Messy Grace Series

What makes grace unmerited, undeserved, and unearned?

Though sin and grace have separate chapters in most systematic theology texts, I’m convinced they are so closely related that we can’t understand one without the other. And because the word sin has fallen out of favor (Sin Is Out of Style), it is increasingly difficult to understand grace.

You cannot appreciate grace…without understanding sin…grace is a subject found in sin…

***I’ve sinned...but I haven’t sinned…sinned…have you seen the reality TV shows…I’m pretty good…we dismiss our sins by comparing our sins to others…we are sinning…pride…you feel superior…

THE MAGNITUDE OF OUR MESS

Romans 5:12-14

This paragraph has been called on of the most difficult part so the New Testament to understand and explain…notice the dash after verse 12…because it’s a comparison and the first point doesn’t have a comparison…

Paul is building an argument to demonstrate the worthiness of the gospel…that Jesus is indeed the way. But he makes this bold statement before he does…

Bible talks about sin as a sickness… – Carrier of virus called sin was Adam…Inherited Sin by Adam…

These are the verses that Augustine used in his discovery of the doctrine of original sin…namely that as a result of Adam’s sin, a fallen nature, an “old sin nature,” is automatically passed on to each baby that is conceived…thus we are sinners…notice the end of verse 12…WE ALL SINNED…It’s our nature

Two results of Adam’s fall – SIN AND DEATH…

None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Romans 3:10-12 – from Psalm 14 and 53

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

Doctrine of Total Depravity/Corruption – Our sinful corruption, as a result of man’s fall and its effect on the entire human race, is so great and so immense that we are natural born slaves of sin, spiritually dead, and morally unable to overcome our own rebellion and blindness.

In What Ways are we Corrupted and Depraved?

- WE ARE NATURAL BORN SLAVES

Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. John 8:34

- SPIRITUALLY DEAD

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. Ephesians 2:1-3

- MORALLY UNABLE

Let me tell you what this does not mean…

- it doesn’t mean that there isn’t any sense of right and wrong…CS Lewis said there is an “ought in every man”

- Does not mean that every sinner is devoid of any good qualities that are useful for society. Common good…but Isaiah 64 says even good deeds are like filthy rags…

- This does not mean that every sinner is prone to every form of sin

- Nor is every sinner as intense as we can be in our sin…we have potential to sin more…

WHEN GRACE MEETS OUR MESS

Paul then brings the comparison…a comparison between Adam and Christ…

Read 5:15-21

See the repetition of grace…The word grace is used 155 times in the New Testament – over 100 of them in the writings of Paul, and almost a fourth of those in Romans (24 times)…

Vs. 15 – much more grace abounded for many…the gift of God…

Vs. 20 – climaxes…now where sin abounded…sin reigned and increased…grace abounded all the more…grace brought life… But then Paul adds the Greek word, hyper, so that it means, “abounded all the more.” So we can translate, “where sin added up, grace super-abounded.”

But Christ was better because of Grace…

Sin came through Adam…Life game through Jesus…Grace was the carrier…of what we receive…not the object…God is the object…grace carried it to us

By nature we are Adam…by grace we are in Christ…we are two volume people…volume one Adam…two Christ

Grace is greater than…whatever you put on the other side of equation. Sin comes into your mind, most regret, wish never happened…the greatness of grace… No matter how big the infection…no matter how great the sin…grace is greater…

The whole situation was wrapped in grace: I deserved his reproach and disapproval…this is why grace is unmerited, underserved, and unearned…it is the gift of God…

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” Rom. 5:8

Grace is radically unbalanced. It contains no but: it is unconditional, uncontrollable, unpredictable, and undomesticated—or else it is not grace. As Doug Wilson put it recently, “Grace is wild. Grace unsettles everything. Grace over flows the banks. Grace messes up your hair. Grace is not tame. In fact, unless we are making the devout nervous, we are not preaching grace as we ought.”