Being Reconciled to God

KEY VERSE: “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” —Romans 5:8

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: Romans 5:6-17

TODAY’S LESSON IS a commentary on the meaning of Christ’s death and resurrection, and what it accomplished for us, namely, a reconciliation between God and man.

Paul said, “At just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” (Rom. 5:6, New International Version) In the hour of need, Jesus submitted to death for the sake of us sinners. To emphasize God’s love toward man, the apostle continues: “Scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (vss. 7,8) God showed his great love for us while we were sinners and undeserving of the sacrifice of his beloved Son on our behalf. As long as we continue to trust in the merit of our Redeemer’s sacrifice, gratefully accepting the free gift of God’s love, we have the fullest reasonable and Scriptural assurance of salvation.

A further cause for rejoicing is the fact that we who believe have now received atonement with God—we are reckoned by the Lord as perfect through Christ, worthy to be called his sons, and to receive his favor as sons. (vs. 11) “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” (I John 3:1-3) Having this standing before the Heavenly Father, we are in a position to receive the additional favor of the high calling to be joint-heirs with God’s dear Son in his kingdom.

Notice that verses 13-17 are parenthetical, but fully in harmony with the main point of verses 12 and 18-21. The apostle’s parenthesis reads as follows:

“Sin was already in the world before there was law, though in the absence of law, no reckoning is kept of sin. But death held sway from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned as Adam did, by disobeying a direct command—and Adam foreshadows the Man who was to come. But God’s act of grace is out of all proportion to Adam’s wrongdoing. For if the wrongdoing of that one man brought death upon so many, its effect is vastly exceeded by the grace of God and the gift that came to so many by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ. And again, the gift of God is not to be compared in its effect with that one man’s sin; for the judicial action, following upon the one offense, issued in a verdict of condemnation, but the act of grace, following upon so many misdeeds, issued in a verdict of acquittal. For if by the wrong-doing of that one man death established its reign, through a single sinner, much more shall those who receive in far greater measure God’s grace, and his gift of righteousness, live and reign through the one man, Jesus Christ.”—vss. 13-17, New English Bible

Therefore, he adds in verse 18, “As by the offense of one [Adam] sentence came upon all men to condemnation, even so by the righteousness of one [Jesus] the free gift came upon all men to justification of life: for as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” Adam, head of the entire human race, having sinned against God, could only pass on to his posterity a spark of life under condemnation to death. Jesus, by laying down his perfect human life a ransom sacrifice, paid the penalty upon Adam, thus gaining the right to restore him and his posterity—the entire human race. Paul explains: [God] will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”—I Tim. 2:4-6

In the Millennial kingdom, Jesus, instead of Adam, will be the father, the life-giver of all mankind, as the Prophet Isaiah stated: His name shall be called … the everlasting Father.” (Isa. 9:6) “As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”—I Cor. 15:22

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