Sermon Devotional: Everything Changes

Sermon Title: Everything Changes

“More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have reconciliation. Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned…. But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many…. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:11-12, 15, 20-21

In Romans 5, Paul unfolds one of the deepest truths of our faith: while sin and death entered the world through Adam, far greater is the gift of life, righteousness, and reconciliation given through Jesus Christ (v.11). The story begins in Genesis 3, where Adam’s disobedience opened the door for sin and death to take root in humanity (v.12). This original act fractured creation and made death a universal reality. Sin was not introduced by the Law—it was already present—but the Law revealed its magnitude and showed us our need for rescue (vv.13-14).

Sin entered the world through Adam. Death is the consequence of the sin of Adam. Death has spread to the whole human race. Human beings, therefore, because they enter the world alienated from God, engage in sin. Fleming Rutledge says, “As children of Adam, we are completely at the mercy of forces we cannot control, forces that seize our lives and dislocate them violently.”

Yet, as powerful, and far-reaching as sin and death are, Paul declares something more powerful still: the grace of God (v.21). Through one man’s failure (Adam), many were condemned; but through one man’s obedience (Jesus), many are made righteous. This is not a balanced equation, it is an overwhelming overflow. God’s grace abounds far more than sin ever could.

This is the heart of justification: in Christ, we are declared righteous—not because of what we have done, but because of what Christ has done. We are no longer condemned, no longer separated, no longer bound by the reign of death. We are reconciled to God, welcomed into His family, and empowered to live in the new reality of grace. Yet, it is only in light of the vast peril of sin that we can understand the how much greater is what God has done in Christ to save us.

Paul makes it clear: where sin increased, grace increased even more. Death once reigned, but now grace reigns, leading to eternal life (v.22). This changes everything. The curse of Adam is undone in Christ. What once seemed hopeless has become the place of God’s greatest triumph.

May this truth lead us to rejoice—not just in what Christ has done for us, but in Christ Himself, through whom we have received reconciliation, life, and the endless riches of God’s grace. Grace does not just meet our need—it transforms our story for all eternity.

Consider and pray—
╬   How might remembering our sin, and Christ’s rescue into righteousness help us to appropriate the deep love and grace of God to ourselves and to one another?

╬   Where do you see God’s triumph, in your life, at church, in our neighborhoods, and in the world?

╬   Jesus, you are the true and great righteous Christ in whom there is no condemnation. The world and we are hopeless without you. Through God the Spirit, enable us to live in union with you each day, empower us to love generously according to your riches, and grant favor to bring hope and life into all we do like You do! In your name we pray. Amen.