In Adam or In Christ? – The Presidential Prayer Team

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. – Romans 5:15

Some gifts are more treasured than others. In creation, God gave humans a perfect gift—a daily relationship with Him in a beautiful garden, with animals to enjoy and food to eat. There was only one rule to keep. They broke that command. By one man, Adam, sin entered the world, and along with it, death. The preciousness of that Garden of Eden gift was taken away, and for thousands of years, sin and death ruled. But God, rich in mercy and having great love for all humankind, gave the world another gift—His Son, Jesus Christ, so that by this one Man, the sin burden might be removed and the relationship with God restored (Ephesians 2:1-7).

You have a singular position before God. You are either in Adam or in Christ. New Testament professor William Hendriksen writes, “In these verses Paul shows that the parallel Adam-Christ is mainly one of contrast, in the sense that Christ’s influence for good far outweighs Adam’s effectiveness for evil: the free gift is ‘not like the trespass,’ that is, is far more effective than the trespass.“

Theologian and author James Denny says, “The gift which is freely provided for sinners in the Gospel, [is], Divine righteousness and life.”

Dr. J. Vernon McGee writes, “What Paul is saying is that we have much more in Christ than we lost in Adam.” This “much more” is salvation through the death of one Man (Jesus) for the sins of the entire world. As John MacArthur says, “Christ’s one act of redemption was immeasurably greater than Adam’s one act of condemnation.” What are you doing with this incredible free gift? Do you treasure it above all else? It is something for you to share, not to hoard. There may be many in your sphere of influence, who have no concept of what it means to be in Christ. Jesus gave His life as a ransom for them also (Mark 10:45). If you are the only “Bible” that someone else might read, ensure you are true to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. “Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15).

Today’s Verse: Romans 5:15

All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Recommended for further reading: Romans 5:12-21

¹²Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— ¹³for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. ¹⁴Yet 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.

¹⁵But 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. ¹⁶And 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. ¹⁷For 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.

¹⁸Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. ¹⁹For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. ²⁰Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, ²¹so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.