Glorious Contrasts & Comparisons

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Introduction: Our salvation is accomplished through union with Jesus Christ. This section advances the argument concerning security This section builds on what has gone before *From our position due to justification *To the purpose that explains our justification *To the person who secured our justification We saw that Adam is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ (vs.14). Adam is a type of our Lord, there is likeness to our Lord, in at least two ways: 1. The idea of representation 2. The idea of imputation Now, when we come to verse 15, we come to see that Paul not only compares the first Adam with the last Adam in terms of likeness, he also points out their differences. In these verses we see glorious contrasts. Why does he point out these contrasts? Each of the contrasts points us to a facet of salvation. Our God wants us to have a better understanding of the grace that we have received. Each of the contrasts points to the PERSON in whom all of it was accomplished, THE LORD JESUS. Our God wants us to worship our Savior, to be thankful for what God has done for us in Christ. There are three main contrasts presented to us in verses 15-19. I. A CONTRAST IN THE NATURE OF THEIR ACTS (vs.15) The free gift is not like the trespass. A. ADAM’S ACT WAS A SINFUL ACT -ONE MAN’S TRESPASS Adam’s act was a TRESPASS. It was a violation of God’s law. God gave a clear command and Adam transgressed that command. He acted, willfully, against the will of God. B. JESUS’ WORK WAS THE WORK OF GRACE – ONE MAN’S FREE GIFT THIS SPEAKS OF A DIFFERENT ORIENTATION. THE NATURE OF WHAT THESE TWO MEN DID AS REPRESENTATIVES IS ENTIRELY DIFFERENT. A trespass is against God. Grace comes from God. A trespass is a selfish act. A gracious act is a sacrificial act. A trespass brings death and loss. The gift by the grace of Jesus brings abundant life and undeserved gain. NOTICE: Adam’s trespass meant MANY died. MUCH MORE (exceeding the power of Adam’s failure) God’s grace and the free gift of salvation ABOUNDED FOR MANY. Robert Haldane – “The greater abounding cannot possibly be with respect to the greater number of individuals benefited. None are benefited by Christ but those who were ruined in Adam. And only a part of those who were ruined are benefited. In this respect, then, instead of an abounding, there is a shortcoming. The abounding is evidently in the gift extending, not only to the recovery of what Adam lost, but to blessings which Adam did not possess, and had no reason to expect.”1 This is true, isn’t it, that the salvation given to us in Christ EXCEEDS what was lost for us in Adam. It points us to the true differences between grace and sin as well. Sin always robs, grace always gives. Sin always dishonors God, grace always magnifies God. Sin is selfish and rebellious at its core; grace is sacrificial and submissive at its core. One man acted selfishly and sinfully and as a result LOST something for us all, the 2nd man acted sacrificially and righteously and GAVE something to us all. One man’s selfish and sinful act BROUGHT US INTO DEATH, we lost life, the other man’s sacrificial and substitutionary act DELIVERED US FROM DEATH AND BRINGS LIFE to all those for whom He died. So that you have SIN versus GRACE, SELFISHNESS versus GIVING, man centered actions versus God centered actions. You have a representation that results in ruin vs. a representation that results in redemption. II. A CONTRAST IN THE RESULT OF THEIR ACTS (vs.16-17) “And the free gift is not like THE RESULT of that one man’s sin” What did these two very different acts produce? And by the way, when we talk about an act of sin, in regard to Adam, we have no problem understanding that. But this passage also speaks of an act of righteousness. (vs.18) Obviously Jesus accomplished salvation for us through more than one act. His entire life was necessary for our salvation. He accomplished salvation both through His active obedience to God (His life) and His passive obedience. (He suffered the penalty for our sins, he submitted Himself to death on a cross). I believe that the one act of righteousness that the apostle has in mind here is the death of Jesus on the cross, since that is the place where His righteous life was offered and our sin debt was paid. A. A CONTRAST WITH RESPECT TO TRESPASSES (vs.16) 1. THE RESULT OF ADAM’S WORK HAD TO DO WITH ONE TRESPASS