“The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Romans 5:20-21Have you ever had a child make a beeline to the one thing you told them they could not do? The giving of the Law to Moses predictably led to more sin. The purpose of the Law was to point people to Christ, by revealing our need for God. No one can ponder the Ten Commandments very long without realizing that they are impossible to keep! As Paul said in Galatians 3:24-25 the Law was like a schoolmaster (King James Version), or better yet, a Greco-Roman “tutor-bodyguard!” The Law would lead us to Christ by revealing our true spiritual poverty (See Matthew 5:3).

While the Law pointed out the abundance of sin, God’s provision of grace in Jesus was even more abundant. Grace “increased all the more” is actually the translation of “overflow” from verse 15 above, with “hyper” added. So we can read it this way: where sin became abundant, God’s grace “hyper-overflowed.” So no matter how much sin we have and death we deserve, Jesus totally overwhelms our darkness!

Summing up Romans Chapter 5, Paul has made it clear that our forgiveness and justification is just the beginning of God’s overflowing grace. He has made it clear that there is so much more beyond for us, because God’s grace is so plentiful and unlimited. In other words, it is way better than you think!

Pray that God would help you understand His grace. Praise his abundant generosity toward you. Pray that you would hunger for more of what God has for you. We only experience God’s blessings by faith, so ask God for an extra measure of faith, so you can “see” more of what He’s done for you, and appropriate more of His blessings into your life. Ask Jesus to “hyper-overflow” his grace into your day. Practice noticing his grace and thanking him all day for it!.