Salvation-Spiritual Death Entered the Human Race Through the Sin Nature
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday November 24, 2015
Salvation: Spiritual Death Entered the Human Race Through the Sin Nature
Lesson # 3
Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned. (NASB95)
“And death through sin” presents the result of the sin nature entering into the human race through Adam’s disobedience.
“Death” refers to “real spiritual death” and is the result of the imputation of Adam’s sin to our genetically formed old sin nature at the moment of physical birth (Gen. 2:17; Prov. 14:12; Ezek. 18:20; Rom. 5:12; 6:23; 1 Cor. 15:22; Eph. 2:1, 5).
Therefore, Romans 5:12 is presenting a progression-Adam’s original sin plus Adam’s sin nature equals “spiritual death.”
“Spiritual death” means that every member of the human race is separated from God and has absolutely no capacity to have a relationship with God who is holy.
There are five major consequences for “spiritual death”: (1) Slavery to the sin nature and the devil and his cosmic system. (2) Physical death (Genesis 5:5). (3) Imprisonment in Torments after physical death prior to the Great White Throne Judgment (Luke 16:19-31). (4) Eternal condemnation in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:11-15). (5) Unique voluntary substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths of Christ (Matt. 27:45-46; Mark 15:34; Phlp. 2:8; Heb. 2:9, 14).
Spiritual death in the human race resulted in the Father sending His Son to die spiritually and physically on the cross as a substitute for members of the human race in order to deliver them from spiritual death and the sin nature.
The problem of “real spiritual death” is resolved when God gives life to those members of the human race who exercise faith alone in Christ alone (John 3:16-18).
“Through sin” does not indicate means or instrumentality since the sin nature is being personified by the apostle Paul and this indicates that the sin nature is the personal intermediate agency through which spiritual death entered the human race.
Not only this but also Romans 5:12 teaches that spiritual death spread to each and every person in the human race because of the imputation of Adam’s sin to each and every member of the human race.
“And so death spread to all men, because all sinned” presents the result of spiritual death entering the human race through the sin nature.
Adam’s original sin in the Garden of Eden resulted in the sin nature, which in turn “resulted in” spiritual death.
The manner in which spiritual death entered the human race and the manner in which spiritual death spread throughout the entire human race is one and the same, namely, through Adam’s act of disobedience in the Garden of Eden.
Adam’s act of disobedience was the manner in which both the sin nature and spiritual death entered the human race and also spread to each and every member of the human race without exception or distinction.
Romans 5:12 teaches that spiritual death “spread throughout” the entire human race.
In the same way, a deadly contagious virus can spread completely throughout an entire population so spiritual death spread throughout the entire human race.
Spiritual death infected the entire human race because each person receives a sin nature that is received through imputation at the moment of physical birth and is passed down through sex.
This sin nature is the result of Adam’s original sin in the Garden of Eden and manifests itself through the function of human volition.
Imputation is the function of the justice of God in crediting something to someone for cursing or for blessing.
There are two categories of imputations: (1) “Real”: crediting to a person something which belongs to him. (2) “Judicial”: crediting to a person something which does not belong to him.
Real Imputations: (1) Imputation of human life at the moment of physical birth (Genesis 2:7). (2) Imputation of Adam's original sin in the Garden of Eden at physical birth (Romans 5:12-19). (3) Imputation of eternal life to the sinner when he exercises faith in Jesus Christ as his or her Savior (John 3).
Judicial Imputations: (1) Imputation of sins to impeccable human nature of Jesus Christ on the Cross (2 Corinthians 5:21). (2) Imputation of divine righteousness to the sinner through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 4:3; Genesis 15:6).
The first judicial imputation, the imputation of personal sins to Christ, made possible the second judicial imputation, the imputation of divine righteousness.
These two judicial imputations produce an exchange: (1) The sinner’s sins go to Christ (2) The righteousness of God goes to the sinner.
At the moment of physical birth, every member of the human race becomes a sinner because he has received the imputation of Adam’s sin in the garden.
The imputation of divine righteousness at the moment of spiritual birth is made possible by the imputation of Adam’s sin in the garden at the moment of physical birth (Romans 5:12-19).
The imputation of Adam’s sin at physical birth results in every person having the nature of Adam, which resides in the genetic structure of the physical body and can never please God but is selfish and self-centered and always disobedient to God.
This imputation means that every person born into the world is born physically alive but spiritually dead, yet qualified for the imputation of divine righteousness through faith alone in Christ alone.
The imputation of Adam’s sin in the Garden also resulted in the imputation of the sins of the world to Christ on the Cross.
The reason why God imputed Adam’s sin in the garden to every member of the human race at physical birth is given in two passages of Scripture:
Galatians 3:22 But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. (NASB95)
Romans 11:32 Therefore, God the Father has confined the entire human race to unbelief in order that He may extend the offer of grace to the entire human race. (NASB95)
Therefore, through a comparison of these two passages, we can see that God’s purpose in imputing Adam’s sin to the entire human race was so that He might show grace to the human race by making the promise of justification by faith in His Son Jesus Christ and the blessings that result from it.
Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.
“To all men” means that spiritual death resulting in physical death spread to each and every person in the human race without exception and without distinction.