“If by that one person’s transgression the many died,
how much more did the grace of God
and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ
overflow for the many.
For if, by the transgression of the one,
death came to reign through that one,
how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace
and the gift of justification
come to reign in life through the one Jesus Christ.” Romans 5.

Paul reminds us of the abundance of grace we have received in Jesus Christ in our reading from the Romans today. Sin brought death into the world through Adam, grace is a gift that brings much more life into the world through Christ. Adam cannot be compared to Jesus Christ; the gift of grace brought by Jesus is infinitely more than the sin of our world.

Is that the way we see it though? Our eyes may see darkness rather than light. Paul’s repeated claim for the power of grace in this reading seems to indicate he recognizes our poor vision for seeing God’s grace in our world.

We can search for alternate ways, some political movement, some religious resource, science perhaps, to make things right, in place of the righteousness of God. The Letter to the Romans guides us back to the plan of God, the mystery of Jesus Christ, who died and rose again, and sent the Spirit, the “Giver of Life” to us.