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Commentaries
English
Romans
  
15But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!16Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.17For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.


Paul explains to us the mystery of sin and death by the first Adam, and of righteousness and life by the second Adam, whom he calls our first father: “a pattern of Christ, who was to come”.
Paul did not say that as sin and death spread to many through Adam, so the grace of God and the gift of eternal life spread to many through the man Jesus; for Christ is greater than Adam, and different from him. Our Lord gives us, not only a little, but an abundance of heavenly grace and gifts. His grace is abounding in many. It is not deadly and paralytic like death, but it produces a revived, fruitful, growing, and strong life.
The sentence of God against sin began with the first man, and automatically passed on condemnation to all. It is not the same with justification, which did not begin with one sinner, but with all sinners, for Jesus justified them all at once. He who believes in him is justified.
When death, because of the sin of our first parents, became a deadly king over all humankind, Jesus opened, with his great grace, a spring of relief and good, from which eternal life flows to all believers. However, the life of God did not reign forcibly over the hearts of believers, as death did, but those who are purified shall reign forever with Christ, their Savior and Lord. In fact, the greatness of Christ cannot be compared with Adam in all respects, for the grace and life of God are much different from death and condemnation.