Ordinary words fail us. Much more? How about lavishly, extravagantly, infinitely, incalculably more!
Leviticus 6:5 reads, “He shall restore its full value, add one-fifth more to it, and give it to whomever it belongs.” In our last lesson, we thought about a practical way to apply the trespass offering to fixing damaged relationships. By not only seeking forgiveness, but enriching the person offended, we move that friendship forward in a positive and wholesome way. Let’s take our thinking now to a much higher level. In what way did Christ’s sacrifice, as the ultimate trespass offering, bring about added blessing? In every way! It was not just that the Lord could prophetically say, “then I restored that which I took not away” (Ps 69:4, KJV). Five times in Romans 5, Paul uses the words “much more” to describe the added blessings we have in Christ. Adam was God’s creature; we are His children. Adam lost Eden; we are now welcome in heaven. Adam had physical life; we have eternal life—the life of God. Adam could walk with God in the evening; we are God’s temple, indwelt by the Holy Spirit. We have borne the image of Adam, the earthy; we soon shall be transformed to bear the image of Christ, the Lord from heaven. And God, too, the Owner of everything, has somehow been enriched. Through giving up His one Son to the horror of Calvary, He is “bringing many sons to glory” (Heb 2:10). Christ is winning for Himself both a kingdom and a bride. How wonderful if Christ had solely restored us to a right standing before God, or if He had paid the cost of our restitution for the damages we had done. But He didn’t just bring our balance to zero. We are now as rich as He is! “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Rom 8:32).