Opening Prayer
Lord, speak to our hearts about the greatness of Your grace. Amen.
Text: Romans 5:12-16
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all 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 those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification.
Devotion
There is a similarity between Adam and Christ: Adam sinned and died, and all sinned and died in him, – Christ suffered death and rose again, and was justified, and that is everyone’s death and resurrection, justification for all. Death also reigned from Adam’s time to Moses, since the Law had not yet been given. This shows that Adam’s sin and guilt are everyone’s, for what transgressions of the law were there at that time other than Adam’s? We were all in Adam and fell by his fall and became subject to death. But we are likewise all raised in Christ and have received life again if we will believe.
Yet there is also a great difference, and it is in two respects: 1) Christ’s grace is so exceedingly great that nothing can compare with it; 2) Adam’s sin is one, judgment on it is one; but Christ’s grace is for many, both for Adam and for all those who have come since the Law was given.
Certainly sin is great and widespread in the world. We are all transgressors from birth on, evil by nature and disobedient in the heart. The whole human race is corrupt, poisoned, pervaded by evil. We all are guilty in Adam’s transgression as if each of us personally had done it ourselves. If we cannot comprehend it with our darkened reason, then God’s Word and our conscience tell us so forcefully that we cannot doubt it. Added to this are the innumerable transgressions that come into every person’s life. If the number of transgressions were multiplied by the number of everyone’s transgressions, who could read the resulting number? And how infernally poisonous is every single transgression, and how horrible some are! But still God’s grace in Christ is much greater than all the transgressions of the world put together. God’s grace and gift by the grace of the one Man Jesus Christ have abounded much more than the fall and death – much more, God’s Spirit says through Paul, spreading itself abundantly for many, – spreading itself, and abundantly, for many. And then Paul says: “Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more” (Rom 5:20). Such mercy God has shown us, and with such words He wants to help us to believe. So do not comply with Satan any more, as he wants you to doubt, because you are such a sinner, but listen to God’s Spirit, and boast of your hope in glory with God. Christ lives and intercedes for you, and won’t you be saved by His life? Or is your sin worth more than the death and life of God’s Son, and can your death be stronger than God’s righteousness? Should your unbelieving thoughts be true, but God’s Word a lie? No, Lord, I humble myself and bow before Your heavenly Gospel.
Closing Prayer
Give me grace for this by Your Spirit. My heart’s corruption, my hardness and insensitivity, my unbelief and worldliness, which always stand in the way of faith with all their sinful deeds and all my original sin, are a thousand times outweighed by the gift of Your grace, Lord Jesus. Blessed be Your name! Amen.
Hymn
O Love, Thou bottomless abyss,
My sins are swallowed up in thee!
Covered is my unrighteousness,
Nor spot of guilt remains on me,
While Jesus’ blood, through earth and skies
Mercy, free, boundless mercy! cries.
With faith I plunge me in this sea,
Here is my hope, my joy, my rest;
Hither, when hell assails, I flee,
I look into my Savior’s breast.
Away, sad doubt and anxious fear!
Mercy is all that’s written there.
Rothe: Now I have found the ground wherein L 448:4-5 ELH 499:3-4 tr. J. Wesley;
tune: Vater unser