Note: This is one sermon from a multi-message series. The various parts are at the following links:

We'll take another chapter today in our look at grace. Recall that the reason for this series is the current emphasis on "grace" within Adventism -- something that we would gladly applaud were it only matched by a sound exposition of what grace is and means. Today we sometimes hear a very cheap version of grace, one in which obedience is bad. Where did we get this? Any such portrayal of grace should be sickening to the Bible Christian. Jesus said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15). How then could the grace coming from the same source as the commandments be so antagonistic to God's law? Remember His law He calls "My commandments," just as in speaking of His grace He says, "My grace is sufficient for thee" (2 Corinthians 12:9).

When we began this process, we decided we would chase Paul's use of the word "grace" through the book of Romans, and see where that took us.

Remember our findings from the previous messages. In Real Grace For Real People, we saw that actual grace leads us to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. in Real Grace in Romans 1-3 we saw something of what is actually the very, very great expense of grace and that at the end of time teachers would come attempting to turn it into a license to sin. In Real Grace in Romans Four we took a closer look at what it means to "impute," and caught some folks with their hand in the theological cookie-jar. The "blessed man" is not the fellow who's been forgiven but left a slave of sin; he's the man who through God's empowerment has consented to let His heavenly Father take his sins away. With those ideas in mind, let's continue our study now in Romans chapter five.

This Grace Wherein We Stand (Romans 5:2)

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. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us (Romans 5:1-5).

Our chapter here begins in speaking of those who are justified by faith, who have peace with God. All of this, of course, comes to us only through Jesus Christ. Now we consider carefully as Paul links this with grace: "By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

Literally, "access" here is to "bring forward." Three times this word comes in our New Testament, all by Paul. In Ephesians 2:18, we find that "For through Him [Jesus] we both [Jews and non-Jews] have access by one Spirit unto the Father." Ephesians 3:12 is the other, "In whom [i.e. Jesus] we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him [Jesus]."

The grace by which we stand -- by which we live victoriously over evil -- only comes to us through Jesus' empowerment of our faith. Remember, apart from God's intervention, our faith would be ineffectual and inoperative, essentially non-existent. Jesus' sacrifice on the cross opens the door. It grants heaven not license to cheat in the great controversy, but the means of going forward. The Holy Spirit in olden days was given on credit so to speak -- Jesus' sacrificial death upon the cross in humankind's place was then yet future. But now that He's followed through, the penalty of the law has been met in its Author, in its origin-point. Justice has been met. Now God can apply the benefits of His atonement, not in forgiving only, but in restoring.

To forgive us but not to change us would be a cruel trick. It would support the devil's charge that God's law really is unfair. It would call into question His (God's) character. Instead of Deliverer He would be a supreme Placebo-pusher, an arbitrary punisher of the helpless; just as our adversary wishes us to think of our Maker.

But Jesus brings us forward -- He grants us access by one Spirit to the Father, His forgiveness and His power. Remember, in our last study we found that to be justified was more than merely to be counted right. It means to be literally, actually, effectually "made right" with God. he is at peace with God who has pled for change and let Him make him internally right with Yahweh. He stands boldly, obediently. The Spirit of God makes a difference. He works from the inside out, working more than a token work. Never forget that our access to grace comes through Jesus and by means of faith. Faith includes our cooperative involvement. He gives the strength, we make the decision, and because God has worked we lay hold of His power living out the decision to obey. This is where we stand in grace.

Nor should we forget that our passage speaks of the development of Christian character. "Tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience, and experience, hope, etc." How does heaven go about the process of developing that in God's people? By the Holy Spirit who is poured out into our hearts, the "one Spirit" by whom we enjoy access to the Father. Thus heaven produces a victorious people.

The Gift by Grace (Romans 5:15)

Let's take this in its pieces. Consider Romans 5:12-14:

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.

Adam's decendents inherited a broken up, twisted up, weakened nature, but all who accept Christ by faith receive "the gift by grace" (Romans 5:15), "the gift of righteousness" (Romans 5:17), the reign of grace "through righteousness unto eternal life" (Romans 5:21).

Before Adam's sin, nothing on earth had died. All that had been created had lived. Satan was injected into the garden after having been cast down out of heaven in his rebellion. But still no one had died. It was only in Adam and Eve's disobedience to God that sin entered and death through sin. And two deaths entered at that point: the penalty death (second death), directly linked with morality, and the mere physical death (first death), to which the creation in general became subject. Because Jesus was willing at the moment that Adam sinned to promise to give His life in humanity's place, Scripture calls Him "The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8). As soon as death cast its palling shadow across the doorway of humanity, Jesus stuck His foot in the door. He promised to give His life in place of ours, unilaterally intervening, granting opportunity to receive salvation.

Adam and Christ

We pick up the contrast in Romans 5:15:

But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence 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.

Through the offense of one, this verse views many as dead. Romans 5:12 stated clearly that "death passed upon all men for that all have sinned." The Bible everywhere makes clear that our own sins condemn us, not the sins of our ancestors or descendants. We are born with weakness (Romans 5:6), but not with guilt or in guilt. Weakened through Adam, all since have made their own choice to follow the inclinations of that fatal revision of human nature, to sin, and thus it is as if all are standing in line waiting to receive their chosen fate -- eternal destruction. But along that pathway stands One pleading with everyone passing over it. Jesus offers to take the place of everyone who has sinned, to release them from that single-file procession of death.

"Much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one Man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded to many." Everyone can step aside from that line and enter life eternal. But they must accept the one Man, Jesus Christ and all that that acceptance means. Whereas sin reigned unto death through Adam, the reign of grace through righteousness comes through Jesus Christ. Next is Romans 5:16):

And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.

Through Adam, judgment and condemnation have settled over guilty humanity as a vulture upon the carrion. By that departure of Adam and Eve from the right the whole race was turned into a band of cutthroats. Naturally we now cleave to the evil; it is our nature. "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ," (1 Corinthians 15:57). The gift of Christ is not like the offense of Adam. By Adam's moral failure, the race was ruined. By Christ's moral victory -- and that gained in the fallen flesh of Adam -- "the free gift is of many offenses unto justification." That is, the gift is comprehensive. It covers our entire need. We have committed many offences, and so we need a full-featured form of justification.

Obedience Goes to the Cross

Adam sinned once and led the race to ruin. But Jesus lived without sinning even one day of His life for 33 years, took that obedience to the cross, signed-off there on the penalty for sin, and with His much more abounding flourish, granted us release from bondage; even the power to live righteous lives putting His life in our place. He went to heaven, into the heavenly sanctuary from whence He now transmits the effectual power of His atonement not only to forgive but to heal; not only to pardon, but to cleanse from all unrighteousness.

The free gift is "of many offenses unto justification." It is sufficient to heal all the open wounds of sin we've compiled into our experience, and go beyond to make us actually right with God. It is not an outward white-wash, but an inward washing-white. When David repented He asked God not merely to forgive him, but to "create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10).

Now Romans 5:17:

For if by one man's offence 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.

Death reigned by one. Adam bought us all an involuntary ticket to the morgue. Whether we receive the penalty of eternal death or not, we do all at least go down into the first death, the sleep death. But see, "much more they which receive" go into the reign of grace. Indeed, this verse even puts it that they themselves reign "by One, Jesus Christ."

Abundance Waiting for those Willing to receive It

How do we get to that? By receiving abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness. Notice that the reign of grace doesn't come through a simplistic, narrow, or convenient slice of translucent forgiveness hacked off the edge of the gospel. Forgiveness is only part of a package deal. God forgives and He cleanses. He's not content to give us just the table-scraps of grace, halfway solutions. He gives us "abundance" of grace. That's just the kind of God our God is. The smallest portion He gives is more than we can make change for. Thus salvation is all of God, and has in it not one thread of human devising -- not one fragment or figment of saving credit goes to us, but still we cooperate. Still the "much more" of the gospel is for "they which receive." And all can receive. If they're willing.

Are you willing?

See, what this means is more than many have heard of. When you ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins, and take you, and be your personal Savior, it means that you are saying, "Jesus, I am willing to go so far as even to receive the gift of righteousness." Are you willing to let God make you right?

All of this is available through the gospel. Look with wide eyes at Romans 5:18:

Therefore as by the offence 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.

Through Adam's sin, a race was lost. Through Christ's obedience, a race is saved (if we are willing to be saved). Notice ultimately, "for that all have sinned," judgment came upon all men unto condemnation." How many are excepted here? None! "All men" stand condemned and needing salvation. But just as all stand in need, so through our Lord Jesus Christ all have received something. Read it again: "Even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life."

By what Jesus did, "the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life." Listen, how many people did Jesus taste death for? The Bible says for "every man" (Hebrews 2:9). The free gift is for everyone who will receive it.

Jesus in the Pathway

O friends! Jesus stands alongside that single-file line of death. He urges everyone living to receive His precious O so precious free gift. He has tasted death for you and for me. See, everyone has to go past Christ if he would confirm his fealty to sin. Everyone has to say, "excuse me Jesus, but I'm on my way to destruction, please step aside," in order to be lost. Everyone at some point is confronted with the cross in their pathway. Jesus has wrought out "justification of life" for every man.

Friends, whatever we may have acquired through Adam, is cancelled out by what Jesus has done. And it's a gift, so there is no merit from us in it. It is given to all. The gift has landed at every doorstep. UPS has come. The precious package has been delivered. But some will refuse to open it. How sad that is, for how available God's grace is. For Romans 5:19 tells us that " For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous."

One man's disobedience led the race to ruin. All chose to follow their weakened inclinations to the dust of death. But "by the obedience of One" our Lord would make "many" what? Come now, say it: "righteous." Not only the limited expectation of being "counted" righteous, but here we have it -- no question about it -- "made" righteous.

That's what grace does. Grace makes righteous.

What real people need is not the phony kind of grace limited to forgiveness and hopeless living in the fallen humanity we're all born with. What we need is the kind of grace that makes righteous. Again, that's real grace for real people. So practical. So lovely. So desirable.

Real Grace Makes a Difference

The chapter closes with Romans 5:20-21:

Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

One quality about grace we can be sure of, it "much more" abounds. Sin reigned unto death. It entered through poor Adam. But Jesus had mercy on the race. As soon as there was sin there was a Savior. He stuck His foot in the door as soon as sin entered. He said, "Here I shall intervene. The reign of sin was put on notice from day one. Jesus would come. Jesus would bring real grace. And real grace would make a difference on this planet of pain, and reign through non-fictional righteousness unto eternal life.

Hear now these lines in closing, from none other than E. J. Waggoner speaking to this verse over a century ago:

The Bible does not teach us that God calls us righteous simply because Jesus of Nazareth was righteous eighteen hundred years ago. It says that by His obedience we are made righteous. Notice that it is present, actual righteousness. The trouble with those who object to the righteousness of Christ being imputed to believers is that they do not take into consideration the fact that Jesus lives. He is alive today, as much as when He was in Judea. "He ever liveth," and He is "the same yesterday, and today, and forever." His life is as perfectly in harmony with the law now as it was then. And He lives in the hearts of those who believe on Him. Therefore it is Christ's present obedience in believers that makes them righteous. They can of themselves do nothing, and so God in His love does it in them . . . . People are not simply counted righteous, but actually made righteous, by the obedience of Christ, who is as righteous as He ever was, and who lives today in those who yield to Him. His ability to live in any human being is shown in the fact that He took human flesh eighteen hundred years ago. What God did in the person of the Carpenter of Nazareth, He is willing and anxious to do in every man that believes. (Waggoner on Romans, p. 101-102).

Friends, there is real grace for us in Romans Five. Our lives are to be changed by this real gospel -- this real grace. Throw out the old version if it doesn't match these Scriptures. God stands ready through the One who went up to the cross to raise you up with Christ in newness of life.

In this hour we've come to, nothing less will get us through. Cling to our Jesus brothers and sisters. O cling to Him. He ever liveth to restore real people. And to that may we all say: amen.