Superabounding Grace.

Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.

(Romans 5:20)

Our text this morning is Romans 5:20 as we consider the Superabounding Grace of God. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.

Sin and Grace are two of the most sweeping words in our language. Hell and heaven are connected with these two things, as cause and effect. Sin leads only to hell, and grace alone can lead to heaven:---surely, then, we ought to want to be well acquainted with the nature of sin, which is the source of misery, and with grace, which is the fountain of eternal life. Much is said of both these in a masterly manner, by the Apostle of the Gentiles in his remarkable epistle to the Romans, and especially in this chapter. To exalt Christ, was his constant aim, and he makes a beautiful comparison, or rather a contrast, between the first and the second Adam in which he proves that the grace of Christ was more powerful to save than the sin of Adam was to destroy; and he sums up the whole in the words of our text.

These words naturally divide themselves into two parts,

1. The awful abounding of sin, and

2. The superabounding of grace.

Let us first consider the awful abounding of sin; now consider how this is a subject upon which we ought to enter with solemn awe; all the evils that we feel, or fear, come from sin. If pain and sorrow, death and the grave, hell and everlasting burnings, are awful, then sin must be deemed a horrible evil, for sin is the source from which they all proceed: and this is a subject in which every one of us is concerned; because all are sinners, whether they know it or not, and our sins will prove our ruin, if grace does not intervene, if this grace does not abound above and beyond all our sins.

What is sin? Few it may be feared have right notions of it. To swear, and be drunken, to rob, or to murder, is acknowledged by all men to be sinful; that which ruins a man's reputation, or injures society, is acknowledged to be evil; but much that is deemed innocent by man, is abominable in the sight of God.

Sin cannot be rightly known, but by an acquaintance with the holy law of God, for "sin is the transgression of the law,"(1 John 3:4 NKJV) it is disobedience to that authority, which cannot be disputed: and if no evil were to arise from sin by way of punishment in the present world, or in that which is to come, sin would still be a detestable evil.

Now some may think that some sins are only trivial evils. Such, they may suppose, was eating of the forbidden fruit; and what was the evil of that sin, but disobedience against God, a defying the divine authority? and that is the real evil of sin which true penitents will always readily acknowledge, as a great transgressor once did when he said, "Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight."(Psalm 51:4)

Sin is an evil not only because it is hurtful to society, but because it is an act of rebellion against God: it is undermining the divine government; and therefore it cannot but be hateful to him, whose "law is holy and righteous and good."(Romans 7:12) Therefore we have to have some knowledge of the divine law, if we would have a right conception of sin. The apostle Paul says that "he was once alive apart from the law;"(Romans 7:9) that is, when he was a proud self-righteous Pharisee, but, "when the commandment came,"---when he understood the purity and spirituality of the law, he realized that he was a notorious and guilty sinner, condemned by the law of God.

And this holy law condemns all men; for "whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God,"(Romans 3:19) and the law thus understood will plainly show how awfully sin abounds.

Let us consider, in a few particulars, how “sin abounds."

1. This appears in the first place from its universality.

It is not a local evil like many natural evils, confined to one place, or limited to one age; but, it is an universal calamity; from the beginning until now, it has continued in its full force; and wherever human beings have been discovered, there it has been found that sin has reigned. The Apostle has shown us in the first and second chapters of this masterly epistle, that the whole world is in a state of condemnation; it is a rebellious universe, the whole species is up in arms against God. However men may differ in their customs and manners,---men who never heard of each other, you will find, wherever you go, that sin reigns.

2. This appears also from the immense number of sins that are constantly committed.

If we include, as we ought, our sins of omission, and our sins of thought---who can count his errors! With regard to the dispositions of our minds---we are commanded to love God with all our heart, and soul, and strength; and if we fall short of this, then we are transgressors.

How many thousands of sins are committed in the imagination, from which perhaps no external act results; but God knows that "every intention of the thoughts of man's heart is only evil continually."(Genesis 6:5) From the first dawn of reason, through infancy, childhood, youth, and riper years, even to the end of human life, we are offending against God. We behold the workings of sin, envy, pride, and rage, even in little infants. In short, we "are estranged from the womb; we go astray from birth, speaking lies;"(Psalms 58:3) if these evils are continued for forty, fifty, sixty, or seventy years, how are our sins multiplied! Well may we say with the Psalmist, "evils have encompassed us beyond number; our iniquities have overtaken us, and we cannot see; they are more than the hairs of our head; our heart fails us."(Psalm 40:12)

3. Consider, as well, the eagerness with which men sin; the earnestness with which they commit transgression.

There is sin in our nature; the seeds of sin are in our constitution; but how are these skillfully cultivated! they become, as it were, a trade; "the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil;"(Ecclesiastes 8:11) the Scriptures picture men to be sinning "as with cart ropes;"(Isaiah 5:18) "with both hands;"(Micah 7:3) and how carefully they are planned out! Man "drinks iniquity like water,"(Job 15:16) and some "sell themselves to do evil."(2 Kings 17:17) Their language is, "Let us eat and drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die,"(Isaiah 22:13, Luke 12:19) and their sole object is to "gratify the desires of the flesh."(Galatians 5:16)

At some times and in some places, iniquity abounds to an unusual extent; and persons arrive at a certain height of wickedness, beyond which God will not allow them to go. Thus it was with the Canaanites, and the Amorites; with Sodom and Gomorrah; and with the Jews also; they "fill up the measure of their sins,"(1 Thessalonians 2:16) until there is no remedy.

4. Consider also, how sin abounds through aggravating circumstances.

Some sins are extremely hateful in themselves; others are aggravated by the circumstances under which they are committed; thus, no doubt, Judas, with the knowledge he possessed, was far more criminal than Pilate. Sins are aggravates when they are committed against knowledge. All sinners are "without excuse,"(Romans 1:20) but some are more inexcusable than others: and how great must our sins be, considering the light and knowledge we have in this land of Bibles, and where there have been so many godly ministers, who, like faithful watchmen, have cried aloud, and pointed their danger out to sinners!

Religious education tends to greatly aggravate the sins of those who continue in them; the sins of such persons are not like the sins of others who have lived all their days in careless, ungodly families; but, where the worship of God is maintained, day by day, and instruction given by pious parents, those who continue in iniquity, abusing such advantages, are sinners of the deepest strain.

And when sins are committed against the special goodness and mercy of God, they are also greatly aggravated. This is the condition of many to whom God may say as to the Jews of old,"Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me."(Isaiah 1:2) God is good to all---"the earth is full of the riches of his goodness;"(Psalm 33:5 NKJV) "he opens his hand; he satisfies the desire of every living thing"(Psalms 145:16) but see how all this goodness of God is abused!

Let us consider what God has done for us, in making us rational creatures, capable of knowing and serving him: he has furnished us with our amazing bodies, and all the powers of the mind; has spread our table, and filled our cup, and made the whole creation contribute to our comfort; he has indulged us with a thousand delights; the clear shining of the sun; the pleasing light of the moon; the charming songs of the birds; the sweet fragrance of the flowers; the higher pleasures of domestic life---the attention and affections of our dear relations.

He has also granted us time and space for repentance; we have received many faithful warnings, many kind invitations; we have repeatedly felt conviction of our sin and misery, with which we have trifled; we have made many resolutions in times of sickness, which we have as frequently broken; we have escaped dangers by land and by water; we have had many admonitions by the death of friends, and yet, perhaps, we are continuing in sin to the present moment. Consider how does sin abound!

5. Sin will appear to abound, if you consider the disastrous effects which it has produced.

The great and blessed God would not allow his creatures to endure so much misery as they do, if he were not greatly displeased by their sins. The earth is cursed for man's sake; it spontaneously produces thorns and thistles; but bread must be produced by the sweat of his face.(Genesis 3:19) How many are doomed to hard work in the fields and in the mines! The mariner who plows the stormy ocean; the wretched slave who toils in the burning field; all the labors and all the miseries of man prove that he is a sinful creature. Observe the disorder of the elements; the frightening flash of lightning; the terrific peals of thunder; the deluges of water; the sickening heat of hot climates; the destructive winds; and the tremendous earthquakes. Must not sin have abounded, to bring about these abounding troubles?

6. The prudence of man in framing human laws is another proof of the same truth.

Why are contracts and oaths necessary in our affairs? Why must we have locks, and bolts, and bars to our homes? Why must we have judges and magistrates, prisons and gallows? The reason is that sin so much abounds.

Recollect also the numerous and painful diseases which invade the human body; visit hospitals, sick chambers, asylums, and other places of human misery; and behold in them all a convincing proof that man has sinned, and that God is angry. Indeed look a little farther, and contemplate the end of all men. There you have the strongest proof imaginable of the evil of sin; it has brought death into the world; "it is appointed for man to die once;"(Hebrews 9:27) the body must see corruption; must return to the earth from which it was taken. How then does sin abound!

Before we go on to the second part of the subject, let us pause. Let us not dismiss this serious topic without feeling its weight; let us be concerned to know this humbling truth, and to know it for ourselves; let the general doctrine come home to our hearts with Nathan's message---"You are the man!"(2 Samuel 12:7)

Surely, if we admit the truth of the Scriptures, we have to confess that we are miserable sinners, and that, in our own case, sin has indeed abounded. This disposition of mind is pleasing to God, for to this man he has promised to look, "he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word."(Isaiah 66:2) Blessed is the man who is "poor in spirit,"(Matthew 5:3) who mourns for his sin.(Matthew 5:4) Only fools make light of sin, but those who are truly wise, have a most humbling awareness of their abounding transgressions and unworthiness.

Let us now move on to the second part of our subject. We have seen, and hopefully have felt that sin abounds: let us now contemplate the superaboundings of grace.

Grace is a term that is little known and rarely mentioned except in a way of contempt. Grace stands for the free favor of God towards sinful and undeserving creatures; and it stands opposed, in Scripture, to the merit or wages of works, as in Ephesians Chapter 2, "by grace you have been saved---not a result of works, so that no one may boast."(Ephesians 2:8-9) It is carefully distinguished from that which might be thought to earn merit, as in Romans Chapter 6, "The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."(Romans 6:23) The doctrine of human merit is indeed flattering to the pride of man; but it is totally contrary to the grand principle of the gospel, which forbids all flesh to glory before God, and to ascribe the whole of salvation to pure unmerited mercy.

In the whole business of salvation, from first to last, grace abounds. It originates in the heart of God, who pitied us in our low condition; and devised a plan of salvation, to us perfectly easy, to himself highly honorable. It was God, who, unasked, presented to the world that "inexpressible gift,"(2 Corinthians 9:15) his only Son, in human nature; "for God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son."(John 3:16) And "in this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."(1 John 4:10) Grace is wonderfully displayed in the glorious person, and the perfect work of the Son of God; "you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for our sake he became poor, so that we by his poverty might become rich;"(2 Corinthians 8:9) and because we, whom he planned to save, were partakers of flesh and blood, he partook of the same nature, and submitted to the deepest humiliation on our behalf. "Foxes," said he, "have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head."(Matthew 8:20)

1. Such was his grace, that he patiently endured the contradiction of sinners against himself; and suffered, in a way, which it is impossible to describe. Who can conceive what were the agonies of his holy soul, when he sweat, as it were great drops of blood falling to the ground? or, when suffering on the cross, he exclaimed, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"(Matthew 27:46) In this obedience of Christ to death, consisted that righteousness, by which all believers are justified; and which, in the 19th verse of this chapter, is opposed to the disobedience of Adam, in whom we fell. "For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous."(Romans 5:19)

And so grace may be said to abound in the gospel of Christ, which, on that account, is itself called "the grace of God." The apostle Paul, writing to Titus, says, "the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions."(Titus 2:11-12)---doubtless, he means that we are so instructed by the gospel. And in another place, writing to the Corinthians, he says, "We appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain,"(2 Corinthians 6:1)---that is, that you do not fail to accept, and improve by the gospel preached to you. And well may the gospel bear the name of grace, for it is the principal purpose of God in the gospel to display this wonderful grace, and to show how richly it abounds in the salvation of sinners: every page is full of grace; nor does that deserve the name of gospel in which it does not obviously abound.

2. Further. Grace exceedingly abounds in the free and full justification of the sinner who believes. The apostle Paul, describing his own case in the first epistle to Timothy says, after mentioning his former depravity and guilt, "the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus."(1 Timothy 1:14) He was surprised and astonished when he reflected on the free favor of God, bestowed upon so great a transgressor. And in the last verse of this chapter, wishing to extol the grace of God as highly as possible, he says, "that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."(Romans 5:21)

Here he compares grace to a mighty monarch---Grace reigns, presides, and governs with majestic superiority, in the grand affair of human salvation, worthy of the highest honors.

One more idea is necessary; it is not only said that "grace abounded," but that it "abounded all the more."

We have endeavored to show that sin does awfully abound; but the apostle says, that though sin does abound, yet grace does "abound all the more:" and he not only speaks of a likeness between the first and second Adam, but he also speaks of that which is not alike, in verse 15. "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. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification:"(Romans 5:15-16) the meaning of which seems to be that we derive more from Christ than we lost in Adam. No doubt, the condition to which God will finally raise his saints in the heavenly world will be far superior to that which man enjoyed in his original state; and the soul, clothed with the righteousness of God our Savior, will shine more brightly than Adam ever did in the righteousness he had before he fell.

"What we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when the Savior appears we shall be like him;"(1 John 3:2) we shall be made kings and priests to God; we shall be raised to a state of dignity and glory, sitting down with Christ himself on his throne of glory. "This honor shall have all His saints!"(Psalms 149:9) And so it will appear, in a manner we cannot yet fully understand, that "where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more."

IMPROVEMENT.

To conclude---Let us diligently study the doctrine of grace. "It is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace"(Hebrews 13:9)---in the doctrine of grace: for true religion does not consist in outward ceremonies, even those appointed by God; it is something infinitely superior. Let us therefore "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ"(2 Peter 3:18) this will be found the best, the most useful, and the most delightful kind of knowledge; and those who have acquired it, will say with the Apostle, "Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ."(Philippians 3:8)

Let us be concerned, above all things, to be partakers of this grace. Do not be content to just hear of it, as unconcerned persons, but seek to be personally partakers of it. Will we neglect it! Will we allow any of the concerns of this life, however pressing, or any of its enjoyments, however pleasing, to divert our souls from this greatest of all concerns? Perish the thought!

Awfully, indeed, are they mistaken who would substitute anything in its place; or put their own works of righteousness in the place of the righteousness of Christ. And what will poor sinners do at the last day without this grace? carefully consider, that death is not far away, and what an awful thing will it be to die without the grace of God. Your sins, have sadly abounded, and will deserved punishment not also abound? It will, unless this grace superabounds. Seek it then by earnest prayer, "seek, and you will find."(Matthew 7:7)

What a source of consolation is this, even for the greatest of sinners! Does guilt oppress your conscience, and fears alarm your souls! Are you saying---"You do not know what a sinner I have been---uncommon---excessive in sinning." It may be so. I know that you cannot overrate your sins, but mark the encouraging words of our text---"Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more:" and why should it not be so in your case?

What abundant cause is here for praise---ardent, constant praise! If Abraham, at a distance, saw the day of Christ and was glad, how much more cause have you, believer, who have tasted that the Lord is actually gracious, to rejoice in his salvation! Adopt then the prophet's language of exultation. "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness."(Isaiah 61:10)

Finally. This subject furnishes us with a mighty incentive to holiness. "Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?"(Romans 6:1) The Apostle brings up this question, because he knew that this objection would be made, but he replies, "By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it."(Romans 6:2) Rather, let grace constrain us, cheerfully and sincerely, to devote ourselves, body, soul, and spirit, to the honor and glory of the God of all grace, which is, indeed, "our reasonable service."(Romans 12:1 NKJV)