Romans 5 : 18 - 19 [NIV]
Consequently,
JUST AS
one trespass
resulted in condemnation
for all people
SO ALSO
one righteous act
resulted in justification and life
for all people
For
JUST AS
through the disobedience of the one man
the many
were made sinners
SO ALSO
through the obedience of the one man
the many
will be made righteous
How could God state his plan to restore all people more clearly?
How can people NOT see this?
They just have to read what's in their Bibles.
Blessings, Barry
One of the most overlooked aspects of these two verses is the implication that mankind has no say in any of it.
ReplyDeleteGod did not consult mankind or bow to his "free will" when he consigned us all to condemnation, nor does he consult us or bow to our 'free will" when he consigns us to justification and life.
Just as ..... so also ....... sets up very powerful parallels between the facts and their implications.
Free will, the prized possession of mankind, is totally absent from God's big decisions, although he does allow us to use our will (not free will) to make choices about the part we play in the game plan.
God is sovereign, so he does whatever he decides.
God is love, so whatever he decides to do will be for the good of those he loves, and that's all of us.
Blessings, Barry
Another verse fits this pattern as well - also from Paul.
ReplyDelete1 Cor 15 : 22 [WEB]
FOR AS
in Adam
all die
SO ALSO
in Christ
all will be made alive
It's also perfectly in line with another thing Paul said to the Romans in 11 : 32.
For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all. [ESV]
Paul doesn't seem to have any doubt about where God is going with all this.
Blessings, Barry
Thought I would give an example to illustrate these awesome verses (Romans 5 : 18, 19)
ReplyDeleteA student from Grade 6 steals the lunch of a member of Grade 5, the class in the next room.
The offending student won't own up, so his whole class is blamed for the theft.
The class must remain inside during lunch time until a lunch is provided for the Grade 5 student.
The mother of one of the Grade 6 students arrives at the school, is informed of the problem, and presents $10 to her son's class so they can pay their debt.
The class passes the $10 to the offended Grade 5 student and Grade 6 is off the hook.
Grade 6 is now released and heads outside to have lunch and play.
Consequently,
JUST AS
one trespass
resulted in punishment
for all of Grade 6
SO ALSO
one gift of $10
resulted in justification and lunch
for all of Grade 6.
For
JUST AS
through the theft of one person
the many
were made sinners
SO ALSO
through the generosity of one person
the many
were made righteous and released.
This comes from my experience as a teacher.
I'm sure others can think of life experiences that illustrate the sample principle.
Care to share them?
Blessings, Barry