Overcoming the Reign of Sin

The grace of God and His gift by the grace of Jesus Christ, abounds to many, so be sure to know in whose image you stand.

The word “one” appears 13 times in these verses, 11 times referring to one of the two human advocates of all people who will ever live.

Warren Wiersbe says, “The key thought here is that when God looks upon the human race, He sees but two men—Adam and Christ. Every human being is either “in Adam” and lost, or “in Christ” and saved; there is no middle ground.[1]

[1]Warren W. Wiersbe, Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1992), 376.

These two “men” are compared and contrasted in these verses. When God looks upon everyone who lives, has ever lived, or will ever live, He will see each as having their being in either the one or the other of these 2 men. After reading and studying these verses, the only question that remains for each person is, “In which of these 2 men do I stand?” Every person either stands in unity with Adam or stands in unity with Jesus.

The words “all” and “many” speaking of either the entire human race or those impacted by the one in whom they are found standing, are seen 5 times in these verses. It is clear that everyone who will ever live, will be found included in these verses. There are only 2 options for all people.

To emphasize this 2-option position we all will find ourselves facing as we stand before God, there is yet one more repeating term that is important to note in this passage, that is the word “reign” or “reigned” which are found 5 times. In each person’s life, that which reigns in them will either be death or life (v. 17) and either sin or grace (v. 21). The question that we all have to ask ourselves is which is it that reigns in us, death and sin, or life and grace?

In the beginning, God created Adam to bear the image of his Creator, the image of God. In his temptation of Eve, Satan said to Eve in Genesis 3:5 “5 “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”” In essence, Satan was telling Eve that she did not have to bear only God’s image, that she could determine and bear her own image over God’s. Satan, in a sense, was right. As procreator, Adam’s offspring would bear the image of their creator, Adam. As long as Adam bore the image of God without sin, so would that which he creates after him. But if Adam overlayed his own created image over that which God gave him, all who came after him would bear that same sinful, selfish, altered image of their creator. Adam created us all in his own image. Adam replaced the glory of God with the glory of himself. Apart from Jesus Christ, God now sees all mankind through the image of sinful Adam.

God restores His image in us through His Son, Jesus Christ. If we receive Jesus as God’s gift to us, God wraps our being with the image of His Son. He covers us with His own righteousness as we surrender the image of self that was imposed upon us through our creator Adam and accept back the image of The Creator, the image we were meant to bear.

It is likely that Paul wrote 1 Cor. before Romans, or at least close to the same time. First Corinthians 15:21-22; 45-49 seems to contain outline-type statements that serve as the framework for what he wrote with so much more detail in Rom. 5. We are all first born in the earthly image that Adam created for us, but we then can be reborn in the heavenly image through Jesus Christ.

As long as one bears the sinful image of Adam, sin and death reign (Rom. 5:12-14)

The image of Adam is different than the image of God through Christ (Rom 5:15-17)

As long as one bears the restored image of God through Christ, grace and life reign (Rom. 5:18-21)

The grace of God and His gift by the grace of Jesus Christ, abounds to many, so be sure to know in whose image you stand.