TOPIC: THE VOCABULARY OF SALVATION

(JUSTIFICATION)
TEXT: Romans 5:6-11 – 15-21
INTRODUCTION:
In this passage, we find the Apostle Paul rehearsing the benefits that are
ours as children of God. These verses make plain the great provisions that
have come our way through the death of the Lord Jesus and by virtue of
our placing our faith in Him for salvation. These verses tell us what we are
without Him, what He did for us and what we have because of His
sacrifice. I want to draw your attention to verse 8, and the last phrase of
that verse, then look at the last 2 words: "for us".
I. v6-10 THE SINNER'S PITIFUL CONDITION
In these 5 verses, Paul tells us that man's condition can be summed up by
four descriptive terms: Without strength, v. 6, ungodly, v. 6, sinner, v.
8, enemies, v. 10. These four terms describe the condition of all men who
are lost in sin. This is God's portrait of humanity apart from Him.
A. v6 The Sinner Is A Weak Man - "Without Strength" - This carries
the idea of being "powerless". It speaks of people who are "utterly
helpless with no means of escape." The idea is that the lost sinner stands
before God with absolutely no ability to change what he is. We are
powerless to escape sin, to escape death, to resist the devil, to please God
in any way. The whole essence of this statement is that man is unable to
change his sinful nature by his own effort. He is totally without strength
and weakened by his sins.
B. v6 The Sinner Is A Wicked Man - "Ungodly" - This word refers to
those who, "without reverence for or fear of God." It literally means to
"live your life as if God did not exist." Because we are helpless to change
our sinful nature, we live our lives as we please without regard for God, or
for His Law and will.
C. v8 The Sinner Is A Wayward Man - "Sinners" - This word means
"to miss the mark." It carries the idea of an archer aiming at a bulls eye to
the best of his ability, shooting his arrow and then missing the whole
target. It pictures man as he tries and fails his way through life. No matter
how good man tries to be, he can never be good enough. Though he may
aim high, and set high standards, still he always falls short of God's
standard. Man always misses the mark.
(Ill. This is why attempting to get to Heaven by good works will never
work. Man can never be good enough to get himself to God! No matter
how close he comes, he will always fall short. To be almost right is to be
forever wrong!)
D. v10 The Sinner Is A Warlike Man - "Enemies" - The word means
"an adversary". Basically, what the Bible is telling us is that when we are
lost, we are in the devil's camp. We are opposed to God and we are the
enemy of God. No matter how much a man may talk of loving the Lord, if
that man is unsaved, he is a liar! God says the lost are His enemies.
(Note: I hope you can see that people, apart from Jesus, are in a hopeless
situation!)

II. v6-8 THE SAVIOR'S PRICELESS COMPASSION

A. v6-7 The Superiority Of His Compassion - Paul tells us that there are
a few people in life that men might die for. Who would those persons be in
your own life? Perhaps it would be mother and father, husband or wife,
son or daughter, or even a few very close friends. If you really take the
time to think it through, there are probably only a very few people for
whom you would give your life without a moment's hesitation.
B. v8 The Statement In His Compassion - Notice how the love of God
transcended anything humanity is able to produce. He put His great love
on display when Jesus Christ died for those who "were yet sinners." You
see, while we were still weak, wicked, wayward and warlike, Jesus died
for us! He did not die for His friends. He died for His enemies! He did not
die for people who loved Him, but He died for the very people who had
crucified Him. He died for the ungodly!
There you will see a holy and a sinless God, the Creator, dying for the
creature that hates Him. Watch as the life leaves His body. Watch as His
blood runs down the cross. Listen as His blood drips in great pools on the
ground. Hear Him as He gasps for His last breath and gives His life a
sacrifice for sin. Look at that broken and bleeding form hanging there
lifeless on that cross and tell me that God doesn't love you! There never
has been, nor will there ever be a greater demonstration of God's love than
that of a broken and dead Savior on a bloody cross.)
III. v9-11 THE SAINT'S PRECIOUS CONVERSION
A. V. 9a Our Position - Justified - We have covered this word thoroughly
in other messages. Basically, this word means to declare a person "not
guilty".
B. V. 9b Our Protection - "saved from wrath" - Because we are in Jesus,
we are protected from the wrath of God. Simply stated, no child of God
need ever fear dying and going to Hell! Jesus has already paid the price
and quenched the wrath of God toward those who believe in Him.
C. V. 10a Our Peace - "reconciled" - This word means "to take enemies
and make them into friends." No longer are we in opposition to God. We
have been brought together through the blood of Jesus! God has called a
truce and put away the battle flags. We are no longer fighting, but we are
at peace with God.
D. V. 10b Our Preservation - "saved by His life" - These words tell us
that Jesus is alive this evening. This has nothing to do with the life He
lived here on the earth. It has everything to do with the life He lives in
Heaven today.
1. He Is Our Advocate - 1 John 2:1
2. He Is Our Intercessor - Heb. 7:25
E. V. 11a Our Praise - "We joy in God" - That is, because these things are
true. Because we are saved and secure in our salvation, we are filled with
praise to the King. My friends, if there was ever a reason to praise the
Lord, God has given it to you today through His Word.
(Note: These may be difficult days for you as a believer. You may feel
that there is no real reason to praise the Lord today. However, if you are
saved, then you have all the reason you need! Remember Luke 20:10!)
F. V. 11b Our Privilege - "given the atonement" - This phrase reminds us
that we have been made "one" with God. Think of it, old, lost, hell bound
sinners have been brought into a personal relationship with the God of
Heaven! It isn't just any relationship, but that of a Father and child! We
have been brought nigh to God through the blood of Jesus! Ours is a great
privilege that should not be taken for granted! All through history, man
has wanted to be brought near to God. That is why Israel sacrificed
millions of sheep, cows and birds on their altars. That is why, every year,
Muslims sacrifice millions of animals on Mecca. What the blood of those
dead animals could never do for them, the blood of Jesus has done for
us, Heb. 10:11-14.
CONCLUSION: Romans 5:15-21
HOW PARADISE WAS REGAINED
Let's take some to look at three contrasts that are presented in these verse
as we discover how Paradise Was Regained.
TWO PEOPLE ARE CONTRASTED
God looks at humanity and sees us in our relationship to only two men:
Adam and Jesus. This is the essence of Romans 5:15-21! You see, Adam
did something back in the Garden of Eden that affected the entire human
race. Jesus also did something on the cross that affected the whole of
humanity. Therefore it doesn't really matter if you know who Daniel is. It
doesn't matter if you know about Moses or Mesopotamia, or Babylon or
the Medes and Persians. It doesn't matter how much you know about the
intricate history of the Bible. Now, all these things are important and you
should take the time to learn them all. However, to get a grasp of the
whole of the Bible, just remember that it all boils down to two men: Adam
and Jesus! You also need to know that you are in one or the other this
evening. To be in Adam is to be a partaker of all his gifts to humanity. To
be in Christ is to be a partaker of all He had to give. It is important to
understand the difference between these two men and their contributions
to the human race. Let's notice what Paul reveals about them in these
verses.)
A. Adam The Sinner - Verse 19 tells us that Adam was "disobedient".
This means that Adam went against the command of God and committed a
sin! Verse 15 tells us that Adam committed an "offence". That is, he
crossed a line that God had drawn, Gen. 2:17. When Adam sinned, his sin
did not just affect him, it also affected you and me, Romans 5:12. So, we
see that Adam the Sinner transgressed against the Lord and brought sin to
every human being.
B. Jesus The Savior - Verse 19 tells us that Jesus acted differently than
Adam. While Adam disobeyed, Jesus obeyed the Father and gave His life
a ransom for sin. This is made clear in Phil. 2:5-11. While Adam brought
sin to all of humanity, the death of Jesus on the cross opened the door of
salvation to "whosoever will", Rev. 22:17.)
(Ill. The contrast between the first Adam and the second Adam must not
be missed! Everything we lost in the first Adam was regained by the
second Adam. Everything Adam gave away in the Garden, Jesus
purchased back on the cross! Verse 15 tells us that what Jesus did was
"much more" than what Adam did! You see, Adam sinned one sin and it
brought death to all men. Jesus died one death and it brought the
possibility of life to all! In a real, mysterious sense, when Jesus dies on the
cross, His blood paid for all the sins of all men who have ever, or who will
ever live. Of course, this only becomes effective for those who exercise
faith in Jesus and believe unto salvation. 1 Cor. 15:22 says, "For as in
Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." I think the
difference in what these two men accomplished is very clear!)
TWO PROGRAMS ARE CONTRASTED
A. The Program Of Judgment And Death - Verse 15 tells us that
because of Adam's sin "many be dead". This thought is carried even
farther in verses 16-18. Here, the Apostle Paul tells us that because Adam
sinned, every man is doomed to die. Not only that, but all men are also
condemned. This means that we all stand under the wrath of God, Eph.
2:1-4; John 3:36. The bottom line is that the end result of Adam's trespass
in the Garden is an eternity in Hell for all men! This is a horrible thing, but
it is nonetheless true! It is bad enough to be condemned, but verse 20 tells
us that because the Law was given, we can see how wicked we are. Men
were sinners already by nature, but when the Law came, it added specific
transgressions. Now, men have the ability to look into the perfect Law of
God and see just how wrong they really are. The Law, like a great mirror,
points out every imperfection and displays all of our wretchedness in
glaring detail, James 1:22-25.
B. The Program Of Justification And Life - By contrast, the same
verses tell us that Jesus offers a far different program! While the sin of
Adam brings death, devastation and damnation; the gift of Jesus Christ
brings, life, liberty and luxury! What a difference Jesus makes! In Adam,
we are judged. In Christ, we are justified! In Adam we die. In Jesus we
live! In Adam we face the wrath of God. In Jesus we enjoy the love of
God! In Adam we burn. In Christ we reign! I Adam we are the servants of
sin and Satan. In Jesus Christ, we are the Sons of God! Can you see the
contrast? Notice again, Eph. 2:1-4! It is being in Jesus that makes all the
difference in life!
Notice verse 20. Paul tells us that the lost sinner is under a mountain of
sin! He tells us that sin abounded. This word means "to abound in
abundance." In other words, there was a pile of sins and they were all
pressing us under their weight. Eventually, these sins would take our lives
and we would be destroyed. However, look at the contrast! Paul tells us
that where that mountain of sin existed, grace did abound. He uses a
different word here. This word "abound" means "to abound above
measure; to overflow." The first word speaks of addition. One sin was
added to another. The second word speaks of multiplication. God's grace
was multiplied over and over again! Simply stated, once we were being
crushed under a mountain of sin, now, in Jesus, we stand on a mountain of
grace! Yes, sin abounded, but grace super-abounded!
Certainly sin is a problem! After all, men die from it and go to Hell
because of it. However, as extensive as sin is, there is far more grace
available to over come it. Thank God there is a difference between Jesus
and Adam! Can you see the difference?)
TWO POSSIBILITIES ARE CONTRASTED
A. The Possibility Of Condemnation - verse 21a deals with the first
possibility. If a person chooses to reject the free offer of eternal life and
forgiveness through the Lord Jesus Christ, then that person will be
condemned by God. Verses 16 and 18 all tell us the same thing. To refuse
to come to Jesus is to choose to remain in death and it is to choose to go to
Hell!
B. The Possibility Of Conversion - Verse 21b tells us that there is also
the possibility of salvation. If a lost sinner will simply trust Jesus Christ by
faith, he will be saved and justified by the blood of the Lamb. This person
will go to Heaven when he leaves this world.
It is very easy to see that Jesus makes a difference! Which of these two
possibilities is true for you all depends on who you are in: Jesus or Adam.
If you are in Adam, then you are going to Hell. There is nothing else for
you but judgment and wrath. However, if you have trusted Christ and are
in Him, you have passed from death unto life, John 5:24, there is nothing
for you but eternal life and a home in Heaven.
You see, according to this passage, all those in Adam are under the reign
of death, v. 17. That is a sad thing! However, by contrast, all those who
are in Jesus reign in grace, v. 17. One of two things is true about you this
evening. Either you are a slave to death, or you have been raised from
death and made a king in Christ. Which is it? After all, we are all just
made men! Look at verse 19. Either we are made sinners by being in
Adam, or we are made saints by being in Jesus Christ! Which is true
concerning you this afternoon?