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Sermon #3081

The Gift of Righteousness

A Sermon on Romans 5:16-17

Originally preached March 28, 1958

Scripture

Romans 5:16-17 ESV KJV
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. For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive …

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Sermon Description

In his previous sermon, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones pointed out the similarities of humanity’s relationship to Adam and its relationship to Christ. In this sermon on Romans 5:16–17 titled “The Gift of Righteousness,” he shows that while there are several similarities, the most striking thing are the differences between these two relationships. He begins by pointing out that Adam’s sin and disobedience led to judgment and condemnation. These both came through the act of one sin. In contrast, Jesus’s one act of obedience led to the covering of all sins. This is the beauty of the gospel. How then should humanity react to this free gift of Jesus Christ? Despite the many sins, the Christian has now been justified, which means He blots out all sins and calls the Christian righteous. He goes on to point out that it was by one man’s offense that death came and reigned in the world. But it was the one act of Jesus that defeated death and brought life. The Christian is given the righteousness of Christ when they believe in Him. No longer does death reign over them, but those who believe shall now find life in Christ. They have lost the fear of death and will reign with Christ for eternity.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. Sin leads to judgment
  2. Judgment leads to condemnation
  3. Condemnation leads to death
  4. Death reigned over all mankind as a result of Adam's sin
  5. The free gift is not like the offense
  6. The free gift justifies us from many offenses, not just one
  7. We receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness
  8. The gift of righteousness means we are clothed in Christ's righteousness
  9. We shall reign in life by Jesus Christ, not just have life reign over us
  10. Reigning in life means victory over sin, death, fear, the devil, and life's circumstances
  11. Our ultimate reigning will be when Christ returns and we inherit His kingdom

The Book of Romans

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.