The Relationship Between Sin and Grace
I. Understanding the Way God Deals with Man
- A. God's designation of two representative men (Adam and Christ) for
the human race
- - Rom. 5:14; 1 Cor. 15:22, 45-47
- B. The reason for the two representative men
- 1. God has a unique purpose with man
- a) To bear His image and have His dominion - Gen. 1:26-28; 5:1-3;
Rom. 8:29
- 2. Man was created in a corporate way - Gen. 1:26-28; 2:18-24; 5:1-3;
Col. 1:15-18
- a) There is a solidarity of the human race with Adam under the
old creation - 1 Cor. 15:22; Rom. 5:12, ð 18-19; Acts 17:26-29
- b) There is a solidarity of the redeemed race with Christ under
the new creation - 1 Cor. 15:22; Rom. 5:18-19; 2 Cor. 5:14,17
- C. The problem with the first Adam
- 1. Sin entered into the world through Adam like a virus infecting
all men with a sin nature causing all men to come short of God's glory which
refers to His unique purpose of image and dominion - Rom. 5:12; 3:23
- a) The result of the sin-virus is death ("death passed
to all men")
- b) All men are under condemnation from Adam's one offense - Rom.
5:18
- c) All men are constituted sinners through Adam's disobedience
- Rom. 5:19
- D. The answer of the last Adam
- 1. Justification and life came into the world through Christ, the
last Adam, causing man to be forgiven, constituted righteous and enlivened
to fulfill God's unique purpose - Rom. 5:18-19; 1 Cor. 15:22, 45. 49; Col.
3:10-11
- a) Saved in His life - Rom. 5:10
- b) Reigning in life - Rom. 5:17
- c) Justification producing life - Rom. 5:18
- d) Experiencing life to fulfill God's eternal purpose - Rom. 5:21
II. Understanding God's Dispensational Ways with Man
- A. The dispensation of the Patriarchs
- 1. From Adam to Moses - Rom. 5:14
- a) Man was a sinner and sinned, but sin was not reckoned because
of their being no law - Rom. 5:13
- b) Death reigned from Adam to Moses - Rom. 5:14
- B. The dispensation of the law
- 1. From Moses to Christ - John 1:17; Rom. 5:20
- C. The dispensation of grace
- 1. From Christ's incarnation to His second coming - John 1:16-17;
Rom. 6:14;
Acts 3:19-21
- D. The dispensation of the kingdom
- 1. From Christ's second coming for a 1000 years - Acts 3:19-21;
Rev. 20:1-6
III. God's Dealing with Man in Grace by the "Much Mores" of
the Last Adam
- A. The much more of His finished work to preserve us to the
end - Rom. 5:9
- B. The much more of His indwelling saving life - Rom. 5:10,
- C. The much more of the grace of God and the gift in grace
abounds to the many
- Rom. 5:15
- D. The much more of the free gift than the judgment - Rom.
5:16
- E. The much more of receiving the abundance of grace - Rom.
5:17
- F. The much more of the one righteous act than the one offense
- Rom. 5:18
- G. The much more of the obedience of One - Rom. 5:19
- H. The much more abounding grace - Rom. 5:20
- I. The much more of the reign of grace than the reign of death
- Rom. 5:21