Summary: Man's unrighteousness brought death, but God's righteousness brings life
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What Adam did had an effect on all people. In this respect Adam is a pattern, or type, of “the one to come,” that is, the promised Messiah, the Christ. Paul is very close to resuming his original comparison: “Just as what Adam did had an effect on all people, . . .” But before he returns to completing his statement with the similarity between Adam and Christ, Paul first asserts that there are also some major differences between the two.
But 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! 16 Again, 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. 17 For 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.
The “gift” Christ brought is not like the “trespass” Adam committed. Christ’s gift is far greater and better than anything Adam could ever do to us. Paul brings that out in the next three sentences. Basically the three sentences all say the same thing; repetition reinforces Paul’s point. But there are a few distinguishing features in the sentences that we should note. He says, “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!” In the original Greek, it is very apparent that in this section, Paul is piling up a variety of terms for gift and grace to emphasize God’s generosity. Note also in these sentences the use of the comparative “more” to show the superiority of Christ’s gifts.
This is also a good place to start sensitizing ourselves to Paul’s use of the terms many and all. Many simply says that the group is large; it may or may not include all. The context has to determine the scope of inclusion in the many. When Paul uses the term all, he is informing us that the total number of a certain group is being included. The total group, however, need not be large. For example, we might say, “All the 90-year-olds in our congregation are housebound.” The group in its totality may very likely be small.
Of the two terms, the more difficult one to understand is Paul’s use of many (a large group). The important thing to keep in mind is that using many does not rule out the possibility that these “many” may actually be one hundred percent of those under discussion. We have an example of that here, when Paul says, “If the many died by the trespass of the one man, . . .” With the rare exception of an Enoch or an Elijah, the mortality rate for humans is one hundred percent. Hence with his statement that “the many died,” Paul obviously means that all (the total number of) people died.
The significance of this becomes apparent immediately. Paul states that the many who died (that is, all people) are the same “many” to whom God’s grace and gift in Christ overflows. In the next sentence, Paul identifies this universal gift for all. It is nothing other than justification.
The apostle continues, “Again, 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.” Adam and Christ bear a similarity to each other in that both did something that has an effect on the whole human race. What Christ did, however, is much greater and far superior. The legacy Adam left followed from one sin committed in the Garden of Eden. What Christ did reverses the effect of thousands of sins. Israel piled up sin upon sin in their disobedience of the Mosaic Law. Add to that the transgressions of the Gentiles sinning against the natural knowledge of God written in their hearts, and one sees tons of transgressions in the history of the world. Adam’s one sin brought condemnation on all, but Christ’s gift, following many trespasses, brought justification for the same group.
Paul adds a third sentence: “For 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.”
The comparison—or rather, the contrast—between Adam and Christ moves to its highest level with the discussion of the core issue: the matter of whether life or death will “reign” in people’s lives. The wages of sin is death, and by the sin of one man, death “became king,” as Paul says literally. But that state is reversible. Death can be dislodged from its throne by the gift of God. What Adam did is serious because it put death in charge. But by God’s grace in Christ, all is not lost. Paul exclaims, “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.”
In verse 15 Paul spoke of the universal justification earned for all by Christ’s death. It is important to note Paul’s change in scope here. He does not say that all will reign in life. That would be the unscriptural teaching of universalism. Paul clearly states that reigning in life comes “through the one man, Jesus Christ.” It is believers in him “who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness.” Salvation is there for all, but only the believers in Christ actually receive it. Christ’s earnest warning remains true: “Whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16).