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The law entered that sin might abound; That is, before the law was written, we became obnoxious to death by one man's disobedience, without much sense of it; but after the law was given by Moses, sin did more clearly and conspicuously appear to be sin: Its odiousness and ugliness was more manifest to the conscience of the sinner.
As the sinner has abounded in sin, in a way of commission, so sin doth by the discovery of the law abound in the sinner's apprehension, in the sight and sense of it, upon the conscience of the sinner.
Nevertheless, As sin abounds, grace doth much more abound. As the exceeding sinfulness of sin is manifested by the law, so the superabounding grace and pardoning mercy of God is rendered gloriously conspicuous in and by the gospel: That as the power of sin appeared in making us liable to temporal and eternal death, so might the power of grace appear in beginning in us a spiritual life here, and bringing us the eternal life in glory hereafter.
In short, when the apostle says that the law entered, that sin might abound, he doth not mean to make it abound, by encouraging the sinner to the commission of it, but by impression the conviction of it upon the conscience of the sinner. A man without the law looks upon himself as a small sinner; but after he has viewed his sins in the glass of the law, he sees himself a great and mountainous sinner: As a star which a child thinks to be no bigger than a spark; but a man that views it through an instrument, computes it to be bigger than the globe of the earth.
Lord, help us to see our sins in the glass of thy law, yea, in the glass of thy Son's blood; and then we shall be sensible what and infinite and immense evil sin is; namely, the stain and blemish of our natures, the discase and deformity of our minds, the highest infelicity of the creature, and the boldest affront that can be given to the majesty of the great and glorious God.
Learn from the whole, That the riches, the abounding riches, the superabounding riches of God's pardoning grace do thus shine forth:
1. In the nature of the mercy, which is the richest and sweetest of all mercies. No mercy sweeter than a pardon to a condemned sinner, no pardon like God's pardon to a sinner condemned at his bar.
2. In the peculiarity of the mercy. Remission is not a common, but a crowning favour; it never was, never shall be extended to fallen angels; and, it is to be feared, that the far greater part of mankind refuse the terms and conditions upon which pardoning grace and mercy is offered and tendered to them.
3. In the method in which pardoning mercy is dispensed; namely, through the blood of Christ, that all-sufficient sacrifice and satisfaction; by which method, God has more commended his love to us, than if he had pardoned us without a satisfaction; for then he had only displayed his mercy: but now he has delcared his justice, yea, caused mercy and justice to meet and kiss each other, to meet and triumph together.
4. The superabounding riches of pardoning mercy appear in the latitude and extent of that act of grace. Lord, who can understand his errors! yet the blood of thy Son cleanseth from all sin, small and great, secret and open, old and new, original and actual; all pardoned, without exception.
Oh how well might the Psalmist say, With the Lord there is mercy, and with him there is plenteous redemption, Psa_130:7
Lastly, the riches of pardoning grace do shine forth, as in the peculiarity, so in the perpetuity of remission. As grace pardons all sin, without exception, so the pardons it bestows are without revocation: The pardoned soul shall never come into conemnation; As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us, Psa_103:12 As the east and west are the two opposite points of heaven, which can never come together; so neither shall the pardoned sinner and his sins ever meet anymore. God is said to cast them behind his back: that is, he will never behold them more, so as to charge them upon the pardoned sinner, in order to his condemnation.
May our faith then, both in life and death, triumph in the assurance of this blessed truth; That where sin abounded, grace did much more abound; and as sin hath reigned unto death, even so hath grace reigned through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives forever in heaven, to apply, by his prevailing intercession, what he impetrated and obtained for us here on earth, by his meritorious satisfaction.
To this Jesus, who is the faithful witness, and first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth, who hath loved us and washed us from our sin in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God; unto him be glory and dominion forever and ever.- Amen.