Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the
world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men,
because all sinned – 13 for until the Law sin was in the
world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless
death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not
sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him
who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the
transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many
died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of
the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. 16 The gift is not
like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one
hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in
condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many
transgressions resulting in justification. 17 For if by the
transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more
those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of
righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus
Christ.

Christ Is Like Adam

We ended last week with the words at the end of verse 14, "Adam,
who is a type of Him who was to come." That is, Adam, the first
man, is a type or pattern or foreshadowing of Christ, who would
come much later in history. We asked, Why did Paul insert those
words just where he did? Why say that Adam is a pattern of Christ
right after saying, "Death reigned from Adam to Moses, even
over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of
Adam"? That is, right after saying that the personal sins of
Adam's descendants were not the root cause that brought their
death; it was their union with Adam in his sin. Why say right here,
Adam is a pattern of Christ? And I answered: because this is
precisely the point Paul wants to make about Christ and how we are
justified in him. Just as those who are in Adam die because of his
sin imputed to them, so also those who are in Christ live because
of his righteousness imputed to them. Just as it is not at root the
personal sinning of those in Adam that brought their condemnation,
so it is not at root the personal goodness of those who are in
Christ that brings their justification. The point of saying right
here that Adam is a pattern of Christ is to signal that
justification comes to us not on the ground of our obedience, but
on the ground of Christ's obedience and our union with him by faith
alone.

Christ Is Not Like Adam

That's where we ended last week in the text. Today we will take
up verses 15-17. Why these three verses? Because they form a very
distinct unit with a distinct purpose. You can see the purpose in
the first words of verse 15 and the first words of verse 16. He has
just said at the end of verse 14 that Adam is a type or pattern of
Christ. But now he says in verse 15: "But the free gift is not
like the transgression," and then in verse 16, "The gift is
not like that which came through the one who sinned."
Notice the two phrases, "not like."

The point of verses 15-17 is to show how Christ is not
like Adam. Yes, there is a similarity and a correspondence.
But we will miss the point entirely if we don't realize that the
similarity and correspondence are meant to highlight the difference
and the superiority of Christ and his work. The point is not simply
that Adam / sin / condemnation / death are different from Christ /
righteousness / justification / life. That is so obvious, you don't
need to take three verses to say that righteousness is not sin and
justification is not condemnation and life is not death.

Rather here's the point. Someone might say that Adam / sin /
condemnation / death equal negative ten (-10), and Christ /
righteousness / justification / life are the counterpart that equal
positive ten (+10). That would make clear that they correspond but
are different. But that is not what Paul is doing here. He
is saying that, yes, correspondence is there, but the positive side
is much more than an equalizer of the negative side. It doesn't
just balance the number, leaving us at zero, so to speak. Christ
and his righteousness and justification and life are much
more than Adam and his sin and condemnation and death. They
are not a positive ten, they are positive ten thousand.

You will see this plainly as we take each verse one at a time
and ask, How are Christ and his work not like Adam and his
work? How is Christ far superior?

So let's start with verse 15. "But [Notice this! Yes, Adam is a
pattern of Christ, but] the free gift [What is this? Verse
17, near the end: "gift of righteousness"] is not like the
transgression [that is, the transgression of Adam]. For if by the
transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of
God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound
to the many."

I want to make a minor point and a major point on each of these
three verses (15-17). The minor point here is this: Notice the
words "the one" and "the many." Verse 15b: "If by the transgression
of the one the many died, much more did the grace
of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ,
abound to the many." This is the real parallel throughout
this passage. Many are in Adam and many die because of one man's
transgression. Many are in Christ and many experience grace because
of the one man's grace. The minor point is simply this: judgment
came because of one man; salvation comes because of one man. There
was one way for all men to fall – in Adam. There is one way
for all to be saved – in Christ. It's the singularity of
Christ and his grace and righteousness that Paul wants us to see
and savor. See the uniqueness and singularity and greatness of
Christ in this text and worship him and love him and trust him.

Much More

Now for the major point in verse 15. What is the contrast that
Paul wants us to see? What is it in verse 15 that is not
parallel between Adam and Christ?

Verse 15 begins, "But the free gift is not like the
transgression." Now this seems too obvious to need repeating. The
free gift refers to the gift of righteousness, according to verse
17, and, of course, the gift of righteousness is not like the
transgression. Righteousness and transgression are opposites. Is
that all Paul wants to say? I don't think so. What he wants to say
is that when transgression and righteousness are contrasted,
righteousness – the grace that gives it – is far more
certain and far more preeminent than transgression.

You can see this in the next half of verse 15 that begins with
"for." "For if by the transgression of the one the many died,
much more [note this crucial phrase!] did the grace of God
and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to
the many." So in view of this supporting clause, I would paraphrase
verse 15a like this: "But we should not merely say, 'As the
transgression of one, so the gift of one.' No, no. What we should
say is, 'As the transgression of one, much more grace and
gift of one.'"

What does "much more" mean? "If many died . . . much
more will grace abound to many." Look at verse 10 to see the
answer. Verse 10: "If while we were enemies we were reconciled to
God through the death of His Son, much more, having been
reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." "Much more" in Paul's
mind is a "much more" of certainty, not a much more of quantity.
"Much more [certainly], having been reconciled, shall we be
saved."

Ultimate Purpose – The Praise of the Glory of God's
Grace

So it is here in verse 15. "For if by the transgression of the
one the many died, much more [certainly] did the grace of
God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound
to the many." Now here we have almost arrived at the major point of
verse 15: Why is it more certain that the grace of God abounds than
that the judgment of death follows transgression?

The reason is that God's ultimate purpose is not judgment but
the display of the glory of his grace. I could show you this from
Ephesians 1:3-6, where Paul says that the aim of all history is
"the praise of the glory of God's grace." I could show it to you
from Romans 9:22-23, where Paul says that God endures vessels of
wrath in order to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels
of mercy. Or I could show you from Romans 8:20-21, where Paul says
that judgment came upon creation with a view to a greater hope than
judgment: "For the creation was subjected to futility, not
willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope
that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to
corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of
God."

So here is the major point in Romans 5:15: If judgment followed
Adam's transgression, it is "much more" certain that God's grace
abounded and will abound, because judgment is not God's ultimate
purpose in the universe. Rather – and this is the major point
– the ultimate
purpose of God in creating and governing the
world the way he does is the display of abounding grace – not
to the exclusion of the display of justice and judgment and wrath,
but against the backdrop of judgment and wrath. The display of the
glory of his grace is God's ultimate purpose in the world –
and here the stress falls on the fact that all of this comes
through "the one Man, Jesus Christ." The glory of God's grace is
the glory of Christ applied to all who are in him. All of history
– all of its sin and redemption – is about the glory of
the grace of God in the one man Jesus Christ. That is the meaning
of history. That is the main point of verse 15.

Now verse 16. Here is another statement about how Adam and
Christ are not alike. "The gift [of righteousness, verse 17b] is
not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one
hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in
condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift [of
righteousness] arose from many transgressions resulting in
justification."

First the minor point: Notice, in the last half of the verse,
that the "free gift," which is the "gift of righteousness,"
according to verse 17, "results in justification." "The free gift
arose from many transgressions resulting in justification." This is
crucial because it shows that there is a foundation for
justification, namely, "the gift of the righteousness" of Christ,
or, as verse 18 calls it, "the one act of righteousness," or, as
verse 19 calls it, "the obedience of the One." Justification is not
merely a new relationship with God, or a new status before God,
hanging in the air. It is a new legal standing on the basis of
Christ's righteousness, or Christ's obedience. That is the minor
point in verse 16 – a huge minor point – "the free gift
results in justification." "The free gift" is not itself
justification; it is the foundation of justification. We are
declared righteous on the basis of the free gift of righteousness
– Christ's "righteousness" (verse 18), Christ's "obedience"
(verse 19).

When you read the gospels and you see your Lord living out a
perfect life of righteousness, rejoice that he not only is giving
you an example of how to live, but he is also laying the foundation
for your acceptance with God by grace through faith alone.

God's Grace Triumphs Over Many Transgressions, Not Just
One

Now what is the major point of verse 16? What is the contrast
that Paul sees between the work of Christ and the sin of Adam? He
says, "The gift is not like that which came through the one who
sinned." So we know he is still talking about how Adam and Christ
are not alike. The next clause gives us the explanation: "For on
the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in
condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many
transgressions resulting in justification."

Here's the contrast: One transgression (of Adam) leading to
condemnation versus many transgressions (of all of us) leading to
justification. What's the point? The point is again to display the
greatness of grace far outstripping the display of judgment.
How?

Well, condemnation is a natural and fitting response to
transgression. But justification is not a natural or fitting
response to a transgression, let alone many transgressions. So
there are at least two things that grace has to overcome for
justification to exist: One is that transgression calls for
condemnation; and the other is that many transgressions call for
great condemnation. What makes God's grace shine in this verse is
that it triumphs over both obstacles. How? By providing a
substitute righteousness. Because Christ was righteous for us, God
can now justify us in spite of many transgressions.

So be mightily encouraged here. Paul is trying to strengthen
your faith here. He is not just talking. You are to think something
here and feel something here. Think the truth about the greatness
of the grace of God and the free gift of righteousness that Christ
provides for all who trust him. Then feel the sweetness of God
himself reminding us in these words that the great number of our
past sins is no obstacle for God to justify us. Because there is a
"free gift" that "results in justification" – the gift of
Christ's righteousness.

That's the major point of verse 16: God's grace triumphs over
many transgressions – not just one – because he
provides a substitute righteousness for us in Christ.

Kings and Queens in the Age to Come

Finally, the minor and major points in verse 17. "For if by the
transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more
those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of
righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus
Christ."

First the minor point: When Paul says "those who
receive the abundance of grace" in verse 17b, he implies,
I think, that there are those who do not receive it. In
other words, Paul shows us here that "the many" in verse 15 who die
because of Adam's sin and the many who experience God's grace are
not the same group, for all humans are in Adam, but not all are in
Christ. Some receive the grace and some do not. So some are among
"the many" (verses 15, 19) or the "all" (verse 18) that are in
Christ.

Now, finally, in verse 17, what's the major point? Look
carefully and you will see it. He does not say, "If death
reigned through one [Adam], much more will life reign through
Christ." He does not say that we exchange rulers over us: Death for
life. He says more. He says that some day through Jesus Christ, we
will move from being ruled by death to becoming ourselves rulers in
life. Verse 17b: "Those who receive the abundance of grace and of
the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus
Christ" (see 2 Timothy 2:12).

So the final declaration of the supremacy and glory of God's
grace in this text is that it takes sinners like us who receive his
grace and makes us kings and queens in the age to come. It is
almost too good to be true. And if you believe it, if you humbly
rest in it, this glorious truth will change your life – not
just marriage (as I hinted last week), but everything.

Dwell on this, little Christian – and we are all little
Christians – dwell on this. Your inheritance is to reign like
a king or a queen in the presence of God (see Revelation 3:21). Let
this sustain you in the frustrations and the heartaches and the
pain of this present life.

Summary

Major point of verse 15: God's ultimate aim is to
display the preeminence and glory of his grace over the
judgment.

Major point of verse 16: God's grace triumphs not just
over one transgression, but over many transgressions and justifies
us on the basis of the substitute righteousness of Christ.

Major point of verse 17: The triumph of God's grace
will not simply replace life with death, but will make us reign in
life like kings in the presence of our Father forever and ever.

Lay hold on these great truths about grace. Trust Christ. Trust
him. He will be your righteousness and your life and your joy.