THE GIFT OF GOD: THE GIFT BY GRACE
Adapted from a sermonpreached by Mr Sim Yeow Meng
at PCC Evening Worship on Lord’s Day, 30 July 2000

“But not as the offence, so also is the freegift. For if through the offence of one many be dead,
much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, JesusChrist,
hath abounded unto many”
(Romans 5:15).

We can hardly use the word “contrast” to describe a comparison between a holecaused by a footprint in the mud on the one hand and a little mound made by anant colony on the other hand. Such a contrast is hardly worth mentioning. Butif the two things being contrasted are the Marianas Trench on the one hand andMount Everest on the other hand, we should be somewhat awed by the greatness ofthe divide between them. Now, the contrast that Paul is proposing in this textis even more magnificent. It is of such a nature that if we were to use thesame kind of analogy we have been using, we would have to describe thedifference as being between the bottomless pit and the highest heaven. Such isthe greatness of the antithesis between the offence and the gift that theApostle Paul is comparing in this verse.

The Offence

But what is the “offence” that Paul has in mind? Clearly, he is referring towhat he has already mentioned in verse 12, namely, “by one man sin entered intothe world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men.” It is throughthis offence that the entire world experienced the entrance of sin and death.

Who committed the offence referred to? It was Adam, no doubt. Paul names himexplicitly as the transgressor in verse 14, “nevertheless death reigned fromAdam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitudeof Adam’s transgression.” The offence which our text refers to must,therefore, be Adam’s eating of the tree for which God forbade him to, byexpressed commandment and warning (Gen 2:16–17; 3:6).

Now concerning this offence, we may note in verse 12 that Adam was not alone init. It was an offence which has direct and immediate bearing on each of us. Hisoffence, in accordance to God’s warning, resulted in death for him. He sufferedspiritual and eternal death immediately, and the process of physical deathbegun immediately, so that in due time he returned to the dust. But becausephysical death is so obviously significant for man, the Scripture often usesphysical death as representative of, and inclusive of, all the other aspects ofdeath for the natural man.

Now, history and experience tell us that death has never been restricted toAdam alone. Paul tells us in verse 12, that it has passed upon all men. Butwhy? Why is the divine sentence of Adam’s offence passed upon all men? Againthe Apostle gives the answer: “for that all have sinned,” i.e., because allhave sinned.

And to further prove his point, he continues in verses 13–14. He says thatduring the time of Adam to Moses, death reigned. Now we ought to understand theApostle’s words here. The period of Adam to Moses is the time when the writtenlaw of God was not yet given. The written law was only given during the time ofMoses. Now, if there were no law, then sin cannot be imputed, since sin is atransgression of the law (cf. Rom 4:15), hence, there ought not to be anydeath, which is the wages of sin. But the fact is that “death reigned from Adamto Moses” (v. 14). How is that so? The conclusion can only be that there mustbe some law of God before the Mosaic law was given, and that law was violated,and as a result of that, “death [the wages of sin] reigned from Adam to Moses.”And that violation of the law, or sin, must somehow find its origin in Adam.

At this point, someone may object, Though there was no written law existingthen, there was the law of God in the hearts of men, and men sinned againstthat inner law of God. Could that not be a reason why they died? But we readthat the Apostle does not only bring out the fact that death reigned duringthat period of Adam to Moses, but that it reigned “even over them that had notsinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression.” Death reigned even overthose who had not sinned in the like manner of Adam, i.e., in their own person,in actual transgression. Who are they? They are commonly understood asreferring to infants. How about the infants then? We know intuitively thatinfants do not have the ability to transgress the law actually. Yet, death alsoreigned over them. How then can one account for their death, except that theymust be guilty in some way, for death reigned over them also. How did they incurguilt worthy of death? The answer is again found in verse 12, “by one man” allhave sinned,… hence death passed upon all men. We ought to realise that thereis a connection between Adam and all men in that offence.

This connection is also reiterated by the Apostle throughout the text to theend of the chapter. For instance, in verse 15, he says, “for if through theoffence of one many be dead.” Again, in verse 18, he continues, “by the offenceof one judgment came upon all men to condemnation.” Furthermore, in verse 19,he repeats, “by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners.”

Effects of the Offence

One may then ask, Why am I involved in Adam’s sin? Why am I being implicated byhis offence? From all these verses, the reason may be seen. When God commandedAdam not to eat of that fruit, He did not deal with Adam merely as a privateperson, or an individual. Rather, God dealt with Adam as a public figure, as arepresentative of the entire mankind and human race, of which he is the root,from whom all men proceed. Adam, when receiving that command from God,represented all mankind.

As a result of that, what he did in that act, all mankind may also be said tohave done in him, and what he received from God as a result of that act, allmankind may also be said to have received in him from God. Therefore, so longas a man ordinarily descended from Adam, he is to be affected directly andimmediately by what Adam did. In Adam, he has already sinned against God andhence liable to the wages of sin, i.e., death. Death reigned over him and thereis no way he could escape it. He is born a sinner and born to die. And he sinsthroughout his life because right from the inception of his life in hismother’s womb, he is conceived in the state of sin. In the most direct andimmediate sense, he is affected by his father Adam’s sin.

But you may ask, How do I know this is true? How can I be certain that this isfactual?

The Apostle says very plainly in verse 12. First, look at the universality ofsin. Sin is something that no man is a stranger to. It is in us, around us andall over the world, permeating every place where man may be found. We see, hearand read of it in all kinds of forms everywhere: pride, covetousness, thefts,dishonouring of parents, immorality, adultery, divorce, wickedness, murders,all kinds of perversion, blasphemy. We see, hear and read of it everywhere inall ages, clearly reflecting the sin in man. We are unable to find a man who isnot a sinner. How can one explain that? What is the cause and origin of it all?The Apostle explains, “By one man, sin entered into the world.”

Secondly, look at the universality of death. We also see death in all ages andat all places where men may be found, whether they be great or small, young orold. Not only so, we also continue to see it among infants for whom our finitemind finds no rational reason why they should die. Again, how can one explainthat? The Scripture says that it is because “all have sinned” in Adam.

Now, these facts are not just theoretic notions to be trifled with. They havefar-reaching consequences for everyone, which we must not ignore. Consider,first of all, man’s spiritual condition. The Apostle describes the condition offallen man before conversion in these words: “For when we were yet withoutstrength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom 5:6).Fallen man is without strength, and ungodly. He has become helpless and sinful.He lives continually in sin and is unable to live otherwise, unable to live asinless life in accordance to the law of God. Since that offence of Adam, mannot only bear the guilt of Adam, but he also inherited a corrupted nature fromhim. His whole nature has been corrupted. All his faculties are inclined toevil, his understanding darkened and his affections vile and filthy. He wouldrather believe that he evolved from some animal, than to believe that he iscreated by God. Accordingly, he has become a bond slave to sin and from himproceeds all kinds of sin, wickedness, evil and perversion. He does not knowthe ways of righteousness and peace. Being blind to his Creator and tospiritual truths, he finds the law of God hateful and contemns it. He is farfrom God and His truths, yet he does not see the need to do anything about it.As he lives, he sins, and everyday, he accumulates his offence and guilt beforeGod. That is why the Apostle says he is without strength, and ungodly. Bynature, he is a child of wrath. His condition is most miserable and hopeless.Even more so is that he himself is blind to his miserable condition.

Secondly, consider also his physical state. A couple of chapters after thispassage, in chapter 8, the Apostle writes, “For we know that the whole creationgroaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they,but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even weourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, theredemption of our body” (Rom 8:22–23). Since the Fall, not only is the wholecreation suffering as a result, but the Apostle rightly says that we are alsogroaning within ourselves. We are not only made liable to all the miseries inthe spiritual realm, but also in the physical realm. Consider a man’s life.Many are his struggles, troubles and sorrows. He has to toil to earn a livingto survive. His body is also vulnerable and subject to all kinds of sicknesses,diseases and pains. And when the peak of his strength and youth is reached, hisbody begins to deteriorate and everyday he lives to see his body deteriorating.In addition, each day draws him nearer and nearer to death. Furthermore,wherever he puts his happiness of life in, he is bound to be disappointed andto be let down. Should he place his happiness in wealth, material goods andpleasures, he would find that he derives no real satisfaction in them. Shouldhe place his happiness in his loved ones, they shall also fail him. They shallnot live up to his expectations and, of a certainty, before long, they shallleave him by death one day, leaving him with more sadness and pain than whatthey afforded him. All paths to happiness are but short and temporal, and willinevitably come to a sad end. His end is an end of gloom and sadness. He looksfor happiness and the meaning of life everywhere, but he finds vanity. He findshimself chasing after the wind. His life is a life of plain vanity and sorrow.

All these are the baneful effects of the Fall of Adam, and our beingrepresented by him. Oh, who would deliver us from such a misery?

The Gift

Thanks be to God, He has provided us the way of escape from the bottomless pit.And not only so, He sets all who are His, as it were, in the highest heavensthat we may know how great a deliverance He has wrought for us and how greatand precious is the Gift He has bestows upon us.

This Gift,—the Apostle Paul reveals with a triumphant note,—is none other thanthe Person Jesus Christ. This Gift, though parallel in one sense to theoffence, is vastly antithetical to it: “but not as the offence, so also isthe free gift” (Rom 5:15a). Why so? “For if through the offence of one manybe dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by oneman, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many” (Rom 5:15b). Whatever damages andpains that Adam’s offence has inflicted on us, this Gift of God is able torestore, and not just to restore, but to restore overflowingly. This may beseen in two ways.

Firstly, insomuch as the one sin of Adam brought guilt and condemnation to us,Christ the Gift of God covers the guilt of that sin. And not only that sin, butof all other sins that we have committed or will commit in our life, that allwho are united with Christ may stand guiltless and righteous before God. Paulsays that in verse 16, “And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift:for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is ofmany offences unto justification.” Jesus Christ, the Gift of God, not onlytakes away the guilt and condemnation of Adam’s offence from all who wouldreceive Him, but He also takes away the guilt and condemnation of all our sinsin life and puts His perfect righteousness on us. Despite our guilt in Adam andour many sins, there is therefore now no condemnation for us who possess thisGift.

Secondly, insomuch as the one offence of Adam brought death to us, and made usdestined to die, Christ the Gift of God, by His righteousness, restores usaltogether. We see this in verses 17, 21, “For if by one man’s offence deathreigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and ofthe gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.… Thatas sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign throughrighteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord” He is able tofree us both from the bondage of sin and from the fear of death, so thatinstead of being reigned by death, we now reign in life. We are no longerbounded by sin, and death is now become a passage to glory. For God hasprepared eternal, everlasting life for us.

Nature of this Gift

Observe several things about this Gift. Firstly, it is free. The Apostle callsit a free gift in verses 15 and 16. It is a gift without cost to therecipients. It is given freely to all who are enabled by the Spirit of God toreceive it. Whoever sees and senses his wretchedness and misery in sin mayfreely receive it. The rich may receive it, so may the poor. The strong mayreceive it, so may the helpless and the outcasts. All may freely receive andpartake of this Gift of God.

Secondly, note the gracious character of this Gift. The Apostle uses the word“grace” several times throughout the passage. It is spoken of specifically as“the grace of God,” and “the gift by grace”. This means that all who receivethis gift are both unworthy and undeserving. Someone may say, I am not worthy tocome to God. I am afraid to come to God, will God receive me? Then rememberthat this Gift is of pure grace. It is offered only to such as are conscious oftheir utter unworthiness. Christ says, “They that are whole have no need of thephysician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, butsinners to repentance“ (Mk 2:17).

Finally, observe also the all-sufficiency of divine grace in this Gift. Noticehow the Apostle repeatedly speaks of the gift of grace in language of excess,such as “abound[ing],” “abundance,” and “much more” (see vv. 15, 17, 20). Thuswe see the all-sufficiency of divine grace in this Gift. Another person maysay, I am the most sinful, most vile and most filthy sinner. Can I still cometo God? Then remember the all-sufficiency of divine grace in this Gift. God notonly delights to save sinners, but He also is able to save the greatest ofchief sinners. Where sin abounds, His inexhaustible grace abounds the more toevery penitent sinner.

Conclusion

Dear reader, are you still without Christ? Consider the fact that you are agreat sinner in God’s sight. You have sinned against God greatly. In Adam, youhave sinned, and in your life, you have also sinned. Not only does the Word ofGod reveal this to you, but you can see it from the universality of sin, anddeath everywhere. The thing of the utmost importance that you ought to considerfor yourself is this: How can I recover from that great fall in Adam, andescape from the certain judgment and condemnation of God to come? You ought torealise and acknowledge your sins and your need of a Saviour.

Are you conscious of the greatness of your guilt and sin? Then consider thegracious Gift of God that He has provided for the recovery of sinners. Thinknot that your sins are too great that God will not pardon you. His Gift forsinners is free and all-sufficient. There is no sinner too great that God isunable to save. Turn not to your own so-called good works nor your supposedlyupright life nor idolatry to save yourself. Rather, flee to Christ, for He isthe Gift of God, our complete recovery from sin.

Have we received the Gift of God? Then consider the fact that this Gift is ofthe richest and purest grace. It is not only entirely provided by God, but itis also purely by a heavenly hand that we have been led to this Gift. Should wenot then be overflowing with deep gratitude in our heart for this Gift so richand free? Should not the love of Christ constrain us to worship and serve Himalone, and spur us to seek to draw closer to Him, to be fruitful in good worksand to increase in the knowledge of Him, who hath called us unto His kingdomand glory?

—edited for publication byJ.J. Lim
from initial adaptation by bro Sim Yeow Meng
Bro Yeow Meng is a licentiate examined and approved by the Session to preachand teach in PCC