| Bill Waddell | Wed, Jul 27, 12:20 PM (3 days ago) |  | |
| to me |
Hyper-Grace Blog Part II
As promised the follow up to my “Hyper Grace Blog”. To understand the over abounding grace we have to understand the abounding sin. Romans 5:20 “And law came in, that the offence might abound, and where the sin did abound, the grace did overabound. The idea of “over abounding grace” is introduced in Romans 1:16-17 “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel. It is God’s power which is at work for the salvation of every one who believes—the Jew first, and then the Gentile. For in the Gospel a righteousness which comes from God is being revealed, depending on faith and tending to produce faith; as the Scripture has it, “The righteous man shall live by faith.” The Gospel is described in some passages as the “gospel of peace” meaning we are reconciled to God and also as the “gospel of grace” meaning we are being delivered from the power of sin by the Holy Spirit. The “abounding sin” idea begins in Romans 1:18 “ For God’s anger is being revealed from Heaven against all impiety and against the iniquity of men who through iniquity suppress the truth. God is angry.” and concludes with the spread of the sin abounding to all. Rom 3:10-17 Thus it stands written, “There is not one righteous man.There is not one who is really wise, nor one who is a diligent seeker after God.All have turned aside from the right path; they have every one of them become corrupt. There is no one who does what is right—no, not so much as one.””Their throats resemble an opened grave; with their tongues they have been talking deceitfully.” “The venom of vipers lies hidden behind their lips.””Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.””Their feet move swiftly to shed blood. Ruin and misery mark their path;and the way to peace they have not known.”
Moving on to Romans chapter 4 Paul reveals how both David and Abraham lived and were blessed by the yet unrevealed “over abounding grace” even though they were still enslaved by the abounding sin. Paul demonstrates that even though they both had many faults and shortcomings their faults and shortcomings were never counted against them. Not only were their faults and shortcomings not taken into account they were credited with the gift of righteousness. Now Paul moves into chapter 5 and declares that not only are we reconciled to God through the death burial and resurrection of Jesus but through that reconciliation we also have peace with God. And not only are we at peace with God we have hope that we will be delivered from the power of “the sin” by the surpassing power of The Holy Spirit. “Standing then acquitted as the result of faith, let us enjoy peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,through whom also, as the result of faith, we have obtained an introduction into that state of grace with God in which we stand, and we exult in hope and that this hope never disappoints, because God’s love for us floods our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” Romans 5:1-4. In Romans 5:9-11 (If therefore we have now been pronounced free from guilt through His blood, much more shall we be delivered from God’s anger through Him. For if while we were hostile to God we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, it is still more certain that now that we are reconciled, we shall obtain deliverance from sin through Christ’s life.) Now we see how grace becomes hyper-grace. If Grace only reconciles the sinner to God then the sinner while not having his sins counted against is blessed he remains a forgiven sinner and Grace is not hyper to “the sin” it is only equal at best. Paul now lays out the case in Romans 5:12-21 that Grace is hyper to the sin. Let me give you the synonyms Paul uses for hyper and grace and highlight these synonyms in Paul’s case for “hyper grace”.
I have highlighted over abounding, immeasurably outweighs, infinitely greater, much more, and overflowing as synonyms for hyper and gift as a synonym for grace.
“What follows? This comparison. Through one man sin entered into the world, and through sin death, and so death passed to all mankind in turn, in that all sinned.For prior to the Law sin was already in the world; only it is not entered in the account against us when no Law exists. Yet Death reigned as king from Adam to Moses even over those who had not sinned, as Adam did, against Law. And in Adam we have a type of Him whose coming was still future.But God’s free gift immeasurably outweighs the transgression. For if through the transgression of the one individual the mass of mankind have died, infinitely greater is the generosity with which God’s grace, and the gift given in His grace which found expression in the one man Jesus Christ, have been bestowed on the mass of mankind. And it is not with the gift as it was with the results of one individual’s sin; for the judgement which one individual provoked resulted in condemnation, whereas the free gift after a multitude of transgressions results in acquittal. For if, through the transgression of the one individual, Death made use of the one individual to seize the sovereignty, all the more shall those who receive God’s overflowing grace and gift of righteousness reign as kings in Life through the one individual, Jesus Christ.It follows then that just as the result of a single transgression is a condemnation which extends to the whole race, so also the result of a single decree of righteousness is a life-giving acquittal which extends to the whole race.For as through the disobedience of the one individual the mass of mankind were constituted sinners, so also through the obedience of the One the mass of mankind will be constituted righteous.Now Law was brought in later on, so that transgression might increase. But where sin increased, grace has overflowed; in order that as sin has exercised kingly sway in inflicting death, so grace, too, may exercise kingly sway in bestowing a righteousness which results in the Life of the Ages through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:12-21
Five times he uses a synonym to refer to hyper grace. Then Paul concludes with the picture of “The Sin reigning like a tyrannical king over all humanity until he was defeated and put to death through King Jesus and His Grace. Now Paul moves into Romans chapter 6 and asks “should we remain in the reign of the defeated sin king? Heck No is the answer you died to the sin king he has no reign over you don’t you know. Then Paul tells us that all of us were baptized into the death burial and resurrection of Jesus. Baptized into the death burial and resurrection of Jesus will be the subject of my next blog so stay tuned and stay hopeful because it only gets better.