Worship Service: God's Glorious Work 2 -- Mike Cooper

Paul sets Romans 5:12-21 before the church as the big contrast between Adam and Christ, between the transgression and the free gift. Adam’s rebellion brought sin into the world, and sin brought death, not just physical death but eternal separation from God. Death spread to all because all sinned, and humanity under Adam keeps proving that rebellion does not have to be taught. The child who does the one thing he was told not to do becomes a pretty plain picture of the fallen heart.

The law shows what sin is, but the law does not rescue from sin. Death reigned from Adam to Moses, and the story of God’s people keeps showing the same problem. The human heart thinks it has things figured out, like young ballplayers who will not listen to a coach until the strikeouts start piling up. Life exposes that kind of pride, and sin shows again that no person can save himself.

Paul then turns the corner to the free gift. The gift is not like the transgression, because Adam’s one act brought condemnation, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings justification and life. Jesus bridges the gap sin made. His death does not leave salvation as something to guess about or work up by religious effort. His “it is finished” means everything necessary has been accomplished.

Salvation comes as a gift, not as a prize won by skill. The carnival game picture makes the point plainly. A man might knock somebody into a dunk tank because he has the right arm, but nobody gets into the family of God because of a good skill set, church attendance, background, or personal record. “You don’t earn it. You don’t win it. You receive it.”

Christ’s substitution stands at the center of that gift. Like the story from Les Miserables, the guilty one has no real defense, and another steps in to take the place. Before God, the whole list of sin would condemn, but Jesus has already paid for that list. God sees the righteousness of Christ placed on the one who trusts him.

Grace then teaches mercy. God’s mercy covers all sin, not most of it, not almost all of it, but all of it. The one who has received that mercy is called not to be stingy with mercy toward others. The hope of salvation begins with admitting that self rescue is impossible, and that Christ has already done what sinners could never do.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Adam’s rebellion still explains death [34:04] Adam’s sin is not treated as an old story with no present weight. Paul makes Adam the doorway through which sin and death entered the human condition. The stubborn impulse to do the forbidden thing shows that rebellion is not merely learned behavior, but a deep sickness needing redemption. [34:04]
• 2. Grace is received, not earned [43:13] Salvation does not work like a carnival game where skill wins the prize. The free gift of God refuses to be handled as a wage, a trophy, or proof that a person finally measured up. Grace humbles the receiver because it must be taken empty handed, with no claim except Christ. [43:13]
• 3. Christ paid the whole list [50:48] The sinner standing before God with every wrong exposed has no defense strong enough to survive judgment. Christ changes the balance sheet by taking the wrath that belonged to the guilty. Justification means God sees Christ’s righteousness, not the mess of the one who trusts him. [50:48]
• 4. Mercy received must become mercy shared [52:59] Mercy is easy to crave and much harder to give. God’s mercy covers all sin, and that fullness exposes the smallness of a heart that withholds forgiveness from others. The forgiven life is not careless about sin, but it cannot treat mercy as a private possession.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [26:35] - Romans 5:12-21 Reading
• [28:42] - Adam’s Sin and Humanity’s Curse
• [29:52] - Christ Restores the Broken Relationship
• [30:51] - Teachable Hearts and Baseball Lessons
• [34:04] - Sin, Law, and Death’s Reign
• [36:35] - Bad News Before Good News
• [37:09] - The Free Gift of Grace
• [39:25] - Jesus Frees From Sin’s Chains
• [40:29] - It Is Finished
• [41:14] - Salvation Is Not a Carnival Game
• [45:25] - Receiving the Gift Offered
• [47:33] - Christ Alone Took the Place
• [49:30] - The Substitute Who Steps In
• [52:22] - Mercy Received and Shared
• [54:13] - Closing Prayer

Bible Reading

Romans 5:12-21
“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” [26:35]

John 19:30
“When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, ‘It is finished,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” [40:29]

1 John 1:9
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Observation questions

1. In Romans 5:12-21, what words or ideas keep getting repeated as Paul compares Adam and Christ, and what two results are being contrasted through the whole passage? [28:42]
2. According to Romans 5:12-14, what entered the world through one man, and what does Paul say reigned from Adam to Moses? [34:24]
3. In Romans 5:15-17, what does Paul call salvation again and again, and how is that different from the way people usually think about getting what they want in life? [40:57]
4. In Romans 5:19-21, what does Paul say Christ’s obedience brings, and what does he say grace does where sin increased? [51:24]

Interpretation questions

1. Paul says one man’s trespass brought condemnation, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings justification and life. Why does Paul set salvation up as something accomplished by another rather than something built by personal effort? [37:41]
2. Jesus’ words “It is finished” mean more than the end of his earthly life. How does that shape the way a believer thinks about assurance, guilt, and the fear of not having done enough? [40:29]
3. Romans 5 says the law increases trespass, yet grace abounds all the more. How can the law expose sin clearly without having the power to rescue a sinner from it? [34:38]
4. If Christ has already paid the whole list of sin and God sees Christ’s righteousness on the one who trusts him, what does that help explain about justification? [50:48]

Application questions

1. Adam’s rebellion shows up in ordinary life, not just in the garden. Where has that stubborn “I know better” attitude shown up recently in thought, speech, or behavior? [33:21]
2. Salvation is received, not earned. Where is the temptation strongest to treat acceptance with God like something to prove through church involvement, moral effort, or trying to be better than before? [43:43]
3. Some people find it easier to help others than to admit they themselves need help. What makes it hard to come to Christ empty-handed and simply receive grace? [46:55]
4. Christ alone took the guilty person’s place. When guilt from past sin comes back up, what helps the heart rest in the truth that the debt has already been paid? [47:33]
5. God’s mercy covers all sin, not most of it. Is there a particular sin or failure that still feels as if it falls outside that mercy, even though Scripture says otherwise? How should 1 John 1:9 speak into that? [53:37]
6. Mercy received must become mercy shared. Is there someone right now who is being judged more harshly than the mercy personally desired from God? What would a more merciful response look like without pretending sin does not matter? [53:22]
7. The beginning of hope is admitting that self-rescue is impossible. In what area of life is there still acting as though strength, wisdom, or discipline can save the day apart from Christ? [54:18]