Grace Overabounded!

“Now the Law entered so that trespass might abound; but where Sin Abounded, Grace Overabounded, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also Grace might reign through Righteousness, unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:20-21

Now, it might not seem like it but sin was much more abounding in Israel than those in heathen lands. Not in the multiplication of deprived deeds but simply by virtue that Sin through the Law was imputed only in Israel who had the Law. “For until the Law, sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed, there being no law.” Romans 5:13 So when he said the Law entered that sin may abound, Paul was speaking specifically of the Law of Moses. [Jp] And when the Law was given 3000 souls were put to death, which illustrated how sin abounded resulting in the multiplication of death. So for God’s grace to SuperAbound on the account of Sin being multiplied because of the Law then it has to have a specific meaning to where the Law is active. The question is if the Law exacted punishment from Israel for her failures then how is the Grace of God Super-abounded? The answer is the Grace of God superabounded in the Person of Jesus Christ. There is no other example of God’s Grace in such display as it was in Christ when He walked the streets where sin according to the Law was clearly being imputed against sinners.    

“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, having been born of a woman, having been born under the Law, that He might redeem those under the Law, so that we might receive the divine adoption as sons.” Galatians 4:4-5

Galatians says, “The Law has become our trainer unto Christ.” Galatians 3:24 So the purpose of the Law is to show us our lack which was manifested through the multiplication of our sins and we being made weary in this state of failure the Grace of God superabounded to bring us to Jesus Christ and to the gift of righteousness unto eternal life. 

The starting point is always the Grace of God! John writing to tell us how Jesus Christ came to show us who God is says, “For the Law was given through Moses; Grace and Truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever yet seen God. The only begotten God, the One being in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known.” John 1:17-18 Jesus Christ in showing us Grace and Truth He was revealing God to us. Hebrews says, “Who [Jesus Christ], being the radiance of His glory and the exact expression of His substance, and upholding all things by the power of His word.” Hebrews 1:3 Meaning the Unchanging God is Grace as much as Jesus Christ is Grace. However when Adam and Eve fell, Sin entered into our flesh and its presence became a hindrance between us and God. That is a hindrance to us, Sin obscured God from us and we could not rightly relate with Him. Paul to Corinthians writes, “Whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelieving.” 2 Corinthians 4:4 Which is an example of the effect of Sin. Sin’s success is against us to drive us away from God NOT God from us. 

Now God has already Judged the world for sins through Adam in Death. [Genesis 3:17-19] God told Adam because you have disobeyed Me, “you will die.” [NOT] “you will burn in hell.” “The body is dead because of sin.” Romans 8:10 The curse of [Death] is the condemnation that came upon mankind through Sin. “Just as through one trespass, it is unto condemnation to ALL men.” Romans 5:18 So there is no small sinner or great sinner only a dead sinner, and we were all dead in trespasses and sins. “The wages of sin is DEATH.” Romans 6:23 But now there is wrath to come that is the judgement of righteousness [1 Corinthians 17:30-31] that is the punishment that results from failure to obtain the [GIFT] by rejecting Jesus Christ. It is of the Lord Jesus Christ, John says, “Whose winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor and will gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Matthew 3:12 

Hebrews also says, “Anyone having set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercies on the basis of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment do you think will he deserve, the one having trampled upon the Son of God, and having esteemed ordinary the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and having insulted the Spirit of grace?” Hebrew 10:28-29 The Law of Moses spoke of Sin and resulted in death. However, the judgement of Hell is the result of rejecting the gift of righteousness which is through Jesus Christ. So people die for sins but enter hell for rejecting Christ.

So God was able to deal with us in His Grace, APART from the Law, even though we would still have to suffer the consequence of our sin which was the judgement of DEATH. The best example of this is the first instance sin came to be. Even though God knew Adam and Eve had sinned He still came to the garden looking for them. But because of sin in their body, they in shame and fear hid themselves from Him. Though they had fallen into sin and were now condemned into death, it is God who gave them a means to cover their shame. “​​Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.” Genesis 3:21 And God’s dealing with mankind through history has this common factor, they found favour [Grace] in His sight. God drew near to Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses all in His grace in a time the law of sin and death ruled over mankind. And God’s dealing with Jacob and his family is a prime example of that. So God sought to separate us from the power of sin and death that ruled in our flesh to life in the Spirit through Jesus Christ. 

“​​For God so loved the world that He gave the only begotten Son, so that everyone believing in Him should not perish, but should have eternal life.” John 3:16

As God drew near to Adam and Eve in their sin, God also now similarly draws near to us in His superabundance Grace and gives us His Son to take away our shame. “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not reckoning their trespasses to them.” 2 Corinthians 5:19 The effect of this reconciliation is to bring us to Himself. “Therefore we should come with boldness to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and may find grace for help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16 So God draws us to Himself in His Grace so that He may be even more gracious to us in giving us all through Christ. So the Grace that is through Jesus Christ is specific in rescuing us from this prison of flesh, sin and death, to bring us out to life in the Spirit in Him. 

 So Paul specifically separates the Grace of God and the Grace that comes through the Lord Jesus Christ. “How much more did the grace of God [&] the gift in grace, which is of the one man Jesus Christ, abound to the many!” Romans 5:15 The gift is compared to the trespass, that is Christ to Adam, righteousness to sin. In this instance Paul is speaking of what is available, so it is from the Sinner’s perspective, the gift does not come by itself but by the Grace of God, God has to draw us to Christ by His Grace so that we might be able to receive the gift of Christ. If God did not draw near to us in His Grace none of us can be saved, it is NEVER by our own inclination we come to Him, we are bound up in the depth of our sins. The Lord said, “No one is able to come to Me unless the Father, the one having sent Me, draws him.” John 6:44 Next he is speaking of what is received so from the believer’s perspective,  “How much more those who receive the abundance of Grace and gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ!” Romans 5:17 Now we have the gift of righteousness through the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Grace of God is now working in us that we may reign in this life, not a defeated sinful life but a victorious life of righteousness. 

So when he said the Law came so Sin may abound and where Sin abounded Grace even much more. He is referring to the Grace of God that draws people. “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” Romans 2:4 That is Grace Overabounding in conjunction with being called by God while in our state of depravity, being in enmity with Him, when there are countless reasons against us to keep us from Him. God’s grace is that much more present in superabundance to lead us to Christ, that we may accept His free gift of Righteousness and be saved to reign in life. So Grace over-abounding is an illustration of the love of God, to search the depth of hell to reach those who are lost. Where sin is in a great manifestation the power of His grace is that much more present. “I desire mercy and not sacrifice.” Matthew 9:13 & “I have not come to call righteous ones, but sinners, to repentance.” Luke 5:32 To do that God needs to be where sinners are. 

Just as Sin reigned in death [through Adam], Grace might reign through righteousness unto eternal life through the Lord Jesus Christ. Logically we compare sin to righteousness. So we may expect when he says, sin reigned in death, the counterpart to be, righteousness will also reign unto eternal life. But he says, Grace might reign that is to show the working power in us now is of God, both to will and to do. [Philippians 2:13] When we were sinners, the spirit of the power of the air worked in our flesh to the production of death, sin reigned. But now we are made righteous through the Lord Jesus Christ, Grace is now working in us through faith to bear the fruit of righteousness.

“​​Accordingly, His divine power has given us all things toward life and godliness, through the knowledge of the One having called us by His own glory and excellence, through which He has given to us the precious and magnificent promises, so that through these you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the decay in the world in desire.” 2 Peter 1:3-4 

So as the Law was suited for life in the flesh, Grace is suited for life in the Spirit. Therefore requires us to be born into the kingdom of God, that is to have the Spirit of God dwell in us. While in the flesh we needed the Law to correct and curtail us, because the Law is given to sinners. [1 Timothy 1:9] But through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, sin and flesh were put away, opening a new way of life in the Spirit. And in the Spirit we need knowledge of God’s Grace and not of Law, to enable us to live a life of righteousness. “All things are from God.” 2 Corinthians 5:18 [Jp] teaches on this point to illustrate God has taken it upon Himself to be solely responsible to supply all that is needed for this life of righteousness. 

“In order that in the coming ages He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

Ephesians 2:7 

The Spirit life is preoccupied with righteousness and good works through the Grace of God. It is not for us to be consumed with sin and flesh that is of the old things which have passed away. [Jp] So once born of  the Spirit our preoccupation now is affirming who we are in Christ, by faith. Not being dissuaded or disheartened by the deeds of the body but through faith in the working of the Grace of God to the manifestation of the reality of that truth.

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