Adam's Sin and Christ's Grace Compared in Power and Reach

Romans 5:15 contrasts the offense of one man with the free gift of God through one Man. J. Lyth, D.D., structures this comparison across three critical dimensions.

First, regarding UNIVERSALITY OF INFLUENCE: Adam's destruction reached all mankind inevitably through his transgression. Christ obtained grace for all—yet here lies a crucial difference: ruin came by necessity, while grace's reception depends upon man's free choice.

Second, regarding INTENSITY OF INFLUENCE: Adam's single sin occasioned all subsequent sin; Christ's one act of grace expiated all sin. The distinction proves decisive: Adam's transgression was not inherently greater than any other sin, but Christ's grace outweighs the aggregate guilt of all humanity's transgressions combined.

Third, regarding FINAL RESULTS: Adam subjected mankind to death's bondage; Christ confers upon all who receive Him dominion in life. The fullness of grace in Christ not merely counterbalances the curse in Adam—it far surpasses the original grace conferred upon man at creation.

Professor Godet employs a powerful analogy: if a weak spring could inundate an entire meadow, would not a far more abundant spring necessarily submerge the same ground entirely? If one man's offense spread its destructive influence across all humanity, how much more must God's grace through Jesus Christ reach the whole multitude with superabundant redemption?