Romans Week 18, November 20, 2022

Introduction

Imagine if you word a world so perfect that humankind lived with perfect peace. Imagine taking the blessing of freedom that some of you have found in retirement and pairing that with younger youthful bodies. Imagine having meaningful, rich work to do in an environment like Florida. Imagine having perfect relationships without jealousy, envy, hatred, or anything damaging our lives. Imagine living in such innocence that walking naked doesn't even phase you. Imagine all this, and you've got a glimpse of what the garden of Eden was like for Adam and Eve. It was the very best of peace. It was peace with God and peace with humanity. And we had it. We had it for a moment. And then it was lost.

Today we're going to talk about a comparison of the piece that we had for that moment and what we have now.

How We Lost Peace With God

Romans 5:12–14 ESV

12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.

Sin entered the world

Death came through the sin

All have sinned and therefore all die.

Paul shows the leadership and responsibility that Adam bore. Death came through sin. Moses showed us in genesis how death came through Adam's sin. Adam died spiritually in genesis 3 and Adam later died physically in genesis 5. In some way death and sin spread from Adam to all mankind. In short, when sin came into the world and with it death came so then man lost peace with God.

The question then, is how have all man sinned? How is sin passed on to all mankind?

It means that all have individually sinned.

It means that ll have inherited a tendency to sin.

We all violate the moral law that God writes on our hearts.

Romans 2:15 ESV

15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them

The question that arises is, how do you account for and give responsibility to all those who lived from Adam to Moses? God gave explicit commands to Adam and Eve for the garden and kicked them out after they disobeyed. Then it wasn’t until God gave Moses the law that we see the law give for how mankind should live. So how is it that all mankind from Adam to Moses sinned.

When Adam sinned, all mankind sinned in him.

The way to understand this is to see Adam as the father of humanity that he is. In him, all mankind sins.

1 Corinthians 15:22 ESV

22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

Paul reiterates this logic in Romans 5:8

Romans 5:8 ESV

8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Because we have inherited this sentence of sin even the billions of us born after Adam still need the forgiveness Christ purchases.

Again, still later in Romans 5, Paul hammers home this truth

Romans 5:18 ESV

18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.

Headship

The Bible teaches us this idea of representative headship. The whole group takes responsibility for what the representative head does.

We have this today, nations go to war because of what our leaders, our heads, say and do.

In the Bible Adam is show to be the head of the human race. As the head God looked past Adam and saw Adam’s sins in the whole human race. All of us received the penalty for what Adam did. We are guilty because of Adam’s actions.

On the other side of the coin as followers of Jesus we are forgiven because of the actions of Jesus. In so much as we are recipients of the sin of Adam we are beneficiaries and recipients of the salvation of Jesus.

If you are ever tempted to think that it's unfair that Adams's sin condemns us, we must also remember that we benefit from the salvation that Jesus purchased. On a basic level, we already get this idea of headship. From our modern concept of country leaders to how we've always understood Christianity, we understand that one individual's actions affect many. The first Adam broke our peace with God. The second Adam won our piece back.

How God Restored our Peace

Romans 5:15–21 ESV

15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. 18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The great contrast

So the great contrast is simply this many died through the actions of Adam but through the actions of Jesus many have received the grace and the gift of God. And this resulted in salvation and hope for all manned kind. This resulted in access to God hope for the future eternal life.

The timing of the gift and the timing of the curse

Romans 5:16 ESV

16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification.

So Paul is saying here that Adams gift resulted in a cascade of judgment and death for all mankind. And yet the gift that Jesus brought did something totally different. The gift that Jesus brought affected people before and after Jesus.

The reign of death in man vs the reign of life in Jesus

Romans 5:17 ESV

17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

Think about it death reigned through Adam and then death reigned from Adam into history. Genesis is full of death accounts which we also call genealogy. Adam died Seth died and so on and so forth. All the way forward throughout history up until our grandparents and some of our parents death has and will continue to reign in a sense but Jesus brought a new rule he brought a new reign to the world.

John 14:6 ESV

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Jesus is life and he brought that life to us.

Jesus will reign until he defeats all his enemies the last of which is death

1 Corinthians 15:25–26 ESV

25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

1 Corinthians 15:54–55 ESV

54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

Because of the victory won by Jesus we can mock death as Paul has done

Think about this verse and I'm referring to Romans 517, death reigned and controlled our lives because of and through the work of Adam. Jesus who is life has brought life and he will rule until he defeats the power of death. Isn't it marvelous that we serve a risen king whose power is defined by life and peace and more.

I think understanding this contrast between the death brought by the actions of Adam and the life one by the victory of Jesus should help us better understand this next passage when we get to it in Romans chapter 6 at the beginning of next year but here is a preview.

Romans 6:12 ESV

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.

We know from Romans chapter 5 that the reign of Christ means life and hope and peace with God. And the reign of sin means death nine ways to Sunday death. Why would we let sin reign in our mortal bodies??

The trespass of Adam vs the righteous act of Christ

Romans 5:18–19 ESV

18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.

This passage is one place where many biblical scholars have gotten off track theologically. This is another example of where it's important to not take scripture out of context. Because if you simply take these two verses out of the entire context of the book of Romans it looks like Adamson brought death and destruction for all mankind and Jesus act brought life for all mankind do you know the theological term for what I just said it's universalism. Universalism is the idea that everyone will be saved in the end because of what Jesus has done. Regardless of what they choose.

What's wrong with universalism?

Let's take a look at a few scriptures including the one we just looked at

Romans 5:17 ESV

17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

Why does Paul write of a certain number of people receiving this gift of grace if God is simply giving it to everyone?

John 3:16 ESV

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Why does John right what Jesus said here if belief is a choice? If salvation is something we have to choose to do?

Acts 2:38 ESV

38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Why do you all the apostles give their lives spreading the good news about Jesus and calling people to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins?

The greatest argument for universalism has always been an emotional one and not a Biblical one. It is important for us to understand that this passage in Romans and the rest of the Bible does not point towards universalism.

Romans C. Universalism (5:18)

1. Because all people are physically linked to Adam does not mean that all people are automatically spiritually linked to Christ. Being physically linked to Adam required no choice; being spiritually linked to Christ requires a choice (John 1:12).

2. Romans 5:17 makes “receiving” a qualification for reigning.

3. New Testament warnings against wrath and judgment would be meaningless in the face of universalism even for those who hold to punishment followed by restoration. The New Testament does not support the concept of temporary punishment (purgatory).

4. Justification follows faith, not death (Rom. 4:1). In fact, what follows death is judgment, which does not bode well for those anticipating universal restoration (Heb. 9:27).

So what is Paul saying here?

Romans C. How Peace with God Was Recovered: A Study in Contrasts (5:15–21)

All human beings are in Adam physically, so all die. But not all human beings are in the second Adam spiritually, so not all live

The Law versus Grace

Romans 5:20–21 ESV

20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

I love this contrast and these verses! The law came to show us our sinfulness so that we might need the grace of God all the more. Sin rains and death but grace ranged through what Jesus has done.

Conclusion

So today we wrap up our last look at Romans for this year. We've seen that we lost peace with God because of what our head Adam did. And we've seen the beauty and the power of what Jesus has done for us. We've seen that this act of justification and salvation is powerful enough for all people and yet it is still something that each individual must choose to accept. None of us can control to whom we were born. None of us can control the reality that we are descendants of Adam and inheritors of the death and sin he brought into the world. But each of us can choose this powerful wonderful grace and gift of God that he offers!

So this week as you go out from here to celebrate Thanksgiving choose peace with God in your hearts and minds. As you spend time with your family start your day with God and embrace the love that he has for you. As you see the problems and the chaos of this world take hope in the powerful work that Jesus did to bring peace in your life and peace through you. And as you grapple with the reality that salvation is still a choice for all people may you take a moment to share your faith with someone else this week. Have a blessed Thanksgiving week!