You Can Be Saved Even After Committing Many Sins
Thinking about Romans 5:16.
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. (Romans 5:16)
What a glorious thought it is that God’s grace abounded to many.
Praise God that His grace is superior to sin!
Paul will continue to build on this point by emphasizing how much greater God’s grace is than sin.
How great is God’s free gift?
The condemnation came as a result of a single sin, but, thank God, the free gift was made ours even after many sins. Sin’s horror is seen in that one sin is enough to bring on a man or woman condemnation. Grace’s beauty and wonder is seen in the fact that even after many sins a person can receive justification. - McGuiggan, Romans, 171
If just committing one sin means that a person rightly deserves and has earned condemnation (Romans 6:23), how much “greater” condemnation does a person seem to have earned from “many” sins in their life?
And yet - even “many” sins do not prevent a person from accessing the “free gift” or the grace of God.
God doesn’t just justify “one-sin-people” through His Son, Jesus Christ. He justifies “many-sin-people.”
God’s free gift - His grace - through His Son is so much greater. The vast riches of God’s mercy and grace (Ephesians 2:4-7) are beyond our ability to fully comprehend.
When we consider who wrote this passage by inspiration, we are reminded that the apostle Paul is a man who never forgot his need for God’s grace. He remembered what he had done and what God had done for him through Jesus Christ.
And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.
This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 1:12-17)
I imagine that when Paul wrote, “the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification,” he was thinking about the “many offenses” in his own life.
This passage should cause us to pause and consider our own “many offenses.” Learning that God’s grace is greater than all those many sins should motivate us to praise and glorify God as well.
It should urge us onward to greater devotion to the eternal King.
Paul himself attests to this. The great gift of repentance, ie. having that 'Godly sorrow' for what we do
know we did. Sin seems to be extremely powerful. The apostle Paul indicates that there is sin in
his members, even after he's renewed. Only when 'mortality puts on immortality' does this leave.
Sin certainly is deadly, and it comes in so many devious forms. It might be good to develop something
on the various forms sin can take.