Romans 5:15-21 – Sin versus Righteousness

Topic: Sin versus Righteousness

Reading: Romans 5:15-21

Introduction and Overview

This section of scripture gives us an overview and a comparison between sin and righteousness. It looks at the effects of the two and compares the majesty of the righteousness that comes from God, against the depravity and destruction of sin.

In these words we gain an insight into what God has done for us. And not because we deserve this righteousness, because we do not receive it through anything we have done, but rather it is the free gift from God through faith in Jesus Christ.

Key points from reading:

  1. The effect of one sin led to the death for all people
  2. The effect of the death of one righteous man allows for the freedom from sin of all who have faith in God
  3. Sin reigns in death, but the grace of God reigns in the life we have through the gift of righteousness to all who believe

Discussion:

  1. Scripture: Romans 5:15
    • All of mankind die because they are sinners. This “gift” of death is inherited through the sin of Adam when he rejected the word of God and chose to listen to the devil instead.
    • God wanted to reconcile us to Himself ever since the fall of Adam, and He has achieved this through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
    • God has given us the free gift of righteousness by faith by believing that He has raised Jesus from the dead. We have this opportunity for redemption and reconciliation to God only through HIs grace and this fre gift He gives willingly to all who seek Him.
  2. Scripture: Romans 5:16-17
    • Consider the effect of these two things. One sin by one man brought death down upon all of mankind. When Adam sinned, it set the wheels of sin and death in motion such that all of his descendants likewise were born under the power of sin and death.
    • But by contrast, the obedience of Jesus Christ as the Son of God who lived and died for us, has brought about the possibility for a reconciliation to God. The free gift of God, through His unlimited grace, is to restore us to righteousness. When we believe that God has done the impossible by raising Jesus from the dead, He declares us to be righteous.
    • Death follows the many trespasses we commit in this life when we were sinners and without hope.
    • But life follows the free gift of righteousness through the grace of God given to those who believe and have faith.
    • Consider these last two statements. Many trespasses leads to death, but one act of faith wipes out the effect of all of those trespasses. If God declares us righteous, He has wiped away all of our sins. They are gone and forgotten by God, as He states in this verse.
  3. Scripture: Romans 5:18-19
    • The effect of the sin of one man led to all mankind being condemned. Adam’s sin led to death for all as we inherited the sin factor in our flesh from Adam. Condemnation reigned to all people because of the sin of one person, and because of the weakness of the passions of the flesh that lead us to sin.
    • So, to overcome the effects of sin and condemnation, God had to remove the impact of sin, and especially the condemnation that goes with it. If we are no longer condemned as sinners, then we can stand righteous in the presence of God.
    • Furthermore, when we receive His free gift of righteousness by faith in Jesus Christ, God redeems us from sin and is prepared to overlook our weaknesses that lead to sin, forgiving and forgetting them, as the Holy Spirit works within us to transform us into the image of Jesus Christ
    • The aim of the free gift of righteousness is to bring us into perfection so that we can live into eternity in the presence of God and Jesus Christ, without sin, without the weaknesses of human passion, and without death.
    • We die because of the disobedience of one man, Adam, but we live now because of the obedience of another man, Jesus Christ. And as we learn to obey Christ, we will live with Him in the offer of righteousness through God’s grace.
  4. Scripture: Romans 5:20-21
    • One thing we must remember is that it isn’t about the law. Many Christians become focused on trying to live under the law that they miss the point of the righteousness that comes by faith. When we attempt to be righteous under thee law, we are rejecting faith and the grace of God, because we seek a self-righteousness by “trying to be good.”
    • The law was given to provide the dividing line between sin and grace. The law defines good and bad, right and wrong. But the problem all of humanity has is that we cannot keep the law. Man continually breaks the laws of God and so suffers under sin and the consequences of sin. And law increases the power of sin because when a person breaks the law, they are both a sinner AND a lawbreaker, thus doubling the condemnation of the law.
    • But God in His great mercy and grace through the free gift of righteousness has taken away all of our past sins, AND also our future sins by removing us from the law in Jesus Christ. When the law is taken away, sin is not counted and there is no condemnation because you cannot break a law that you are not under. This will become much more clearer as we get into the studies of Romans chapters 6, 7, and 8.
    • God’s grace now protects us from the effect and condemnation of sin that leads to death. Because God declares us righteous when we believe that He raised Jesus from the dead, all of our past, present, and future sins are covered, exonerated and forgotten. And when this occurs, we receive the eternal life offered to those who are faithful in Jesus Christ.

Key Takeaways:

  1. The effect of sin is death, but the free gift of righteousness given by the grace of God leads us to life.
  2. Righteousness by faith is not earned and we do not do anything to receive it except for believing that God raised Christ from the dead. When we believe this and accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, we are declared righteous by God and are saved.
  3. This is the starting point for those who come to Christ. This declaration of righteousness by faith through the grace of God is just the beginning. The purpose of God’s grace in declaring His people righteous is so that He can then send His Holy Spirit who does the work of transformation with and in us.

Prayer Points

  1. Pray for understanding of all of these things, and that you accept Christ as your Lord, believing that God raised Him from the dead.
  2. Pray for the insight that allows you to receive this freedom from sin so that you no longer think of yourself as a sinner, but as a free person in Christ.
  3. Thank the Lord God for this grace and opportunity to receive His free gift of righteousness that leads to life, and to be able to escape the depravity of sin that holds the whole world in an iron grip.