Romans 5:12-6:23 Part A

So we're going to be looking today in Romans chapter 5 through chapter 8 for the Bible readings of the conference, particularly from verse 12 of Romans 5 through to the end of chapter 8. And it's always a little difficult jumping in the middle of something, and so there's some necessity for correlating the section that we're looking at with the previous section. So I'm going to read a few verses and then make some introductory comments. Romans chapter 1 verse 3 mentions concerning his son Jesus Christ our Lord who was made of the seed of David according to the flesh and declared to be the Son of God with power according to a spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead.

Verse 16, for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth to the Jew first and also to the Greek for therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith as it is written the just shall live by faith. When we come close to the end of that first section, the end of chapter 4, again we have reference to the imputing of righteousness and following on the reference to Abraham it says of us in verse 23 now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him but for us also to whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead who was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification. Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Now noticing verse 9 and 10 because they are important connectors much more than being now justified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath through him for if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life. Now when we start in verse 12 I think maybe I will read the last part of chapter 5 and then we will give the introductory material and then we'll try to look a little bit at that last part of chapter 5 and then I will read the rest of chapter 6 and then we will try to cover that as well Lord willing. So Romans chapter 5 in verse 12 this is where we'll be beginning in our discussion.

Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned for until the law sin was in the world but sin is not imputed when there is no law nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression who is the figure of him that was to come but not as the offense so also is the free gift for if through the offense of one many be dead much more the grace of God and the gift by grace which is by one man Jesus Christ hath abounded unto many and not as it was by one that sinned so as the gift for the judgment was by one to condemnation but the free gift is of many offenses unto justification for if by one man's offense death reigned by one much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life for as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous moreover the law entered that the offense might abound but where sin abounded grace did much more abound that as sin has reigned unto death even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord now in making up this outline the first page of the outline is really my introduction I thought that might save some time but it's kind of hard to save time by reading it again however I want to just make a couple of brief comments about the epistle as a whole Romans has been divided up in different ways but either generally we say chapters 1 to 8 doctrinal chapters 9 to 11 dispensational chapters 12 to 16 practical or you can think of the first eight chapters and divide it up as we have sort of already today and see the first movement as being the righteousness of God imputed and in the second section the righteousness of God imparted and then when you come to that dispensational section chapters 9 to 11 we see the righteousness of God defended in relation to God's dealings in the world with Israel and their unbelief and then in chapters 12 on the righteousness of God demonstrated in the lives of the Saints it's interesting that the theme of righteousness is really a dominant theme in the book God's righteousness being revealed and I'm just going to give you something that I was given many many years ago by someone else who did the legwork you can often gain a sense of the character of a book and the message of it just by some key words that are repeated over and over and over again so I'll run some of these by you law is mentioned 78 times sin 60 times death 42 times the word all 71 times righteousness 66 times faith 62 times in Christ 33 times the flesh 20 times the words impute or reckon which is the same word 19 times and then an exclamation God forbid 10 times so you get some inkling of the character of the book just from those kind of emphasis in terms that are used over and over again so we're looking at the introduction as I've put it down on the outline it's really the problem of sin and the power of God to save righteously we have to understand that emphasis that if God is going to deliver us it must be righteously it must be lawfully and so I put as the theme versus 16 and 17 of the first chapter I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation two glimpses of Christ I think draw this highlight chapter 1 the verses I read verses 3 and 4 in the dark background of universal departure abject depravity of mankind the Lord Jesus is presented he has become of the seed of David according to the flesh so he's a real man but he's marked out as the Son of God with power according to a spirit of holiness by the resurrection of the dead so the Lord Jesus in chapter 1 stands alone unique in contrast to a fallen humanity but by the time we come to chapter 8 we find the Lord Jesus standing among his redeemed brethren as the firstborn among many brethren redeemed and glorified and we will be manifested with Christ in his glory and if you can fathom any kind of gospel any kind of message that can change the picture from chapter 1 to chapter 8 that's a gospel not to be ashamed of God's power to save to deliver righteously so that we are capable of being associated with the wonderful Son of God in the character as sons of God we've been given such such a gospel and so in connecting what we are going to be looking at with the first section then we see that the problem of sin is twofold in chapter 3 and 9 all under sin 3 and 19 all guilty literally all under judgment to God so there are two key terms that I want to emphasize and that is that sin corrupts and sin condemns and what God has done in the gospel is that he has gone to the end point and he has dealt with our condemnation to the final doom that belongs to us and as it were Christ has run ahead and intervened between us and our doom and he interposed himself at the cross so that redemption from condemnation could be experienced so the great term is justification cleared from judgment no legal accountability for our sins hanging over us or threatening our future and so we are justified so in chapter 5 then we come into the realm of the joyful experience of reconciliation of enjoyment of God as he is and so as we look at that God's provision for the judicial consequences of our sins righteousness imputed justification is found in chapter 3 21 to 4 and 25 and then reconciliation the new relationship established and enjoyed and then I have jotted down this has already been referred to in ministry last night and I really appreciated that development of it the much more if we can recognize this as the all-important connecting idea between the foundation of justification of how far God has gone already to secure us to establish us in our relationship to himself we are justified so how much more is the accomplishment of his deliverance from sin in its corrupting influence sin in its very presence the glorification of the Saints everything else to follow because by the death of his son is accomplished our justification and I want to just draw attention to that expression in verse 10 if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his son much more we shall be saved by his life now if you've ever heard anyone preach the gospel from that you'll probably you'd probably be scratching your head saved by his life what is that referring to well I think it's leading into the second aspect of dealing with sin and that is my deliverance from sins effect and influence in my life is by my union with Christ in his life and so that's where we're going to be aiming for but again in dealing with that and that's where we come to God's provision for the moral corruption by sin the righteousness imparted again God must work righteously he must work lawfully so the first thing that we learn is now where we're at where the legal issues are the moral issues are between ourselves and sin and that's why we have verse 12 sin entering into the world I would have been happy to have closed the gospel at verse 11 of chapter 5 and think well everything solved my problems are solved I'm saved I'm heading for heaven the glory is before me but that has left untouched the issue of sin as it operates as it works and influences and all of us who are believers we've all had our struggles and we need to know to understand how God intends to deliver us from the influence the power of sin in our lives so again I put it as a twofold aspect the judicial aspect is deliverance from sins authority and I've had the impression for a long time that most of us go around and around in circles when we come into Romans chapter 6 especially and so hopefully we won't just go around in circles but we'll actually make progress to follow the line of development of truth through Romans 6 because it seems again like Romans 6 brings us to an accomplished climax everything's subtle fine and then you hit chapter 7 and it's like we're starting all over again and so in chapter 5 into 6 it is freedom from sins authority chapter 7 raises the issue of sins power operating power and that is answered in chapter 8 with the law of the Spirit of the Spirit's operating power so again the deliverance is by life so we're going to be looking at the judicial aspect primarily in this Bible reading and it is by the death of Christ and in a little bit of information I put down it emphasizes that it is through Adams transgression as head that sin and death have gained their dominion over man and God has counteracted that by a death of another man who is then exalted as head to be a new head over a new creation and the effects of the two men are what are presented to us in chapter 5 and then that identification with Christ is what leads into chapter 6 and the potential of living a new kind of life now you'll see that in chapter 7 I look at that as in my experience to deliver power and I've already touched on that briefly so let us just try to look then at the contrast this is starting into part one of the major part of the outline that we have on page 2 and so Romans chapter 5 verse 12 to 6 of 23 deliverance from sins authority by his redemptive death and we have Adams rebellion contrasted parallels with Christ's redemption so the emphasis is by one man by one man placed in contrast and I've had a little bit of an outline put there in chapter 5 sin entered death reigned one offense many dead condemned the law entered the offense would abound and sin reigned in death and the counterpoints of that is that grace has entered and the gift of righteousness many offenses swallowed up by justification through one grace overflowing grace reigning to eternal life so we see that God has a complete provision for the need of man as it is given so let's try to start then in chapter 5 in verse 12 and I recognize that the time is going to be very precious as we try to cover these these parts so what you have been bringing before us in brother is that in the first part of the book of Romans is dealing with sins it doesn't it begins after the flood when idolatry came in at the end of chapter 1 but now you're going back to creation because the subject is sin what we are and to deal with that subject again just as you have mentioned to deal with that subject it deals with the fact that every one of us has the same problem that is not my individual sins now but the very fact that by nature I have this matter of sin to deal with and God has a provision for that brother Bruce the fact of sin coming into the world and bringing death do you limit that to physical death or do you think it goes beyond physical death no I think it goes beyond physical death in fact that's going to be one of the challenges in looking at this whole section is that the word death is used with a variety of connotations and so I don't think we can limit it although that might be kind of the prominent impact as we read it but it clearly is is the full consequence of sin so it takes it to ultimately to the to the second death as we know it that separation although Adam are primarily links us with that first death at physical the last enemy that shall be destroyed first Corinthians 15 is death it is the ultimate embodiment of everything that went before I and I'm anticipating here hope I'm not disagreeing with you that the condemnation of chapter 5 is a condemnation that the whole world is under this subject of death that is our link with Adam we are therefore linked with death so in chapter 5 it's the legal accountability that has been established and I don't know I know to a lot of people it doesn't seem to make sense that one man's sin could cause the death sentence to descend upon a whole race and so that's what we need to kind of establish is what it what is the basis for that legal designation of under death under sin and under death so death passed upon all men sentence of death passed upon all men for that all sin is that personal performance of sin sins or is that the fact that when Adam sinned all sin in item in the argument of the chapter it's really referring to Adam sin and that's why I think in many of these verses you probably need to read the next two or three afterwards to catch where he's going in that particular verse and this that would certainly explain it verse 13 and 14 wouldn't it so when he brings in death again we we need to move down the chapter he's speaking to Jew and Gentile isn't it and the Jew had a definite commandment as Adam did but that didn't absolve others from sin because death was a proof that sin was upon all so he goes away beyond the giving of the law it's possible and I'm not sure which it is personally but it is possible to think of that as personal sin in verse 12 in this aspect only that the fact that I have sinned is evidence that I'm connected with Adam and therefore death has passed upon all so whether you think of it as the fact that I sinned the word the word is an heiress so you can put it wherever you want to in terms of time at when Adam sinned there was a result of that we want to be clear that none of us are accountable to God for Adam sin and therefore that may be my reason for backing up a little bit from all I have sinned and Adam but the fact of the matter is that I sin as an evidence that I am under Adams headship I'm under he represented me and therefore death has come to all of us so it's not that I am personally guilty for Adam sin we can't allow that but I am affected by it absolutely I think it would bring us wouldn't brother Bruce to Isaiah all we like sheep have gone astray that's my link with Adam but I did something I can't blame Adam I've turned everyone to his own way so it brings it back to me good yeah I think what it again getting to the idea of headship and authority because really this is what we're wrestling with right through to the end of chapter 6 the issue of the idea that there was a yielding in the garden of Eden to a contrary authority and yet they did not realize they were actually doing that they thought they were acting in their own interest in their own behalf and this is actually the genius of sin and I have sometimes wondered why Satan's name isn't attached to this whole thing because Satan is the true originator of sin and and it was really to an authority of the rebel the rival of God to which they actually handed over their dominion handed over his dominion and so this is something every human being needs to grasp there is no free independent act that is not in some way a service to some higher authority and originally Adam was given dominion authority in a tremendous way over the physical creation when he yielded to that temptation in his disobedience to God he was making a choice to serve an already existing rival to God what we can't quite fit together we don't quite have the understanding is how Satan's sin becomes our sin it had to be reproduced the Lord Jesus used that that connection in John chapter 8 when he said to those people you are of your father the devil and the works of your father you will do so our father goes back to Adam physically spiritually it actually goes back just a bit farther and but we're not focusing on Satan here we're focusing on God and man and sin because in the redemption that is going to be accomplished it is through a man you've used the word headship and we're really down to the end of verse 14 to deal with this and there's good material between but I think we need to my way of thinking we need to resolve this matter he is not viewed here as the head of the body that's Ephesian truth he is viewed as a different kind of head it is a federal headship that is to say Adam was a representative of the entire family what happened to Adam was on behalf of the entire family that are that are in Adam under his headship what happened with Christ is not only the work then that affects one man but just as God established headship with Adam he did it because he had Christ in mind there would be no other way to bring redemption to sinners apart from the truth of a federal head one who acts on behalf of others and Adam therefore was the federal head it was not that he affected his progeny just merely because they are his children he affected the race because he's the head the federal head of that race and so it to me it seems sorry Murray to me it seems important we've got to get the idea of federal headship firmly in our mind at this point to understand what Paul is dealing with I don't want to stall you here brother but for the sake of young believers I think there's something that's good to make clear we often hear them say the world uses the term that the devil made them do it the devil made nobody do it the devil didn't even make Adam do it all the devil does is suggest so there was no link between what was this really the devil and what was in Adam all he did was take a suggestion but am I saying my sin is she brother been pointing out does take me back to my link with a fallen race in a federal head found in Adam there's a character of Satan that is reproduced but Adam is accountable as the federal head for what took place so and this character character Satan reproduced in Adam yes that your children of your father the devil and this as DG will do so there is a the character of Satan that is rebellion against God okay I didn't think that was controversial now what's the problem I would just see something a little different there what did you say I would see Satan is coming otherwise you know I guess we're taking going back to what you mentioned opening the origin of sin itself okay but really I hadn't thought there was as much a link between Satan and Adam as there's between Adam and me no absolutely but what Adam did was like what Satan did okay he rebelled against God and therefore that the character of what Satan did Adam actually reproduced but what Adam did set the mold for all of us I'm not sure I understand totally what the problem is but but that's but that's why God has dealt with the issue of sin and the redemption into redeemed humanity all through a man and not through Satan because God has a headship directly invested in man and it will be in the divine Redeemer become man that he steps above that realm of Satan and and and reestablishes it upon an eternal foundation and so he's able to bypass Satan in that aspect right by the man and and so that's why I think even though man was a little lower than the angels and I and I know that there's some question of just how we relate in that way but I think there is a direct headship invested in man and federal headship I know sometimes that term is used and we don't quite understand in the sense of it being representative headship why is it representative headship because he has authority over a jurisdiction and I illustrate that by by the President of the United States or the Prime Minister of Canada making a decision to go to war or not to go to war all the citizens of that nation are therefore under obligation and affected by it whatever their personal inclination is and so that's the concept that we have here and just like you might disagree with something somebody decides in the federal parliament you're still affected by it under that jurisdiction the problem is we've all agreed with what Adam did the fact we've expressed it that not that we had to in order to become sinners but we have expressed that that we agree with what Adam did tragically we do so the children of the devil is in contrast with children of God they thought they were God's children but children of the devil but here as a I think it just look at these verses you have two heads and two families and two results but I have a question now for you when it says verse 13 unto the law sin was in the world but it was not imputed where there is no law what does that mean well the word imputed there is to put to account so it is not it is not dealt with as a transgression and that's why the word transgression is used in verse 14 I think where it says even over them who had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression and so the the sinnership is linked back to Adam's sin and not their personal sin in this section because of that so they weren't they weren't accounted as personally guilty for what Adam did it does it go beyond that Bruce no no what I'm saying is that that the argument that is being made here is it's the one man and the effect upon all and so even though they all sinned individually between Adam and the law they were under no direct law therefore sin was not imputed or put to their account so the judgment based upon them is that death sentence still goes back to Adam Adam had a revealed commandment okay they didn't until the law was given but did but would Lamech would Lamech have the wicked Lamech would he have been held accountable for his sins will he give account of those sins to God yes what we have in chapter 2 and the righteous judgment of God relates to our personal sins yes and those who were without law he says will perish without law those who sinned under the law will be judged by the law God does not hold sorry that's the difference God does not hold men accountable for a standard of which they're not aware and I take that to be what is here I take that also don't to be controversial but just to be helpful I hope I take that to be part of God's dealing with children God does not hold them accountable for what they do not know until there is a concept of sin against God they are not accountable to God for their sin yes they come to an age when they understand sin is against God that's a boundary that they crossed for personal accountability and some would never come to an age yeah there was still enough provision is made that's cut and then what I'm not talking in Greek here that's what we call it but people call the age of understanding what age that is we don't know but God does not hold persons accountable for a standard they are not aware of that's just a principle to draw to this it's it's specific to the age before between Adam and law so I don't partaking of the fruit would never have been sin apart from the commandment yes God gave commandment and from there on partaking of the fruit with sin this of agents that's the principle think about chapter 7 as well so the law shows the exceeding sinfulness of sin so from verse 15 down we are we are being presented with the contrasted parallelism and it's it's quite interesting it's a tongue twister I'm not sure how many of us have tried to explain something by saying well it's not like this just like it's just like that and and so it's the same only the opposite it's a balanced comparison yes it's it's put into one chorus one point corresponds to the other of one man by one act brought a consequence and then that is put in in counterpoint to the one man by the one act and I believe we're looking at the work on the cross and all of this when it says one act of righteousness and and obedience the first one Bruce in verse 15 at the end then through the offense of one many that one acting on behalf of the many impacting the many and that just goes to that what is set up at the beginning of that verse the typology God didn't start out with Adam and then say oh I gotta come up with something else God had Christ in mind redemption will be through Christ all the blessings that come to a race and a world will all be through Christ in order that that will be the case God sets up another headship not that he's fated or doomed Adam to failure but he knew that apart from Christ there could be no righteousness affected so God has established this one affecting many it's seen in Adam with the fence it's seen in Christ with grace and gift any suggestion brother Bruce as to why it says many and not all wouldn't it wouldn't the thought here be all but many well it might be so that I mean although they're in one of the other it does say all doesn't it too yeah many be dead that's all yeah yeah and I think just maybe it's not a limited atonement no no not a hard thing it's just that in contrast to the one yes yeah I think it's good help what's always helped me along this is whenever you have a comparison if you look long enough to see the contrast yes so we have a wonderful comparison but we really have a stark contrast to and they do it or change as you move yes yeah it's the many that are justified isn't it in the context yeah so it's the many that are under his headship the headship of Christ it's not so much the provision for all but it's all who actually have benefited from it in the context yes although although I think we would say that as to the bearing potentially it is towards all yeah you know like like it is as coextensive in its potential effect right it's on too many at the end of verse 15 but it's not a justification at the end of 16 mm-hmm yeah because I'm going from verse 18 and looking at the all there so the righteousness of one came upon or unto all men unto justification of life so so we have to see that it is just as Adams had the bearing towards all so Christ's work has the bearing towards all it's the one to the many I think we don't need to be so specific about the many as the concept that Paul is bringing up it's one many one many so if it were one acting on behalf of 15 it is one many it's one as compared to the many as compared to the unique man who is that in federal headship had to use the word again some of the sometimes maybe not so much here but it's just good to look at many as more than one I think that's the point here then try to narrow it down well the word gift in verse 15 is the idea of a bestowal something bestowed and of course the word grace is is very similar because grace and gift are sometimes used interchangeably although it is a different term the gift by grace bestowal by grace there's at least this much what we got from Adam was not a welcome thing what comes from Christ is a welcome gift that's desirable okay and some have given it a gift in grace right yeah so it's not not as the offense so also as a free gift so it's something altogether different isn't it the offense brought death but now the free gift brings life and if you could and if you're tempted to say the first one wasn't fair well then this is more than fair yeah that's the point you have got to see the end that God had in view otherwise you can accuse God of not being fair God established this idea of representative headship in order that in one man there might be blessing for a universe and a race and individuals so I wasn't here when Adam sinned also wasn't here when the Lord Jesus died in the cross I get I get a full benefit of one act at the cross and I wasn't present I didn't participate in it I've never expressed my agreement apart from the grace of God since then I never expressed my agreement with what Christ did in my sins I never did but at the moment of conversion I came into the full benefit of all of that so when you get this expression much more here's something that is actually more certain than death and there's not much we can talk about in life being more certain than death so it's it's emphasizing the greatness the certainty the assurance of the moving of God in love toward us to establish a new head who will never fail in whom we will be eternally secure and in him there is the abounding of goodness of God that righteously handles every issue caused by the first man's transgression there's a contrast isn't there between Romans and Hebrews in Rome and Hebrews it's no more but here it's much more which first are you looking oh yeah well I would say that it is really they who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life so I see this as the restoration to the dignity the nobility and the relationship that belong to us originally from God because Adam lost he became a slave under a dominion of sin and death and it's not merely that life reverses death here but that they who receive the gift shall reign and so there's the there's the recovery of man to his intended nobility and glory to be the vessel through which the glory of God is to be revealed and actually Bruce it is much more what we have and not just we in this church age what every man woman under Christ receives is much more than what Adam lost and Adam Adam lost innocency and what God had an Adam was wonderful but he has something more in us and that is that God has elevated us beyond innocent humanity redeemed humanity eventually for us to be made like Christ amazing much more you know God lost a tremendous amount I just gonna say God God allowed that loss wasn't the author of it he allowed that loss but through that he receives much more that's the miracle of who God is sorry yeah much more first 17 they which receive the abundance of grace now the abundance of grace not only has it dealt with the problem of sin under Adam but there's the many offenses that is referenced in first 16 so it is abundant when you think about you know one one disobedience and the catastrophe that is brought to think that in the grace of God through the one obedience of Christ and in the in the blessing of that one act of righteousness of Christ corresponding to the legal and moral aspects of the whole issue we are now introduced into a realm where where sin in its entirety and all its manifold effects are canceled out removed in the grace of God and so so it's that power of God through grace working that is being that is being emphasized here shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ is that anticipating chapter 8 yes yes really that's why the key I gave us the think the heading for the Bible reading was he eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord and and of course it goes beyond well I mean everything you've got in chapter 8 so we don't know about that yet I may be down at verse 19 already and we have I don't want to muddle this section but but I think it is important to emphasize what you said now some people gonna say David what you bother with this reform theology which is gaining a foothold in among Christian among Christians claims that we at the moment of conversion received all the righteous acts of Christ imputed to us well if that's true then all the unrighteous acts of Adam are imputed to every sinner of Adam's race therefore at the throne of judgment every unbeliever will answer not only for his own sins but for Adam's sins that's untenable it's never suggested in the Word of God but you if you have the parallel it's got to be that we did not have Christ's righteous acts imputed to us one act of obedience constituted us righteous in the sight of God we were given a righteous standing on the basis of one act and that is his obedience to even to the extent of death even the death of the cross so it's important for us to understand what was what we received from Adam was not an imputation of sins it was a condemnation of death that passes over the whole of his race with all that's implied with that what we get in justification is not an imputation of righteous acts but it's a righteous standing the grace wherein we stand going back to the beginning of the chapter it is a righteous standing that is ours so God's attributes were not imputed to us or Christ's righteous acts were not imputed to us or some righteous acts from anyone were not imputed to us a righteous standing we appear before God judicially righteously pronounced perfectly in harmony with all that God desires a man to be so justification that is not a work done in us but that's generation that's where we are in chapter 5 you're into the sanctification the work done in us right the work is done for us on our behalf and we stand in the good of it that's right it's not it's interesting it's significant to those it's not does not say what we naturally would think it would say that life reigns but it's in Christ Christ reigns but it's that life that is in him that he has parted to me the brother Bruce pointed out the beginning that and probably I never said the words but it probably meant come back to chapter 3 that the key thought and the Roman epistle is a manifestation of the righteousness of God that's key and it's in chapter 3 that because of his righteousness you might be just and the justifier of them that believe in him that's a divine declaration you are justified based on my righteousness and that's seen in the death of Christ one act of righteousness so the word righteousness one righteousness looks at the what you might call the legal aspect of the issue of sin and one obedience the moral aspect of it and so we are really we are really leading into the following chapters where and I'm not sure if everyone will agree with me on this or not where where as we try to keep the judicial and the experiential you know separate we start running into a place where they they have to merge into the wonderful reality of what salvation is and and so we're seeing that where we have righteousness even like to get the last expression even so much grace reigned through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord and so you're there's a life that is being entered into and so you got righteousness you've got justification that is the foundation but it also leads into righteousness of life and that becomes the challenge of chapter 6 well how are we going to live this life slave to sin or a servant to righteousness and so it's showing that the death of Christ has answered the issue of justice of righteousness but the obedience of Christ leads into the moral response that that is inherent in the life that he imparts and so we want to see that it that it merges together into into wonderful reality and not spend all our time trying to decide whether this is judicial and this is experiential and so on. Brother Bruce just not to hold you in verse 18 doesn't it answer our question earlier about death but not living it to physical death because it's significant to notice that the judgment came upon all to condemnation not to death so it really takes us beyond physical death doesn't it and then likewise the righteousness and the provision that has been made. I'm not positive that we have to go be go to eternal condemnation because under Adam's headship the accountability of sin is not the issue.

I'm being a little technical I think but the condemnation here is not so much the condemnation of standing before God at the great white throne it is where a person is at constituted a sinner and under death. It embraces all that goes with death but I don't want to push us beyond to take condemnation here to be condemnation at the Great White Throne. It goes further than that brother we'll talk about later go ahead.

I was just going to move you on a little in view of time. Verse 20 moreover the law entered now he did mention the law further up and mentioned Moses and here he just mentions it again but he's going to digress further in chapter 8 to clear up the problem of our link with a federal head with Adam that still needs to be dealt with and then he'll get to the law in chapter 7. Yeah he's actually picking up the thread of what he said in verse 13 when he brings it the law in now the law didn't make the problem the law just shows how great the problem is. Accented it and aggravated it so that sin would abound as transgression and as someone has said you know if a child comes in with mud on its feet you might be upset but you may not punish them for it if they didn't realize they had mud on their feet but if they come in and you say stop you've got mud on your feet and they look at you and walk right through into the living room on the carpet well then it changes doesn't it and so then there will be punishment for a deliberate disobedience against unknown law or command and so so the law entered that the offense might abound that it might be manifested in its true hostility and in subjection and violation of God's will and righteousness and it leaves us in a place of no safety under condemnation but where sin abounded in this way grace did much more abound so again we're being presented with this overwhelming work of God through Christ on the cross that has answered all of the need that has been presented by sin and its effect so it's mankind that's involved not just those that offended God by breaking the law but it's where sin abounded yes so it covers all not where the offense abounded but where sin abounded grace over abounded so we're enjoying this eternal life the eternal life it's not something to look forward to in the future something we have now that's John 17 it's the experience experience of indwelling of divine persons and it's a because in which grace super abounding grace is raining that's where we are now that's what we're enjoying now until the day we go to glory super abounding grace in a kingdom characterized by righteousness sometimes I think when we preach the gospel we don't preach that when you trust Christ as your Savior receive the indwelling Spirit of God your life changes sin is no longer your master going to get on chapter 6 we're no longer under the dominion of sin but it's righteousness that should characterize our lives it's not only positional but practical actually in this passage probably we're looking at the emphasis of eternal life though in the future we have eternal life now the fullness of what eternal life means we cannot enjoy now we're moving closer and closer but ultimately eternal life will be what we enter into at the rapture so isn't this the answer to how can a man be just before God right now yeah don't think it mentions heaven too much in this no in this book although who shall go up to bring it down so on so the condemnation is now as well at the beginning of the chapter he mentioned the grace wherein we stand righteously but we rejoice and hope with the glory of God so here's the echo of that again at the end of the chapter grace reigning through righteousness unto eternal life now if justification is not a work done in us here is something that is done within us we are the possessors of eternal life and that's going to be the threshold into chapter 6 as he anticipates life that is sanctified and set apart for God now perhaps I should read chapter 6 together and then we'll try to move into this wonderful chapter what shall we say shall we continue in that grace me about God forbid how shall we that are dead or died to sin live any longer therein knowing not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also should walk in unison life for if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection knowing this that our old man was crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin for he that is dead is freed from sin now we be dead with Christ we believe that we should also live with him knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dying no more death has no more dominion over him for in that he died he died unto sin once but in that he liveth he liveth unto God likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God through or in Christ Jesus our Lord let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body that you should obey it in the lusts thereof neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin but yield yourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God for sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under law but under grace what then shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace God forbid know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey his servants you are to whom you obey whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness but God be thanked that you were the servants of sin but you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you being then made free from sin you became servants of righteousness I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh for as you have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness for when you were the servants of sin you were free from righteousness what fruit had you then in those things whereof you are now ashamed for the end of those things is death but now being made free from sin and become servants to God you have your fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life for the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life and let's put it as in Jesus our Lord because that's one of the changes that you have in chapter 6 that it is in Christ rather than through Christ so now looking at chapter 6 we have dead to sin alive to God those are the contrasting expressions and so in the outline that I have for it I have verses 1 to 5 as identified with Christ in death and resurrection and then verse 6 and 7 termination transfer of identity and its intended result or 6 or 8 to 11 realization and reckoning dead to sin new life and relationship in the risen Christ and then finally verse 15 to 23 the incompatibility and futility of sin and the freedom in the new life of righteousness and holiness so if in chapter 5 we had two men presented before us as the keys to the problem and to God's provision for that problem now we have two masters that are being presented to us the master of sin and the master God or righteousness as we have it in the passage