The Grace of God Abounded to Many
Thinking about Romans 5:15.
But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. (Romans 5:15)
In Romans 5:14, Paul showed the connection between Adam and Jesus.
Now Paul will demonstrate a significant difference between Adam and Jesus.
The gift through Christ is nothing like the sin of Adam.
The disobedience of Adam brought death, but the obedience of Jesus Christ brought the gift of life.
While Adam’s fall or transgression introduced sin into the world, and thereby introduced the reign of death, so Christ’s sacrifice introduced God’s grace into the world in great abundance, thereby destroying the power of the devil, which is death (Hebrews 2:14-18; 1 Corinthians 15:56). - Wacaster, Studies in Romans, 207
Sin came into the world through Adam. The consequences of sin are the result of Adam’s sin.
[Paul] understood that the origin of sin was Adam and that sin has been practiced by the entire human race ever since. While all commit their own sins, every person is also caught up with the sin of Adam in that by his trespass all die. However, Paul did not teach that sin is a part of human nature and that everyone is a sinner by birth, as some later theologians have done. - Pollard, Truth for Today Commentary, 183
What comes through Jesus Christ is totally different - and so much better - than what came into the world by Adam.
The gift through Christ is superior.
That the race fell was awful news, but that Christ brought life to the race was news that surpassed that. Grace surpassed sin! Grace outdid sin. And it did it through one man, Jesus Christ. - McGuiggan, Romans, 171
Jesus Christ “conquered” and “outdid” the death brought into the world by Adam’s sin. He didn’t merely match - but it “abounded.”
The grace - or gift - of God through Christ is so overwhelmingly superior to what happened through Adam.
Sin is awful. Paul spent most of the first three chapters of Romans making this point.
And yet, as terrible as sin and its consequences are - the grace of God, the life He offers through Jesus Christ, is overwhelmingly superior.
Through Christ, we have the victory over sin and death. And it’s not a battle where the fight is even close. Jesus Christ will “destroy” death (1 Corinthians 15:26).
So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”
The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:54-57)