Salvation: Ever noticed that the free gift IS NOT AS the offence?

I’ve written on this before, but I find it so fascinating (and so often overlooked) I thought I would do so again since I felt like writing tonight.

Rom 5:1-21

1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

2  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

3  And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

4  And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

5  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.

6  For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

7  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

8  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

9  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from {out of – for upon whom does the wrath of God abide?} wrath through him.

10  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.

11  And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

We HAVE BEEN justified! (by His blood)

We HAVE BEEN reconciled to God! (by His death)

We HAVE RECEIVED the atonement!

(Not when we “believed” but “while we were yet sinners”.)

Therefore, we SHALL BE SAVE! (by His life)

12  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:

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 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.

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.

 

Are you paying attention? By ONE MAN sin entered the world. And by ONE MAN the gift of grace abounds. Notice, though, that the free gift (and it is FREE!) IS NOT “as the offence”.

Why not?

Because death passed onto all men because ALL HAVE SINNED.

The “one man” through whom sin entered, resulting in death, was “Adam” who, though he is “a figure of him who was to come,” represents ALL MANKIND.

This is “the natural man,” of whom there are MANY.

Many died in sin because MANY (ALL, save ONE) SINNED.

But this is NOT the case when it comes to justification.

Men are not justified by their own righteousness!

We are “imputed” with THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF ONE!

It is by THE OBEDIENCE OF ONE MAN that MANY OFFENCES have been JUSTIFIED.

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.

God is SOOOO GOOD!!!

17  For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one {the first/natural man of whom there are MANY}; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ {who was made a life-giving spirit, the ONE SPIRIT into whom ALL MEN have been gathered/baptized}.

Though it is ONE MAN (ADAM) vs ONE MAN (CHRIST), it is a MANY to ONE relationship. The first/natural man who is “of the earth” and of whom there are MANY and the second/spiritual man who is “the Lord from heaven” and whom there is ONE.

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.

Just as judgment came upon ALL MEN, so did the free gift!

19  For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

The same MANY who were “made sinners” by the disobedience of ONE MAN (ALL, BUT ONE) were “made righteous” by the obedience of ONE MAN (NONE, BUT ONE)

20  Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

21  That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Some will say that, though the gift is “free”, it is only ‘freely given’; it must be ‘accepted’ in order to be “received”.

So let us look at this word “received” in verse 11.

It is the Greek word “lambanō” and it means “to take” or “get a hold of”.

G2983

λαμβάνω

lambanō

lam-ban’-o

A prolonged form of a primary verb, which is used only as an alternate in certain tenses; to take (in very many applications, literally and figuratively [probably objective or active, to get hold of; whereas G1209 is rather subjective or passive, to have offered to one; while G138 is more violent, to seize or remove]): – accept, + be amazed, assay, attain, bring, X when I call, catch, come on (X unto), + forget, have, hold, obtain, receive (X after), take (away, up).

More importantly, it does not mean “to be offered” in the sense that it is something that one must “accept”

G1209

δέχομαι

dechomai

dekh’-om-ahee

Middle voice of a primary verb; to receive (in various applications, literally or figuratively): – accept, receive, take. Compare G2983.

We have not been “offered” katallagē (atonement, restoration, reconciliation), we have, indeed, received it. Not by our own efforts or our own obedience, but by the obedience of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now we “enter in” (to the knowledge of this truth) and are “saved” BY FAITH!

Do you have faith enough to enter into THE PROMISED LAND?

COME! Partake of THE TREE OF LIFE which is in the midst of THE PARADISE OF GOD!

WALK IN THE NEWNESS OF LIFE!! IN OBEDIENCE TO GOD!!

He was made sin, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him!!

Therefore, BE YE RECONCILED TO GOD!!

2Co 5:14-21

14  For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:

15  And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

16  Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.

17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

18  And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

19  To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

20  Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

21  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Praise the Lord!!

All Blessings in Christ,

Christine