in God’s mind. He laid out His plan in a time frame for us, but Adam and Eve could only be forgiven through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In verse 21 we are told that grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus Christ is the “vehicle” by which God’s grace is given to man. In order for man to benefit from God’s grace, he must trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for His salvation.
It is quite common for man to distort God’s grace. The Calvinist is the master in that. Many others are influenced by that corrupted view of God’s grace. As we will see further in the book of Romans, God’s grace is not designed to overlook sin. It is not designed to diminish the consequences of sin. It is there to provide the means of forgiveness of sin, but also the means of avoiding sin.
We have mentioned before the distorted thought that ‘it is easier to ask for forgiveness, than for permission.’ Sadly, that wrong philosophy often governs how we live. That wrong philosophy needs to be renounced by born again Christians.
We need to memorize verses like:

Psalm 119:104  Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.

Psalm 119:128  Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way.

We need to walk soberly. That is not a “kill joy”. That is the way of blessing. The carnal man will not like that way, but the spiritual man will appreciate that way.

I Corinthians 15:57  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Pastor Bartel