We continue our series of the journey through the book of Romans. We will follow through the study with RightNowMedia with Pastor JD Greer. Each session we will watch his teaching and then do our own sharing and exploration together.
Main Idea: Since we’ve been redeemed out of our old life of sin and made righteous by the grace of Christ, we can enjoy eternal life with Jesus now and forever.
Head Change: To know that life apart from Christ leads to condemnation and death.
Heart Change: To feel gratitude that Jesus, by his grace, gives us the gift of righteousness and leads us to eternal life.
Life Change: To enjoy eternal life in Christ now by daily renouncing our sinful impulses.
Have you ever been blamed for something you didn’t do? What was the result?
When we arrive at a passage like Romans 5:12–21, it may feel like we’re being unfairly implicated in Adam’s missteps in the garden. No one wants to be blamed for sins they never committed. But in this session, J.D. will help us understand why we’re guilty alongside Adam and how the grace of Jesus removes our guilt and grants us eternal life.
Read Romans 5:12–21.
Show Session 8: Romans 5:12–21 (12 minutes).
DISCUSS
In the previous session, we learned that we have peace with God. This peace is so powerful that it transforms our suffering into a means of grace. Here, Paul adds another piece to his argument: our faith in Christ also brings us eternal life with him.
In verse 12, Paul says, “sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin,” and that “death [therefore] spread to all people because all sinned.” What one man is Paul referring to? How did sin enter the world through this one man?
J.D. said this passage refers to what many call the doctrine of “original sin.” Have you ever heard the term “original sin”? Based on this passage, how would you define original sin?
In verses 13–14, we learn that Adam’s sin has corrupted all humanity. But many people may object to the idea that we’re culpable for Adam’s sin. While J.D. was sympathetic to this objection, he pointed out that we have all participated in sin like Adam, “ratifying Adam’s choice over and over throughout [our] life.” How does our sin ratify, or agree with, Adam’s choice in the Garden of Eden? In your life, how have you proven that, like Adam, you would have given in to temptation in the garden, if given the chance?
J.D. distinguished between groups like infants and adults who “have never heard the biblical law preached,” saying that the former will go to heaven while the latter will not. What was J.D.’s reasoning that led to his conclusion? Do you agree or disagree? Why?
God’s response to sin is superior to the plight of Adam and our inherent brokenness in every way. What are some of the words Paul uses to compare the gift of God to what he calls “the trespass”? In what ways does Paul show us that God’s grace is more powerful than the result of our sin?
Paul uses the word “gift” five times in just three verses. Why do you think we have to remind ourselves of grace so often in the face of our sin?
These verses trace two different trajectories: life in Adam leading to condemnation and life in Christ to justification. Every person is on one of those two paths. The truth of our futures leading either to condemnation or justification should influence us to share the good news with other people. When we share the gospel with others, why is it important for us to speak about where “life in Adam” leads and where “life in Christ” leads?
How can we share the truth that life in Adam—a life of sin—leads to condemnation with sensitivity, knowing that it may not be received charitably?
Paul ends verse 17 by saying, “those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness [will] reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.” When you hear the phrase “overflow of grace,” what images come to mind? What does it mean that Jesus is so full of grace that it “overflows to the many” (v. 15)?
In what ways is grace overflowing through you?
What’s clear throughout this passage is that Jesus Christ is the only hope we have of being justified and made righteous. While the sin of Adam plunged us into death and condemnation, the work of Jesus leads us to eternal life. In what ways has Jesus acted on our behalf?
J.D. pointed out that the idea of a representative acting on behalf of others is a concept found throughout the Old Testament. All through Scripture, God has been teaching that a substitute will bring us salvation. J.D. summarized the concept of Jesus being our representative with four words: Jesus in my place. In what way does the phrase, “Jesus in my place,” shape your understanding of God’s love for you?
We may be tempted to believe our sin is so great that Jesus’s grace simply isn’t enough. But in verse 20, Paul helps put those thoughts to rest. He says, “where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more.” What thoughts and misconceptions have led you to believe that Jesus’s grace isn’t enough for you?
What difference do you think it could make in your life to believe that grace multiplies even more than your sin?
J.D. closed this session by saying that all of human history can be summarized as “a tale of two Adams.” And the one question that really matters, he said, is “do you belong to the first Adam or the second one?” What practical things could you do to remember that you belong to the second Adam, Jesus Christ?
Since you belong to Jesus Christ, what can you do to enjoy the eternal life he’s given you today?
Last Word
The doctrine of original sin is uncomfortable. It isn’t pleasant to learn that we’ve been corrupted by Adam’s act of disobedience. It’s even less pleasant to learn that, with every disobedient act of our own, we’ve proven ourselves as guilty as the first Adam.
But the second Adam, Jesus Christ, has done for us what we could never do for ourselves: he restored life—and gave eternal life—to all who receive it by faith. We don’t have to wait around for life in Christ to begin. We get his life today.
This week, let’s tell everyone the good news about the second Adam whose grace far exceeds our sin and who gives us the gift of eternal life.