Previously in Romans 5, we saw how we are justified (just as if I never sinned) by faith and made at peace with God. We have access (the privilege of approaching God with confidence) by faith into the grace of God in which we stand. We cannot stand in our own righteousness, but we can stand in the grace of God and the righteousness of Christ. We also see God’s motive for going to the cross for you and me, and that is His unconditional love for us. In the remainder of the chapter, Paul explains how death reigned because of sin, but how we can reign in life through Jesus Christ.
Sin entered the world through Adam, and death came because of sin. This also introduced sickness and disease into the world that would have not been there otherwise. Technically, we all begin dying from the time we are born, and it is usually some sort of sickness or disease that eventually takes our life.
There are some who like to attribute death in the fossil record to a geological era before man’s existence, but the Scriptures disagree with that belief. They could not have existed before Adam because death did not exist before Adam’s sin. This is yet another proof of the validity of the first 11 chapters of Genesis, of a young earth, and the world-wide flood.
Death spread to all men, because all have sinned. The proof that sin existed before the law is that death reigned from Adam to Moses even though man did not sin after the transgression of Adam (knowingly and willingly). Any of us who have children know we did not have to teach them to do wrong; it comes naturally even though they may not know better or understand. However, God apparently did not impute sin (hold man to the same standards of righteousness) before the law was given. He held man accountable for what he did know (Gen 9:1-17). The fact that we inherited our sin nature from Adam seems to suggest that it’s in our DNA. Sin has affected every part of creation, even down to our genetic material.
Paul says Adam was a type of Him who was to come (Jesus Christ). This one is a challenge to wrap our minds around. How was Adam a type of Christ? The Scriptures tell us that Eve was deceived into eating the forbidden fruit, but Adam knew what he was doing (1 Tim 2:14). So why would Adam do this? It would seem that Adam knew what his wife had done, and knew what the consequences were, because the Lord had said, “for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Gen 2:17) Adam, knowing he would lose his wife, decided to sacrifice himself by sinning also, and in doing so, plunged the whole human race into sin. So then, Adam and Jesus were sinless from the beginning, and both did something that had consequences for all of mankind. Adam, in a sense, became sin by sinning himself, and then passed this sin nature unto the entire human race. Jesus, on the other hand, became sin who knew no sin, and offers salvation and eternal life unto all who believe.
Next, Paul will compare and contrast the first man, Adam, with the last man, Jesus Christ, and what each contributed to humanity. There are five “much more’s” in chapter 5 worth noting, two of which we covered last time. Much more then, we have been justified by His blood, and shall be saved from wrath through Him. We have been reconciled to God by Jesus’ death, and much more will we be saved by His life.
Adam’s trespass brought death and condemnation to many, but the grace of God, eternal life, and justification through Jesus Christ abounded much more to many. Death reigned because of Adam’s trespass, but much more so, will those who have received the abundance of the grace of God and the gift of righteousness reign in life through Jesus Christ. Through one man’s trespass, judgment and condemnation came to all men, but through one man’s righteous act, the free gift and justification came to all men as well. By one man’s disobedience, many were made sinners, but through Jesus’ obedience, many will be made righteous.
There may be some who would think it unfair that Adam’s sin would be passed onto us, resulting in our suffering and death, but how much more unfair is it that God the Son, who never sinned, was tortured and put to death in our place, and counts us righteous through our faith in Him (although we are not righteous). The law entered that sin might abound (to show man how sinful he really is), but grace abounds much more. It does not matter how sinful we are, God’s grace is bigger if we come before Him with faith and a repentant heart. When comparing Adam with Jesus Christ, as bad as Adam’s sin, sickness, and disease are -- justification, the grace of God, and eternal life through Jesus Christ far exceeds it. Sin reigned in death, but grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
This is such a great gift that we have been given that it should motivate us to gratitude and obedience to the Lord. However, there is a temptation at times to take it for granted by becoming loose with sin. To an even further extreme, some use grace as a license to do whatever they want. Paul will address this next in chapter 6.
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