Discover the compelling narrative that Christians believe about the world’s brokenness and the hope of restoration through Christ. An insightful exploration into the spiritual groaning felt universally, we unpack the scripture’s promise of a re-creation where sorrow gives way to divine joy. With references to Isaiah, Philippians, and other biblical texts, Colin Cook invites listeners to contemplate the transformative power of faith and the steadfast certainty of God’s love and determination to redeem humanity.
So we are at these verses where Paul makes six attempts in seven verses to explain himself. And that to me is really significant. I can’t remember anywhere else in the Bible where such repetition takes place except there is a psalm or two that repeats the glory and the praise that we give to God. But that is so understandable because that is similar to what we’re looking at here, the glory of God to save the world, to have mercy on the world. This is Romans chapter 5, of course, and we came up to the verse yesterday that says, Therefore… as through one man’s offense, that’s Adam’s, judgment came to all men, that is, the judgment of sin and death, resulting in condemnation upon all the world, of course. Even so, through one man’s righteous act, that’s Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection and his whole life of devotion to his Father, the free gift came to all men. So Christ brought all the blessing of righteousness and life to the planet. and resurrection, resulting in justification of life, just as Adam brought death and sin to the world. So remember, in these verses, chapters 5, verses 15 to 21, we see a comparison of opposites and a comparison of similarities. The opposites are this, that Adam brought in sin and death, but Christ brought in righteousness and life. That’s the opposite comparison. But the comparison of similarity is that as Adam brought in sin and death to everyone, so also Christ brought in righteousness and life to everyone. What Paul is showing us here is that the extent to which Adam brought devastation to the world is the same extent to which Christ brought reconstruction and life to the world. I don’t know that this can be argued in any other way than this means the salvation of all humanity. Paul makes it at struggles. I want you to read these verses yourself in chapter 5, verses 15 to 21. You can see how he struggles to make it clear to us what is being said. So let me read them again. And don’t be fooled again by the many, whether Paul is referring to a few. No, he’s using the word many in the same way he is using the word all. So, this many is referring to the masses. Let’s read them, these verses. But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, that’s all, of course, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to many. Just as many applies to all, means all, so also Christ’s gift of righteousness and grace abounds to all, as he uses the word many here for all. Verse 16, And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive, that is the receivers of, abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness 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. What an incredible blessing this is! This is not simply dry theology that we’re trying to work out here. It’s not biblical interpretation. It is the grace of God declaring to his human race that he, by his love and compassion and mercy, is determined to win back the human race. As it says in Isaiah 45, before me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall acknowledge or take an oath that in me alone is righteousness and strength. And that promise in Isaiah 45 is repeated constantly. in the book of Romans 14 and in the book of Philippians, referring, and it’s referring to Christ. Every knee shall bow to Christ, realizing finally that in him alone is their righteousness and strength. These words cannot be sidestepped. They cannot be put to one side. We must take these verses as well as many others. For instance, Ephesians 1 and Colossians 1, where God is going to reconcile the whole world to himself through Christ. And Acts chapter 3, I think it is 2, that the day will come When all things will be restored, these verses have to be brought in to help us to understand what the judgments are. Do the judgments mean eternal death? No. If we are to harmonize Scripture, then the judgments must mean that they are ultimately redemptive. They are going to bring people to an awareness of their brokenness, and they’re going to bring people to the hope of eternal life through Jesus, who is their righteousness and strength. And so they bow the knee. And so Paul then says this in verse 19, which is the verse we are looking at today. For as by one man’s disobedience, Many were made sinners. Now, how many were made sinners? All were made sinners. And, of course, Paul has used the word all already in the previous verse. So, obviously, he is using many and all interchangeably. They’re the same thing. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one man’s obedience, that’s Christ’s, many will be made righteous. All will be made righteous because all were made sinners by Adam. Christ is going to undo everything that Adam did. Or to put it another way, everything that Adam undid, that is the righteous, glorious, perfect creation, Christ is going to restore. You see, it says a little further on, though we’ll jump ahead for a minute, though we’re not there yet in the book of Romans, that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. All humanity and all nature and all animals and all sea creatures and birds all are groaning, waiting for that day when the sons of God will be revealed. And so, you see, we know that the whole creation groans and labors, Now notice, not with pain simply, but with birth pangs, because the whole creation is going to be made new. That’s what it says in the book of Revelation. Behold, I make all things new. What an incredible promise this is. What an expectation that is simply buried under the pain of being sinners and under the pain of death. We feel a groaning, we feel a weakness, we feel the sorrow of the lost creation, but we don’t know how to identify it. We don’t know what it is. But Christians do, you see, because Christians have had the revelation of Christ and the gospel revealed to them. So you and I have the wonderful privilege and responsibility of explaining to the world what their pain is all about. that they don’t need all the antidepressants, they don’t need all the psychoanalysis, they don’t need, yes, they certainly need to get to terms, come to terms with the abuse maybe and the neglect in their childhood. But they need to know that even though they come to terms with that abuse and neglect, it still will not reach the deeper level of pain which comes from the lost creation. You and I, all of us, all humanity, groan like a lost creation because we are a lost creation. We can’t figure it out. But once we become Christians, once we learn that there was once a perfect world and there was a fall, a terrible fall away from God, and mankind has been suppressing God and Christ ever since, once we understand that and that Christ brings us back to the Father, reconciles us to the Father’s heart, then we can understand what that pain and sorrow has been all about. And so, looking at this verse again that we are looking at today, “…as by one man’s disobedience, that’s Adam’s, many were made sinners, that’s all human beings, so also by one man’s obedience, that’s Christ’s, many were made righteous.” You see, you and I now need to understand that Christ is our righteousness. If you think that this is talking about your human righteousness, your righteousness, you will be in despair. You will have no hope at all, because you’ll say, but I’ve tried all my life to become righteous, and I can’t make it. I’ve tried all my life to be good, to be sanctified, and it works for a few days, but then I fall flat on my face. You see, we have to recognize that the gospel is not about making you righteous. The gospel is not about making you righteous. It is about Christ having made himself righteous by his worship and following and obedience towards his heavenly Father and his sacrifice for our sins so that we are no longer charged with unrighteousness as we trust in Christ. All our sins are taken to the cross. We are treated as if we were righteous. God justifies, that is, treats as righteous, the ungodly. That’s Romans 4, verse 5. And so, this is what gives you hope for eternal life. Not simply that God is going to raise all the dead and give them all eternal life, but but that God is going to give that eternal life to us because Christ is accounted to us as our righteousness. Now, you can see where this is going in regard to your own life. Don’t fall for the trap of depression and being overcome by deeply sorrowful thoughts because you simply don’t seem to be able to plow through your sins and make it to the other shore. Don’t be so overwhelmed with your failures that you feel that you will not make it into the kingdom. The issue is not whether you will make it. The issue is whether God is determined by his faithfulness to bring you through. Of course he is. That’s what he does. That is his love and his mercy and his passion towards us. And so lift up your heart. even though the struggles are many and you fail and fall and you repent and you say, Father, I thank you that you are going to bring me through that I am certain of because you are my certainty. Well, thank you for joining me today, everyone. Colin Cook here and you’re listening to my program, How It Happens, which you can hear any time of the day or night on your smartphone. Simply download a free app, SoundCloud.com or Podbean.com and key in How It Happens with Colin Cook when you get there. I do appreciate all the support you have given and thank you for your notes that encourage me. If you would like to make a donation, you can make it online at faithquestradio.com. See you next time. Cheerio and God bless.
