Opening Prayer

Dear Jesus, thank you for coming to fix what we could never fix on our own. Help us listen and learn today. Amen.

Scripture: Romans 5:12-19

One man, Adam, disobeyed God — and because of that, sin and death came to every person in the whole world. Everyone who came after Adam was born into his mess.

But here’s the amazing part: one Man, Jesus, obeyed God perfectly — and because of His obedience, forgiveness and life came to everyone who trusts in Him.

And the gift Jesus gives is way bigger than the problem Adam caused. Paul says it like this: “How much more” did God’s grace overflow! Adam broke things. Jesus didn’t just patch them up — He made everything more than it was before.

By one man’s disobedience, the many were made sinners. By one Man’s obedience, the many will be made righteous.

What This Means

Imagine you’re part of a team in a relay race. The first runner on your team trips and falls right at the starting line. Now the whole team is behind. Everyone is losing — and it’s not because you tripped. You didn’t do anything wrong yet. But you’re still on the losing team.

That’s kind of what happened with Adam. He was the first runner for the whole human race. When he disobeyed God in the garden, he didn’t just mess things up for himself. He messed things up for all of us. We were born on the losing team.

But God didn’t leave us losing. He sent Jesus — a brand new first runner. And Jesus didn’t just get us back to where Adam started. He ran the whole race perfectly. Every step. Every temptation. Every single moment of His life, Jesus obeyed where Adam had disobeyed.

And here’s what makes it so good: you don’t have to run the race yourself. Jesus already ran it for you. When you were baptized, God moved you off Adam’s team and onto Jesus’ team. You didn’t earn it. You couldn’t. That’s what grace means — a gift you get for free because someone else did the work.

Paul keeps saying “how much more.” That’s because God’s grace isn’t just enough. It’s overflowing. It’s like the difference between a cup of water and a river.

Let’s Talk About It

Eberley: Paul says the gift is “not like” the trespass — grace doesn’t just balance out sin, it overwhelms it. Why do you think Paul keeps hammering the phrase “how much more”? What does that tell us about how God’s grace works compared to what Adam did?

Eberley: We didn’t choose to be on “Adam’s team.” Is that fair? How does being moved to “Jesus’ team” in Baptism work the same way — something done to us, not by us?

Sonja: In the relay race story, what happened when the first runner fell? How did it affect the whole team?

Sonja: What did Jesus do that was different from Adam? How does that help us?

Dahlia & Freddy: Who is the person who messed things up? (Adam!) Who is the person who fixed everything? (Jesus!)

Remember This

Jesus ran the race for us and won — and now we’re on His team.

Closing Prayer

Thank you, Jesus, that You obeyed perfectly where we could not. Thank you that Your gift is bigger than any mess we’ve ever made. Help us remember today that we are on Your team — not because we earned it, but because You put us there in Baptism. Amen.

Memory Verse

“By one Man’s obedience, the many will be made righteous.” — Romans 5:19