April 13, 2018
Too Good to Be True?
Romans 5:12–18
Emily Thomas
Central Truth
One man’s sin messed everything up for the rest of us. This is not difficult to imagine because we know how rotten people can sometimes be. What’s more difficult to believe is that one Man’s sacrifice gave us the opportunity to make every wrong right.
Romans 5:12–18
Death in Adam, Life in Christ
12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men 1 5:12 The Greek word anthropoi refers here to both men and women; also twice in verse 18 because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
18 Therefore, as one trespass 2 5:18 Or the trespass of one led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness 3 5:18 Or the act of righteousness of one leads to justification and life for all men.
Dive Deeper | Romans 5:12–18
Yesterday, the news released a story that nine people were murdered in my neighborhood. I heard news helicopters overhead all night long, and I still can’t drive down the neighborhood roads that the police have blocked off for their investigation.
At no point was I surprised that this devastation was brought to my neighborhood by just one person. If you’ve been around a person for any length of time, you also know that people (all of them—yes, even you) are capable of some pretty horrific acts. While we might be saddened by the darkness we see in the news or in our own lives, we should not be surprised by it. It all started from one man’s trespass, and we all have been deeply affected.
The part I find too wonderful to fully grasp is how ALL that darkness could be erased and redeemed by ONE man’s act. And even more astounding—the redemption is free! Honestly, it sounds like a claim you might hear on an infomercial at 3 a.m. How could one man clean up the gigantic messes we have all collectively made? To our limited human logic, the idea that anything that life-changing would be possible (and free) is simply “too good to be true.”
Friends, what a remarkably blessed people we are! We serve a God who is both “too good” AND true! The outlandish is completely in His wheelhouse! The more left-field, the better. His plans are higher than our plans, and He is easily able to do more than we ask, think, or imagine.
Do I fully grasp the mystery that Christ’s finished work on the cross has completely cleaned up my mess and yours? Not at all. Do I gratefully accept it and live from a gratefully forgiven place? 100 percent.
This month's memory verse
3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”
– Romans 4:3
Discussion Questions
1. Do you take God at His Word, or do you sometimes think the Bible’s claims are too good to be true?
2. Which of God’s promises are you skeptical of?
3. Belief causes behavior. Does your behavior lately show that you believe you are 100 percent redeemed and forgiven by Jesus’ finished work on the cross? Would your community group agree?