Paul's Letter to the Romans Ch.5 Session 10

                                                                 We are dead in sin                                                              Pg.1
  Opening Prayer
Father God , we ask for Your guidance as we gather here tonight to study Your plan for our salvation as given to us in Paul’s letter to the Romans, We pray that you will help us to focus on those things that you would have us learn from these verses. We also ask your blessing on those of our group who cannot be here tonight, we pray that you will share our blessing with them, and bring them back into our midst soon. In Jesus name we pray, AMEN.

In this session Paul returns to the doctrine of justification by faith alone and focuses on two main issues that he has not yet explored in great detail. First, given that justification by faith alone is necessary to remedy the problem of our enmity with God, and why are all people apart from Christ, rebels against the Lord to begin with. Second, given that justification by faith alone puts people into a new legal status of righteousness, how does God constitute that righteousness?  Please read 1Corinthians 1: 30… pg.3
                                                                   Scripture study
Rom 5:12  Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned. 13  To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone's account where there is no law. 14  Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come. 15 but the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
                                                                    Discussion
Our scripture study tonight addresses the matter of sin, which is a reality in our world today because of the act of one man, Adam. And through sin, death is then also a part of the inheritance. And the death that was brought into the world by this sin did not affect Adam and Eve alone, it spread to all mankind. Since death is the punishment for all sin, then it (death) is a part of the human condition. Even Jesus Christ ( he who was without sin) had to die, because the one sin of the first man had condemned all men. Please read 2 Corinthians 5:21…pg.3
The fact that death entered the world at a point in history shows that death was not then, nor is it now, part of the natural order of things as God originally made them. We were not created to die, rather, we were created to Glorify God in all that we do. Death is an invader, a consequence of poor judgment, a mistake made because of mans desire to be equal with God. or as some would say, “in control”. As we study God’s word through the gospel, we come to an understanding that things are not as they should be in our relationship with God, nor in our relationship with each other, We are a world of lost sinners without hope except for the Grace of God. Please read Ephesians 1:7 & 2:8…pg3
                                               
Q.1 What message do these verses say about how sin came into the world?
Q.2 What is the meaning conveyed to us in vs.13?
Q.3 Why does verse 14 refer to the period of time from Adam to Moses?
Q.4 In these verses what do you see (besides death) as the consequence of Adam’s sin?
Q.5 To the believer, what is the Gift to which these verses refer?

                     

                                                                                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                                       Pg.2
                                                               Scripture study
Rom 5:16  Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17  For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! 18  Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. 19  For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. 20  The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21  so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

                                                                 Discussion
Because of  the one single sin of one man the curse of death was made to fall on us all. This was simply an act of one man disobeying God, and the condemnation of all followed as an act of God. Death was not in the original plan of creation but was brought about by this one man Adam.
This all happened before the law was given. Before the law there was no definition of the sin of man. Before the law death was rampant not affecting one only, but affecting all of mankind, and there was no good in man whatsoever, and no hope of good to come.( here we have a long interim of about 2600 years in which God destroys mankind except for Noah and his family)Then God gave his law to Moses and after the law, sin was made to increase.
For by the introduction of the law man was made acutely aware of his many sins, and his conscience was awakened. Since our sin was so rampant and became even more so after the law, God made a plan for our salvation. And because God gave His Son as the sacrifice for our sins, the gift of righteousness will reign throughout mankind in a greater increase, for those who will receive him into their hearts.
So if sin increased under the law, then grace increased much more under Jesus. The reign of grace is marked by righteousness and eternal life through Jesus. Grace reigns through righteousness. Paul wrote in another letter what grace teaches us. For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age. Please read Titus 2:11-12… pg.3.  Grace reigns through righteousness, and grace teaches righteousness.
So as believers, through the knowledge given to us in the Gospel, we can claim our justification because of the act of the one man Jesus. Please read John 11:25….pg3

Q.1 If death was not in God’s original plan of creation, why did sin occur?
Q.2 What is the difference in sin after God gave the law to Moses?
Q.3 What made it necessary for God to give us his Son for our salvation?
Q.4 What meaning can we derive from vs 20 and 21?






     
                                                                                                                                       Pg.3
                                                       Scripture reference

1Corinthians 1: 30, It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.

2 Corinthians 5:21, For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Ephesians 1:7  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace and  2:8, "By grace are ye saved, through faith and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God."

Titus 2:11-12, For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,

John 11:25, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” Our salvation is a FREE GIFT


A closing thought:
Grace is the way of Christian salvation. It is so because man stands before God dead in sin and under judgment in himself. Only God's grace and mercy can and does save us. In His grace God sends Jesus Christ to save his people from their sins. By the power of His grace, God in Christ works through His Holy Spirit in our hearts the way of salvation in us, by repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation, eternal life and eternal joy is from beginning to end God's great wonder of Grace. Our sins forgiven, our debts paid, our inheritance assured. And that, not of our own doing, for God destined it such that it is the finished work of Christ that eternal life belongs to the believer. It is God’s Gift, that our sins do not own us, and through Christ’s finished work that we are justified. Praise God for his Merciful Grace.




Closing Prayer
God of our salvation we are so thankful for Your Gift to us of Your Son Jesus. Your Gift of the Lamb of God which takes away the sins of this world. And we do accept and claim Your Gift as our justification before You. Bless us now as we go our separate ways and bring us back together next week. We pray now for our brothers and sisters in Christ who need your healing touch____________ Bring to these we have named, and to those who are in our thoughts and prayers, Your strength and comfort to sustain them in their time of need. Amen







                                                                                                                                                      Pg.4
                                                             Meditation
By Adams one sin, God condemned all mankind forever to be guilty of sin, and deserving of death because of the act of one man.  You may say then that you had nothing to do with the sin of Adam, and you prefer to stand on your own, and be judged on your own actions. And logically that seems right to many in our world today. “I am a good person, I do not blaspheme nor do I steal, I help others and I clothe and feed the destitute, and I give to charity, and to my church, and those in need. Besides that, which offenses of mine am I to be judged on. I should be fairly judged on my own life’s worth, my goodness far outweighs my sin. I do not want to be judged on someone else’s acts, I stand or fall based on my own worth”.
If then you stand on your own, does that imply also that your salvation is to be passed to you  based on your own goodness. Are you sure that your goodness outweighs your sin? Do you want to make that choice, your righteousness or Jesus’ righteousness? We are all subject to God’s law, and that is condemnation for our sins, and not one of us can justify self. The one Gift from God justifies the many, which also includes you. But God allows that you are the one who makes the decision to accept that Gift. It is your choice to accept or reject Christ’s sacrifice for your salvation. Eternal life is in the balance.
It is absolutely true that we were born into our identification with Adam, but we also choose it with our individual acts of sin. The sin we commit results in condemnation. And the free gift of God results in justification: The outcome of this choice, self or Jesus - means everything. If we choose self we receive judgment and condemnation. If we choose Jesus we receive a free gift of God's grace and justification.
The free gift came to all men. Does this mean that all men are justified by the free gift without making a personal choice? Every person has received the curse of Adam's offense. Is it therefore true that every person, even apart from their own personal choice, will receive the benefits of Jesus' obedience? Not at all. First, Paul makes it clear that the free gift is not like the offense - they are not identical in their application or in their result. Second, Paul calls the work of Jesus a free gift, and the sin of Adam is simply an imputation, we are all guilty because of Adam’s sin, It is not a gift, it is a curse, the curse of sin, Sin affected everybody for all time, the moment Adam did it.
This is the only way for the work of Jesus to benefit us in any way. If every man must stand for himself, without the representation of Jesus, then we will all perish. None would be saved, because each of us sins and falls short of the glory of God. Only a sinless person, (The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world), acting on our behalf can save us, and it is God’s will that He act on our behalf.
The person who says, "I don't want to be represented by Jesus; I want to represent myself" doesn't understand two things. First, they don't understand that it really isn't up to the individual. We didn't make the rules, God did. We simply have to deal with it. Secondly, they don't understand that our personal righteousness before God is of no more account than if it were filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). To God, our personal righteousness is an offensive counterfeit. So standing for yourself only guarantees your condemnation to continue with you into hell.
Praise the Lord for giving us the free Gift of His Son Jesus and praise God for the Gospel that teaches us to accept that Gift, and by so doing our salvation is assured and our righteousness shall abound, because of Jesus. Amen