How Jesus Replaced What Adam Erased

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Review of Romans
5 major divisions of Romans summarized by these words: Sin; Salvation; Sanctification; Sovereignty; Service
We have looked at the first 2 sections.
Chapters 1-3 … Everyone has sinned and we deserve condemnation for it.
Section 2- Chapters 4-5 … The Way out - Jesus
Tonight we will pick up on the last few verses of the Second section. It’s a complex section of Scripture but it’s very important to understand it. Paul basically summarizes the history of mankind and why we have the problems we have today.
In these verses Paul answers:
Why is there evil in the world?
Why do people die?
What is there sin in the world?
Why does human nature never change?
What's going to happen to babies when they die?
What happens to people who have never heard the gospel?

How Did We get into this Mess? Romans 5:12-14

Romans 5:12–14 NLT
12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. 13 Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. 14 Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come.

Why is there evil in the world?

Why is there evil in the world? Because of Adam!

Sin entered through Adam. Adam was a real person whose disobedience brought sin into our world and left us with a sin nature. What did Adam do that was so bad? Bottom line, he disobeyed God.
He ate the Apple.
Eve was disillusioned and confused, but Adam willfully took that thing and ate it. God had told him that he could anything but that one fruit, but Adam just had to go after it.
We do the same thing. Any time there is a prohibition of something, we tend to go after that. Our parents would tell us not to do something and what would we do… the thing we were told not to do.

Why do people die?

Why do people die? death came through sin

Sin and death are like twins. One goes with the other.
Death is a result of sin
Romans 6:23 NLT
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Death means separation from God, but the Bible teaches about three types of death.

Three Kinds of Death

1. Physical Death.
We will all die.
Hebrews 9:27 NKJV
27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,
Death did not exist until Adam sinned. If he had not sinned, we would not have death in our world. Gen 2 & 3
2. Spiritual death
Much worse than physical death because we are eternal beings. This is the main consequence of our sin. When Adam sinned something inside of him died. This nature is passed on to everyone. We are all born spiritually dead. That’s why Jesus said that we might have life in John 10:10.
You don’t need life if you already have it.
Paul
Ephesians 2:1 NLT
1 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.
He is talking about spiritual death.
Ephesians 2:1–5 NIV
1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
Before you became a follower of Jesus, you were spiritually dead.
3. Eternal Death.
When you die physically, and you are dead spiritually, you die eternally in hell.
Romans 5:12 NLT
12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.
This verse says 2 things.
Sin entered the world and because of that we commit sins. We have a sinful nature that causes us to sin.
ILL - mothers can pass diseases to children.
It’s also possible for generational sin to be passed down. The Bible says Adam is the father of us all and when Adam sinned he was carrying in him the genes of everybody that was to be born and he passed on the infection called sin. It's a sin nature, a tendency to sin. It's an inevitable tendency that we naturally want to go the wrong way.
ILL - Some people today think man is basically good. Look at a baby. You don’t have to teach them to lie, or be selfish. They live in a world where they think they are the center of the universe. Don’t feed one when they are hungry. lying and being disobedient come naturally to them… they are human. Adam passed sin down to them.
We sin because we are sinners by nature. We have an inherited tendency to sin.
Illustration: If I were to take some radioactive material and go up to the very beginning of a stream and pour it into the stream at the very beginning, would it not pollute everything else downstream? That's what Paul is saying about Adam. One man blew it and because of that the sin tendency was passed on to you and me and everybody else. Why do we still have wars after thousands of years and thousands of peace treaties? Because human nature has never changed. No matter how educated and smart we get do we still have people fighting? Sure. Because human nature has not changed in thousands and thousands of years
Romans 5:12 NLT
12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.
Is it fair of God to condemn the whole world just because of one man who sinned? Is it fair that I suffer for Adam's sin? I wasn't there. I didn't have anything to do with it. Is that fair?
Yes. It's not only fair, but it's wise and gracious of God to condemn everybody in one man. Why?
If God had taken each of us on a case by case basis and evaluated our lives He'd still come to the same conclusion: nobody's perfect. We have all sinned
But by condemning the entire world in one man God was able to save the whole world through one man, Jesus Christ. One man brought total condemnation to the world but one man, Jesus Christ, can bring total salvation to the world
Adam represented sin for all of us while Jesus represents salvation for all of us.

What about people who have never heard of the Bible?

Are they going to heaven or hell?
Romans 5:13 NLT
13 Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break.
God says that even people who have not heard the Bible or the laws of God sin because they have a sin nature whether they know the laws or not. If someone never sinned, they would not die. But people have a sin nature so they die.
Sin was present during that time before God gave the laws, but He didn't hold it against anybody. god di dnot hold it against them because there was no standard. Paul goes on...
Romans 5:14 NLT
14 Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come.
Adam broke a command -- God told him not to do it and he broke it. It is your nature that condemns us, not individual sins. We'll reap the results of individual sins here on earth, but those sins won't send us to hell. We put so much emphasis on what we do. God says it's who we are. We need to realize it's not what we do but who we are.
When you understand that you have a sin nature you're going to understand why you have psychological problems. Have you ever found yourself saying this: "The thing I don't want to do, I end up doing. And the things I want to do I end up not doing. Even though I know it's right I don't do it. Even though I know it's wrong I do it anyway." Paul talks about this in chapter 7.
I have had a lot of people over the years say, I don’t know why I do this… Why do I continue in habits that are bad for me and I keep on doing them?" All of that makes sense when you realize you have a basic nature problem inside of you. That's the bad news.
The good news is that Jesus came to change our nature. That’s the message here. Do babies die? yes. They haven’t had a chance to sin… they die because they are part of the human race and we have a sin nature.

What happens to babies before they’re old enough to accept Christ?

They are are safe.
Psalm 116:6 NKJV
6 The Lord preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me.
Babies, mentally handicapped.
God preserves them. They are safe. He saves them because they will never know what sin and forgiveness is in this life.
Doctrine of original sin - Augustine - taught that baptism washed away original sin. It doesn’t.

II Contrasts and Comparisons between Adam and Christ Romans 5:15-21

Romans 5:14 NLT
14 Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come.
Adam was a pattern of one to come. He is talking about Jesus. How is Adam like Jesus. Adam blew it for everyone and Jesus saved the human race.

Two parts of this passage

Verses 12-17 are contrast between Adam and Jesus
Verses 18-21 are comparisons between Adam and Jesus
Romans 5:12–17 NIV84
12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned— 13 for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come. 15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
phrase - is not like… how much more… contrasts
Romans 5:18–21 NIV84
18 Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. 20 The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Phrase - so also...
This is important because Paul is teaching what it means to be saved and how we become saved. He reminds us over and over again that we are saved by one event… the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Can one person make a difference in the who human race? yes.
We need to understand this...
Romans 5:18 NIV84
18 Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.
Adam Blew it, Jesus fixed it.
Romans 5:15 NIV84
15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!

The Event: Adam’s sin; Jesus Gift. (vs. 15)

Romans 5:16 NIV84
16 Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.

The Result: Adam’s sin brought judgement and condemnation. Jesus gift brought justification. (vs. 16)

Jesus took care of all sin and sins… even the ones you will commit later.

The Effect: Death Reigned. Jesus brought life. (vs. 17)

The difference life and death.

The Reason: Adams Disobedience vs. Jesus Obedience. (vs 19)

Philippians 2:8 NIV84
8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!

Two Comparisons

Both committed a single act that impacted all humankind. (18)

Romans 5:18 NLT
18 Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone.
One is the key word here...
One sin brought universal condemnation. It was handed down from Adam. One act by Jesus fixed it.
Why is it our nature to rebel against those same kinds of boundaries? Like father, like son! We're all human. The first human did it and the tendency is passed on down. It's a calculated decision. Both committed a single act. One in trespass, the other in one act of righteousness.

Both influenced the Human Race (vs 19)

Romans 5:19 NLT
19 Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.
One sin brought universal condemnation. One act of righteousness by Jesus brought justification. However, it’s not automatic. That is universalism. Everyone is saved and that’s not the case.
Romans 5:17 NIV84
17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
How much more… Those who receive. Receiving is our responsibility. Jesus made salvation possible, but we still have to choose. Just like Adam chose poorly, we have to choose.
Paul concluded with verse 20
Romans 5:20 NLT
20 God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.
When the law was given, it was given so we would know how we blow it in so many ways.
The Bible teaches clearly that the world will get worse as time goes on. We're not in evolution we're in devolution. It was perfect when we started and it's been going downhill ever since. We're devolving. But the good news is that God says, "Where sin increased I'll just explode grace in greater abundance." The deadest churches are dead and the most alive churches are alive!
You cannot make a blanket statement and say everything in the world is bad. There are a lot of things that are good in the world. Because while the devil is at work, God is at work. It depends on what you want to look at. Is the coffee cup half full or half empty.
There are places where there is tremendous spiritual revival with fantastic things going on. By the year 2000 Africa will be a Christian continent -- 51% of those in Africa will be Christians by the year 2000. That's been proven over and over by all kinds of mission experts.
Right now percentage wise, South Korea is more Christian nation than the United States is. It's incredible that the largest church in the world is in Seoul, Korea with a half million members. They have an auditorium that seats 35,000 and they have seven Sunday services. Plus they have a seventeen story building that seats 2,000 on each story and have a wide screen television at each place. They fill up the auditorium and the seventeen story building seven times a Sunday! Big church!
There is a church in San Palo, Brazil that runs close to 50- 60 thousand people on Sunday. It's enormous!
The greatest movements of God right now are in the Third World. Rather than being depressed at all the things that are going on ‑- sure there's a lot of pornography in our nation, an AIDS epidemic, a nuclear crisis. But God is at work in ways He's never been at work before. As sin increases, grace increases! That's what you want to focus on. I want to focus on what God's doing, that gets me excited! And I want to be a part of it! You either get on the train or get left behind!
Romans 5:21 NLT
21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Sin always ends in death. Grace always leads to life.
Before we know Jesus, we are controlled by our sinful nature. After we receive Jesus we are controlled by him… Grace and Life.
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