ABUNDANT LIFE IN CHRIST

I heard Adrian Rogers tell of an old fellow who had never seen the ocean. His family kept insisting that before he died, he needed to see the ocean one time. So, they finally persuaded him and they packed up and headed for the beach. The area where they were staying was among a lot of huge ocean front high-rise apartments—heavily developed—so, as they drove into their condo complex where they would spend the week, there was a narrow opening between the buildings where you could see the ocean waves rolling in. They stopped and said, “Look Daddy, there’s the ocean!” The old-timer looked through the corridor and said, “Is that all there is to it?”

He did not realize from his narrow perspective that there was so much more—the vastness of what stretched beyond even the horizon, three-fourths of the planet blanketed by water. So, from our point of view, we may fail to recognize that no matter what we know of God’s boundless grace—the vast sea of His salvation—that there is so much more! Indeed, Paul uses this expression, "much more" five times in Romans 5:9-21.

9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—
13 (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.
15 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.
16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification.
17 For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)
18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.
19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more,
21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (emphasis added)

Each day this week, we plan to examine one of these “much more” statements. Christ has come to give us abundant life! (John 10:10).