…just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin…the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.
Romans 5
Paul finishes his writing of faith by telling the reader that believers are “justified” by faith and now have peace with God. The word “justified” is a legal term which means the sinner has had his sins paid for and he no longer faces punishment for his sins. Now, the human stands in God’s presence without any animosity from God. Lost people do not fully understand their standing before Holy God as an enemy of God.
Paul moves to writing of how sin entered the world through Adam. Adam was a “federal head” of humanity, meaning that Adam was placed in the Garden of Eden and was tested, by God, to see if Adam would choose, of his own free will, to obey God’s “rules.” When Adam sinned (disobeyed God’s rules), his sin corrupted all humans who came from him, that is all humans. Humanity is in a state of sin and misery and cannot change their state, unless the Creator God acts upon them to change their sinful disposition. Man is NOT able to save himself. He must have the Creator to save him. God planned, in eternity past, to provide salvation to some by sending His Son, as a human being, to live a sinless life and to die an atoning, substitutionary, sacrificial death. In this way, some of Adam’s descendants would be saved by God while satisfying God’s mandate that sinners must die. God, then, is the Judge of humanity and the Justifier of humans who believe in Jesus’ sinless life and sacrificial death. God’s wrath on sin has been met and Christ paid the price believers owed for their sin. Though we all were born sinful, God has provided the only way, through Jesus, to be saved. Are you among the saints of God or are you to receive God’s wrath in the fires of hell for eternity? You have no other choices. God commands all humanity to repent!
Source: S C Ball August 26, 2023
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