Many More

Romans 5:15-17

15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died through the one man’s trespass, much more surely have the grace of God and the gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for the many. 16 And the gift is not like the effect of the one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the gift following many trespasses brings justification. 17 If, because of the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

My husband is a big Chicago Cubs fan and for so very long Cubies throughout the world painfully waited through many seasons for another world series victory. The curse of the Billy Goat reigned supreme for many years much to the sadness of countless fans who never saw it happen in their lifetime. And, then in 2016 after being down and nearly out, the Cubs managed to finally see a world series victory. There were so many that were cheering, smiling ear to ear with delight. As much as I love sports, just a reminder: this is baseball and a game.

In this passage, Paul continues to connect the story of Adam and the beginnings of sin and death to our redemption through Christ. Paul is contrasting the two stories Paul is able to name that before Jesus redeemed us all there were many that died because of Adam’s choice. However, there will be far more that are redeemed through Christ because from here on out grace is never ending. Anyone that is born from the time of Christ forward will live in a world where death is not the final answer. With Jesus, we are talking about life and redemption forever and all eternity. It is pretty amazing to live in a time where we have a savior. There is no waiting for redemption, no wondering if it will happen in our lifetimes. We get to delight in the gift our whole lives long.

Prayer

God, we thank you for the gift of Jesus. For many generations, people waited and hoped for Jesus to come. We are fortunate to have our road of faith paved 2000 years ago. We thank you for Paul who reminds us to be grateful for this gift that blesses us all for each coming generation. Amen.