“For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:17-21 (NKJV)
Some people think it is our individual acts of sin that make us sinners, but that is not what Paul was saying in these verses. These Scriptures clearly state that Adam’s one sin made all people sinners. It is man’s sin nature that produces sin, not their sins that produce a sin nature.
Therefore, those who are trying to obtain righteousness through their actions are totally missing the point. Even if they could stop all their individual sins, they could not change the sin nature that they were born with. That’s the reason people must be born again
These Scriptures should provide the ultimate argument for righteousness by faith to everyone who believes the Scriptures to be inspired by God.
Scrutinizing Sin
Paul repeatedly said that believers are made righteous through faith in Christ, independent of their actions, in the same way that all were made sinners, not through their individual sins, but through Adam’s one sin.
The sin that is being spoken of here is not the individual acts of sin that we commit but rather the propensity for sin itself.
The American Heritage Dictionary defines “propensity” as “an innate inclination; tendency.” It is this inherited inclination to sin that Paul was speaking of.
The word “sin” is used forty-five times in the book of Romans. The plural, “sins,” is used four times in Romans.
Of this total of forty-nine times that “sin” or “sins” is used in Romans. These two English words come from two different Greek words. This is very significant because the one word is a noun, while only is a verb. A noun denotes a person, place, or thing, while a verb describes the action of a noun.
Therefore, in all but one instance in the book of Romans, the words “sin” and “sins” describe man’s tendency toward sin and not the individual acts of sins themselves. If you think of the word “sin” in these chapters as denoting the act of sin, you will miss what Paul was saying.
As believers, our fight is not against individual acts of sin but against the tendency to sin. If the propensity to sin can be broken, then the actions of sin will cease. Our individual acts of sin are only an expression or indication of how well we are doing in our war against this condition of the soul (mind, will and emotions) that causes us to sin.
The Death of Sin into Life
Romans 5:12 says that this propensity to sin (or what many call the “sin nature”) entered the world through Adam. It is this sin nature that caused us to sin, not our individual acts of sin that gave us a sin nature.
At salvation, the “old man” (Romans 6:6), or sin nature, died, but the tendency to sin remained through the thoughts and emotions that the “old man” left behind. Christians no longer have a sin nature that compels them to sin; they are simply dealing with the renewing of their minds (Soul: mind, will and emotions).
Sin ruled like a king (the Greek word for “reigned” in Romans 5:17 was also translated “king”) through condemnation (Romans 5:16) to bring death upon everyone. Condemnation is like the general of sin that enforced its power.
Reigning Through Righteousness
Likewise, now God’s grace rules like a king through righteousness to bring all who are in Christ into eternal life. Righteousness is the general of grace who defends us against all the wiles of the devil.
Sin would ultimately bring death to all people whether condemned or not (Romans 6:23). But to those who are guilt ridden and condemned over their sins, sin has a particularly devastating effect. Likewise, those who put faith in Christ will ultimately experience God’s eternal life. However, those who understand righteousness as a gift to be received and not a wage to be earned, are the ones who reign like kings over sin and all its effects in this life.
Remove guilt and condemnation, and sin loses its strength to rule (1 Corinthians 15:56). Remove the knowledge of righteousness by faith, and grace loses its power to release eternal life in our daily lives.
Stay Blessed!
Pastor Ernest F. Fink
Founding Pastor
