 The Righteousness of One
Romans 5:18-21
Rev. Dale A. Van DykeTherefore, 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. - Romans 5:18-21
Introduction
We’ve come to the last portion of Romans chapter 5, and
consequently the last sermon specifically regarding
justification. We’ve taken our time to work through these
chapters because this is where Paul takes his time. According to
Romans 1:16, Paul clearly sees this doctrine as the core message
of the gospel, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, ..... 17 For in
the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness
that is by faith from first to last...
The doctrine of justification is the key truth of the gospel. If
you get this wrong, you’ve gotten the gospel wrong. And the
persistent, natural, human tendency is to do exactly that! There
is a never-ending tendency, seen throughout the history of the
church, and in every human heart, to drift away from the full,
glorious freedom of grace and to return, in some way, to a
merit-based relationship with God. It is as natural for us as
breathing itself to think that God deals with us primarily
according to our own individual obedience or lack thereof. It is
as unnatural to us as walking on water, (as the Apostle Peter
discovered), to truly rely on Christ alone.
You need to realize that the doctrine of justification is not
an easy doctrine to believe! It is as difficult as believing the
waves will let you walk over them. It simply runs contrary to
everything we expect that God would love us gloriously and
freely and fully while we are still sinners. That is a difficult
thing to believe. And it is a difficult faith to maintain. We
can believe it when we hear it preached and it makes sense and
we experience the joy of trusting in it. But then we walk a few
steps into our week and find the waves of our sin beginning to
rise all around us and the howling wind of the devils accusation
ringing in our ears and we, like Peter, begin to sink in doubt.
Some of you have said to me, I can believe this and understand
it when you are preaching it, but halfway through the week, it
seems like I’ve lost it. It is not an easy thing to believe, and
even in believing, it is an easy thing to falter.
But that is precisely why Paul labors so long and hard on this
doctrine. In chapter 3 verse 21 through chapter 4 he carefully
explained how we are justified by grace alone through faith
alone. By faith alone we receive a righteousness not our own so
that no man may boast and God may be glorified as both just and
the justifier of the ungodly. And I believe we need to hear what
Paul is saying in Romans 5:18ff in order to help us deeply
believe all that he has said to this point. In fact, I believe
this portion of Paul’s discussion of justification is the most
critical part to help us believe it. Here we see that our
justification rests squarely on the obedience and righteousness
of Christ imputed to us and our being united to Christ our
federal head. This is where we begin to feel the firmness of the
gospel underneath our feet. This is where the doctrine of
justification moves from being a wonderful doctrine I can gaze
upon, like a pretty picture on the wall, to becoming a
rock-solid reality that I have learned to stand on. This is
where our most pressing questions are answered: How is it that
God can treat me as if I myself am righteous when I know I’m
not? How can God continue to love me and do good to me even when
I fail continually? How can I know, truly, experientially know
that I am justified and live in the favor of God’s smiling face
not only when I’m riding the crest of a religious experience but
also when I’m in the trough of my sinful worst?
This morning we see that the answer to those questions is found,
specifically, in the doctrine of imputation and federal
headship. For here we see that all the glory of justification is
sealed to us because of our union with Christ and the imputation
of his obedience to us. You see, it is easy for us to believe
that God would be kind and eternally loving to Christ. After
all, Jesus is God’s own Son. And Jesus perfectly obeyed the
Father even to the point of death. It is perfectly
understandable that God would show nothing but divine approval
to Christ. What God wants us to see this morning is that all the
love and approval and kindness God gives to Christ also belongs
to us by virtue of our union with Christ. By faith, we have been
given to Jesus. He has become our federal head, his
righteousness becomes the basis of God’s dealing not only with
him, but also with us. That is the firm foundation which makes
justification believable. No matter how mountainous my sin, or
how shrill the devil’s accusation, nothing can change the fact
that God has given me to Jesus and I belong to him. We stand in
grace because we stand in Christ.
I. The Comparison Completed (18-19)
A. The Parallel
Our text actually begins in verse 12 where Paul began drawing
this parallel between Adam and Christ. “Therefore, just as sin
entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in
this way death came to all men, because all sinned.”
And he could have gone on to say, “so also righteousness entered
the world through one man and life through righteousness”, but
he took a short sidetrack. Now in verse 18, he continues the
comparison. “Consequently, just as the result of one trespass
was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of
righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.”
1. One Trespass
“The result of one trespass was condemnation for all men.”
We have already noted the God-designed reality of federal
headship. The most fundamental reason people are born under
condemnation and suffer physical and spiritual death under the
wrath of God is not first of all due to their own sin, but due
to their belonging to Adam. His role as the head of the human
race means that his sin is imputed to all his descendants.
Adam’s one act of disobeying God’s clear command resulted in
condemnation and death for all men.
2. One Act of Righteousness
“The result of one act of righteousness was justification
that brings life to all men.”
This phrase is at the core of the gospel. What is the ground
of justification? On what basis can God declare wicked sinners
like you and me innocent and righteous in his sight? The answer
is - the one act of righteousness of Christ imputed to us.
Some commentators believe that when Paul speaks of “one act of
righteousness” he is speaking specifically of Christ’s death on
the cross. While I believe that may be foremost in Paul’s mind,
I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that the whole obedient life
of Christ is in view here. The obedience of Christ which brings
justification is not simply the obedience of dying on the cross.
That certainly was the culminating and crowning obedience. But
the cross was significant and beneficial to us only because
Jesus obeyed his father perfectly every single day of his life.
Though he was tempted in every way as we are yet he was without
sin. This reality is the foundation of our hope and assurance.
The gift of God is the righteousness of Christ’s obedient life
imputed to all those who receive Christ in faith. This one life
of perfect righteousness is the fountain of every redemptive
blessing.
On January 1, 1937, J. Gresham Machen was dying of pneumonia in
a hospital in North Dakota. On the day he died, was slipping in
and out of consciousness, but in a moment of clarity dictated a
telegram to be sent to his dear friend John Murray, and these
were literally his last words. “I’m so thankful for the active
obedience of Christ. No hope without it.”
Paul continues and expands the thought in the next verse. Here
again we have the parallel effects of the two federal heads…
3. “Made Sinners.....Made Righteous”
“For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many
were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man
the many will be made righteous”
It is important to see that when Paul says that the
disobedience of Adam “made us sinners” and the obedience of
Christ “made us righteous” he is not saying something first of
all about our moral character. He isn’t saying that Adam’s sin
made us bad people and that Christ’s obedience makes us good
people. We might then be lead to conclude that people are
condemned because they are sinful and are justified because they
are good. But Paul has just said that God justifies the ungodly
and the wicked.
The word here, translated as “made,” doesn’t signify an internal
change of character, but an external change of position. The
word can be translated “to appoint or constitute.” So, for
instance, if you are in the military and are “made” a general,
nothing has changed within you, but you now have a new status
according to military rule. Douglas Moo writes, “To “be
righteous” does not mean to be morally upright, but to be judged
innocent, cleared of all charges in the heavenly judgment.”
Paul, then, is speaking of our status before the judgment throne
of God. Adam placed all mankind in the category of “sinner” and
under the just sentence that belongs to it. Christ has placed us
in the category of righteous and all the blessings of God that
belong to it. Justification is not simply a declaration- it
doesn’t simply say something about our relationship to the law.
It is also constitutive- it places us in a different
relationship to the law. We are placed in a different category,
we receive a different status. “God made him who had no sin
to be sin for us so that in him we may become the righteousness
of God.” (2 Cor 5:21)
Why does all this matter? Because it solidifies the reality of
your redemption! To be justified is not simply a matter of God
being willing to overlook your sin! By the obedience of Christ
imputed to you, laid to your account, God declares you righteous
because you belong to the Righteous Second Adam! It is the
belonging to Jesus that certifies your verdict!
B. Universal Salvation?
Now we need to deal with a matter here that confuses some. What
does Paul mean by “all men”? It seems like he is saying that
just as all men die in Adam, so to, all men are justified and
given eternal life in Christ. In other words, every single
person will be saved. 1 Cor 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so
in Christ all will be made alive.
I don’t want to take a long time on this, since I doubt that
there are many here who struggle with it. But let’s deal with it
at least in part because many Christians do get confused over
this. This is where we need to interpret Scripture with
Scripture. Paul can’t be saying that every single human being
will be saved because that contradicts everything he has been
saying about the necessity of faith. In Romans 3:22 he says
specifically. “This righteousness from God comes through
faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe." The point is that
just as everyone who is in Adam dies, so to everyone who is in
Christ will be made alive. Listen to how John Murray explains
this:
What the apostle is interested in showing is... the
parallel that exists between the way of condemnation and the
way of justification. It is the modus operandi that is in
view. All who are condemned are condemned because of the one
trespass of Adam; all who are justified are justified
because of the righteousness of Christ.
II. The Conquering Reign of Grace
A. The Purpose of the Law
“The law was added so that the trespass might increase.”
(vs. 20)
Paul takes one more small but important side-track to seal the
argument. He has been pounding home the point that there are two
federal heads, Christ and Adam, and the eternal fate of every man
is determined by which head they belong to. But the Jews tend to
believe there is a third option- the headship of Moses. They are
trusting that being “in Moses,” living according to the Mosaic
law is sufficient to make them right with God. Paul here closes
that door. The law was never intended to be a solution to the
problem of human sin and condemnation. It only highlights the
problem. The law defines sin for us. It reveals the nature of
sin as rebellion against God and his rule. And it exposes the
power of sin- we sin knowing that the penalty is death. The law
was never given to make us right with God. Moses is no refuge.
Trying to live a good moral life is no help. The law only
increases our awareness of the mountain of our sin.
“But.....where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so
that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign
through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ
our Lord.”
B. The Powerful Reign of Grace
What an incredibly wonderful sentence. “Where sin increased
grace increased all the more.” It is such a staggering
concept that Paul creates a word to express himself. Where sin
increased, where sin grew, grace “super-abounded,” it abounded
in the superlative, in the greatest possible degree. The more
wickedness is magnified and seen to be what it really is in all
of it’s horrifying power and rebellious wicked nature, the more
the grace of God is revealed in all of its glory as the
super-abounding power of God unto life. “Above the mountains of
our sins the floods of his mercy rise” (Matthew Henry).
The consequence of super-abounding grace is that.... “Just as
sin reigned in death so also grace might reign through
righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord.” Just as we were once held bondage under the
reign of death, in Christ we are under the reign of grace. Isn’t
that a wonderful combination of words? The operating principle
of our life in Christ is grace. It is the air we breathe. It is
the ground we walk on. It is the principle which directs all of
God’s dealing with us. We are under the reign of grace.
It is a reign with a purpose- eternal life. The grace of God
reigns and abounds not only because it conquers death, but it
gives invincible life. Eternal life is not just life that lasts
a long time - but a quality of life completely impervious to sin
and death. It is life knowing God and being in unbroken
communion with him through Jesus Christ. This is what God has
done for us in Jesus Christ.
III. So What?
So what do you do with a doctrine like justification?
Remember the story of the lame man who asked Peter and John for
money (Acts 3)? And Peter wonderfully replied:
“Silver and gold have I none, but what I have I give
you, in the name of Jesus of Nazareth stand up and walk.”
And the man jumped to his feet. Then he went with them into
the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.”
What did the man do with his healed feet? He used them for
what they were created for and praised God. Not because someone
told him to. The walking and jumping and praising all flowed
from the reality of the miracle and his joy in the goodness of
God.
Folks, a far more vast and astounding thing has happened to you
if you have believed in Christ. You have been raised from the
dead. You have been reconciled to God. Your sin is pardoned. The
perfect righteousness of Christ has been given to you because
Christ has been given to you as your federal head. We need to
use our resurrected soul and ransomed life for what they were
created for - worship! And not simply worship on a Sunday, but a
life-style of worship. Paul makes this point in Romans 12:1,
“Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy offer
your bodies as living sacrifices holy and pleasing to God - this
is your spiritual act of worship.”
Justification changes everything and impacts every area of
your life: - It changes your motivation for obedience - not just because
you must but because you are free to do what you were created to
do!
- It changes the ground for your assurance. You can stop looking
at yourself and your obedience as the ground for your hope and
fix your eyes and your confidence on Christ’s obedience alone!
You live in the reign of grace.
- It will change how you love your spouse - how can you live a
self-centered life when you
have been freed from that bondage by a crucified Savior? How can
you be picky and impatient when you live in the reign of grace?
- It will give you boldness in witnessing. Every person you meet
is born under the headship
and condemnation of Adam. Adam is all they know. But you get to
tell them about Christ - a new Adam who gives righteousness and
life to all who receive him in faith.
Justification is not merely a theology; it isn’t merely a
religious idea. It is a glorious work of God as real as the
ground beneath your feet. Stand on it. This is not water. And
with your eyes fixed on Jesus in faith - walk on home to him.
Amen.
Rev. Dale A. Van Dyke
Pastor
Harvest Orthodox Presbyterian Church
Grand Rapids, MI
| 
EMAIL TO A FRIEND
PRINT
SHARE
