(Romans 5:12-19)
What do we really need? We aren’t actually so great at distinguishing what we truly need from what we want. When we speak of upgrading something that is operating just fine, or replacing an older item with something just because it’s newer, we’re really in the realm of wants more than needs. And, while we joke about previous generations hanging on to things well past their shelf life – “nothing a little duct tape or glue or thread can’t fix,” that generation may have perhaps had a better handle on the distinction between wants and needs.
That distinction is important because, if everything is a need, then it waters down what we really need. And more than any other, this season of the church year, which we refer to as Lent, reveals exactly what we all truly need.
Good news! I think you’ll like what Paul says we need in Romans 5. He says we need a gift. Well, who could complain about that? Who doesn’t want a gift?
But… Paul isn’t just speaking of a gift that we want, which we may or may not get, but a gift that we need, and a gift without which we cannot succeed. Or live. Or love life to the fullest. FOMO is real with this gift, because without it, we are truly missing out. We can enjoy only the best that this world and its temporary, short-lived goods can offer. And frankly, that all leaves quite a bit to be desired. But with this gift, not only can we enjoy all of those things to the fullest for what they are, but we can rejoice and celebrate that we genuinely have something worth far more.
Before we jump right into exploring the size and shape of this gift, before we inspect the wrapping and shake it around to try to figure it out, notice how Paul explains why we need this gift. He paints a disturbing picture of the state of the world as a result of one catastrophic event: the Fall. “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—“ (v.12). Not only does this explain how sin entered the world, but it also sheds light on why even the best of this world will still leave us unsatisfied – because since the Fall, everything in the world has had the fingerprints of sin and death all over it.
Looking more at Paul’s writing in these verses, it may appear as if Paul was describing a time when people who sinned weren’t really doing anything wrong. But when Paul wrote that “sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law” (v.13) and “those who did not sin by breaking a command” (v.14), he wasn’t implying they weren’t guilty of anything (remember, he had already clarified that “all sinned” in verse 12!).
Rather, his point was that, even though God didn’t give the law until later at Mt. Sinai, the law wasn’t needed to prove that people sinned – death had already proven that! It was obvious that all had sinned because everyone ever born had died! The law was simply a sort of diagnostic test to help identify sin so that people could see it and know why death reigned.
The law was like a sign posted near Sunset Cliffs that warns a hiker walking close to the edge that they could fall and be injured or die. But, whether that sign is there or not, the same result would occur if someone walked off the cliff. Whether they see a sign or not, they would likely die. The sign just warns them of the danger. The law God gave just exposed sin and warned his people of the danger of it, but make no mistake: they were guilty of sin regardless of the law, and death was the proof.
Paul referenced the one selfish act that ushered that reality into the world. That act is recorded in Genesis 3. “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. [The Lord God] said, ‘Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” The man said, “The womanyou put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (Gen. 3:6, 11-13). Adam & Eve bought the lie that they were missing out, that God was withholding something from them, that he was keeping hidden that there was more for them to experience. So they disregarded God’s one command – just the one, the only one, remember – and sought to serve themselves.
The result of that selfish act of rebellion has been that the children have acted like the parents ever since. In other words, we naturally see the same selfishness in ourselves.
Doesn’t that explain why we have such a hard time distinguishing wants from needs? When I am so naturally self-absorbed, I filter everything that happens in life through the lens of how it affects me. Even when I do manage to put others first, eventually I want to be recognized for it!
“I put up with a lot today at work, so I deserve that impulse buy.” “I am constantly putting the kids first, so I owe myself a bottle of wine or a few drinks.” If no one else is going to acknowledge or reward our selflessness, we’ll make sure to take care of rewarding ourselves. How selfish is that?!? No wonder I confuse wants and needs – I am constantly fighting against that innate part of me that imagines the world revolving around me!
But, try as we might, it’s not just a switch we can turn off. It’s not fixed by all the effort we can muster in the world, because we can’t get rid of the selfish traits passed down to us from our first parents. Selfishness cannot be addressed with an antibiotic like some bacteria. It isn’t some virus that can be avoided with a vaccine. It is who we are, and we are helpless to fix it, no matter how hard we try. No, going to church doesn’t make us better people – there are a lot of jerks that go to church! Going to a Christian school doesn’t provide students with a moral compass that magically enables them to make all the right selfless decisions for the rest of their lives. We can’t fix our selfishness. It condemns us.
So why do we go to church or a Christian school then? Because it is where we receive the gift, a gift received only by grace – a Bible word that means “undeserved love.”
Not earned. Not deserved. Not merited. And with that assurance, it’s a gift that is extended to all people. Everyone. If not earned or deserved, then we’re all on equal footing. Our upbringing doesn’t come into play. Our intelligence doesn’t factor in. Our paycheck holds no value. We’re all in the same boat, helpless to earn or deserve it, which makes us perfectly ready to receive what can only be received as a gift.
Let that sink in. Read and reread verses 15-19 again and again, but do so taking note of some common themes. First, note the connection between the words “gift,” “grace,” and “Jesus Christ.” They are inseparable. They go together. They belong together. There is no gift without grace, and there is no grace apart from Jesus Christ.
Second, note that there is not a single mention of anything for you to do. Only to receive. Not do. Oh, there was plenty of focus in the early verses on how what we do results in death, but no mention at all in these verses of your doing, your obligation, your requirement, your expectation, your have-to’s, musts, or shoulds. Once Paul shifts his focus to the themes of gift/grace/Jesus Christ, those phrases completely disappear.
Do you see it? This is exactly what you and I need! Not a checklist or a personal improvement plan or a scolding to do better. We need a gift. It’s our only hope!
And Paul says that gift is ours through the grace of Jesus. Grace that we see in Jesus’ perfect life, devoid of even an ounce of selfishness. Grace that Jesus displayed, not only by being able to obey, but even in delighting in perfect obedience. Grace that drove Jesus to the ultimate act of obedience in humbling himself to death – even death on a cross – so that we might have the gift of life!
Only this gift overrules the condemnation passed down to us through Adam, which we daily demonstrate we deserve. It overrules it with the declaration of justification, a Bible word that means God says we’re not guilty. We’re not condemned. By faith, that is the gift of grace we receive through the life and death of Jesus Christ.
And even though Paul spends a few verses comparing what we received from Adam with what we receive through Christ, his whole point is that really, there’s no comparison at all! The one is completely unlike the other, superior in every single way. Consider the ways this gift differs from what we originally received from Adam: they differ as to their source, their verdict, and their results.
As to their source? One came by an act of disobedience; the other came entirely by grace. “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!” (v.15). Adam’s efforts gave us disobedience, whereas Christ’s lavish us with grace.
As to their verdict? One brought condemnation, while the other brought justification. Adam’s sin says “GUILTY!” to every one of us. Jesus’ gift, however, declares “NOT GUILTY!” to all!“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” (v.16). To remain in Adam, outside of faith, is to retain that verdict of condemnation, but to belong to Christ by faith is to be assured of a guilt-free record that declares us not condemned.
And because of that, there is no comparison between their results. One ensured that death would reign, while the other graciously overthrew that reign and replaced it with life. “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!” (v.17). Though we will all die, Jesus has the last word and reminds us that death doesn’t rule. Life does. Life to the full for as long as he grants us on earth, but eternal life forever beyond that. Only in Jesus has that sting of death been removed, because it is helpless ever again to overthrow Christ’s guarantee of life.
What do we really need? Nothing. Not a thing. By faith, you already have all that you need in the gift of God’s grace to you in Jesus Christ. Put all your wants to rest and find instead the satisfaction and serenity of living daily in the peace of knowing you have exactly what you need.
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