Romans 5:17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) 5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one [judgment came] upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one [the free gift came] upon all men unto justification of life. 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
These verses of scripture teach us one of the most important truths of all time, that perfect righteousness comes only through faith in Jesus Christ, in order that we may be acceptable with God. In the passage Paul refers to the basis for his conclusion, which was written under inspiration of The Holy Ghost, and it has to do with the fact that all of us were made sinners by the transgression of one man, which means we did not have any say in the matter when Adam decided to fall, but because we were found at that time in his loins, then we also participated in his sin by default.
If a woman is one week pregnant, and she has been found guilty of committing a crime worthy of death, then she can be sentenced to die for her sin, but she will also take her unborn baby down with her in the process, even though the unborn child had nothing to do directly with the choices she made.
The same is true of all human beings who are the offspring of Adam, for we were not conscious as individuals when he transgressed the law of God, and thus brought the penalty of death upon himself and all of his descendants. That’s why we are in so dire need of Christ’s perfect righteousness, which can only be received through faith, for it has been made available to all human beings through the life and death of Jesus Christ.
One of the important points for us to always remember when meditating on the life of Christ, is that God can only accept perfection, which is totally independent of upright motive or sincerity. For instance, a person can genuinely be trying to do the right thing for many, many years, yet their efforts to please God are insufficient to recommend themselves to Him, for all our righteousness stem from a heart that is naturally stained with sin, and therefore all of our works apart from Christ will inevitably be tainted with selfishness of one kind or another.
And since God can only accept perfection, He sent His son as a man into the world to live and die, so that the offspring of Christ may also participate in His perfection, just as we also participated in Adam’s transgression. It is therefore of critical importance for us not to depend on our own efforts to save ourselves, for even though we are required to keep God’s law as best we can by His grace, yet in the final analysis, it is Christ and Christ alone, who will stand in our stead, so that we may be granted an abundant entrance into the eternal abodes of bliss. Any other method employed is doomed to failure from the start, for righteousness must be perfect for it to be acceptable in God’s sight.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which confirms this sacred truth, and it is the will of God that we avail ourselves today, of the abundant grace and kindness granted to us in the person of His Son. Let’s read:
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!