Death in Adam, Life in Christ

“1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.”

What exactly happened back there in Genesis 3?

[Star Wars analogy]

tale of 2 Skywalkers…

first was Anakin

second was Luke

when facing the temptation of going over to the dark side, the 1st Skywalker gave into that temptation, and because of that, death and chaos followed

when faced with the same temptation, the 2nd Skywalker stayed true to the force, and because of that, hope and life followed

in fact, Luke was in a way, able to redeem his father Anakin

George Lucas even said that the whole Star Wars story is about the redemption of Anakin Skywalker

along those same lines… I think it’s ok to say that the whole story of the Bible is about the redemption of Adam by the last Adam...

romans 5:12-21

“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. 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 …”

PRAY

Paul has been showing through the first part of Romans that the whole world is under God’s wrath.... without excuse.... ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God...

but why? why is the whole earth under God’s wrath? Why is everyone suffering so much? why are things going so wrong here on the earth God created?

Paul tells us it’s all because of what Adam did back there in Genesis 3 and that’s what this section here in chapter 5 is about

Main Idea: Although every one of us is spiritually dead in Adam, Christ's triumph over sin and death has given us life!

let’s start out by looking at the conflict in vs. 12-14

I. The Conflict (vs. 12-14)

in vs. 1-11 of chapter 5, Paul explains about the blessings believers receive through Christ:

1. peace with God

2. being Justified before God

3. being reconciled to God

here, he is dealing with some of these same ideas but tells us about the enemies that threaten these blessings:

- namely.... sin & death

because of sin, people are alienated from God and have lost peace and access

Future glory was lost because of sin and death

Trials exist because of sin and death

Reconciliation needs to happen because sin and death have put us at odds with God

the Good News of our passage today is that peace can be restored through Christ

Vs. 12 shows us that it was because of Adam’s fall… his sin.... that sin and death were introduced into the world.

not just a broken rule.... sin was treason… idolatry… a failure to love God as He loved us.... make no mistake, it was an attempt to dethrone God!

3-stage chain reaction in vs. 12

sin entered the world through Adam

death entered the world through sin

death spread to all humans because all sinned

so… we see the entrance of sin.... the entrance of death.... and the spread of universal death because of sin

you see, we not only sin like Adam, but we sin because we are all in Adam

since we enter into the world alienated from God, we sin… and because we sin, we die. the effects of Adam’s sin are universal… everyone is affected!

we know this… we know there’s something wrong with people… we know at our core there’s something wrong with us...

even non-christians know this...

Researcher Burton White (who has engaged in a lot of empirical research on children for decades) in The New First Three Yeas of Life: The Completely Revised and Updated Edition of the Parenting Classic:

“From fifteen to sixteen months on, as his self-awareness becomes more substantial, something in his nature we don’t fully understand, will lead him to deliberately try each of these forbidden activities, specifically to see what will be allowed and what won’t. In other words, he will begin systematically to challenge the authority of the adult he lives with. Resistance to simple requests becomes very common at this time, and if there is more than one child around, this can be a low point in the parenting experience.”

well.... we do understand it because God has told us in the Scriptures. We are children of Adam!

here’s the good news though, Christ has come to overcome sin! look at the end of vs. 14… “who was a type of the ONE who was to come...”

typology in the Bible - a type is a person, place or event that foreshadows or symbolizes another. Adam is a type of… or points forward to… Jesus Christ

Representation...

people have always struggled with the idea of grace.... the free gift… somehow having Christ’s righteousness imputed to us.... given to us.... laid upon us....

people have always struggled with that… we think there must be something we have to do to earn salvation… that justification can’t be by faith only

of course, Paul spends a ton of time in his new testament writings explaining just that… and for me, this passage helps with it

Paul is teaching us that imputation is not only a new testament idea but that it’s the story of our whole race because in Adam, his sin was imputed to us… given to us… laid upon us because he is our representative

kind of like the Olympics… “we won another gold medal last night”

Adam was our first representative.... when he sinned we all sinned

every time we sin... we sin because of Adam’s sin

but this passage is not only bad news… it’s also good news

we have another representative!

so the question today is this… are you In Adam or in Christ? One of the other! which one are you? we will see that the answer to that question is a life or death situation!

As we move on… in vs. 15-19, Paul shows us some of the differences between our 2 representatives

II. The Contrasts (vs. 15-19)

phrase “much more” shows us that Adam & Jesus are not equal

remember that a Type in the Bible points forward to person, place or event in the future.... and the type, the one that comes first, is always the lesser of the two

and in Jesus, we have gained way more than we ever lost in Adam!

let’s look at the 4 contrasts:

Trespass & Gift (vs. 15)

in vs. 15-17 we see a mention of the gift or grace 8 times! Because of Christ and what He has accomplished on our behalf… God deals with us on the basis of grace. thank you, Lord! if God dealt with me on the basis of my merit, I’m in trouble...

Adam’s impact on humanity was negative… it was his sin… his trespass… and when it says “many died” that means that his impact was total… universal.... all of mankind.... Paul already told us in vs. 12 that “death spread to all men because all [men] sinned.”

however, Christ’s impact on humanity was positive… his gift… or act of grace.... “abounded for many”

now, this time the word “many” is not completely universal.... it does not mean that all people are saved now… that’s a teaching called universalism… or the belief that all people will be saved no matter what… but the Bible does not teach that

Salvation is offered to all… and all people need it… but we see even here in vs. 17 today that only those who receive it are actually saved.

the gift of Christ is so much greater than the trespass of Adam… it accomplishes more for us than the trespass did against us

by starting with the trespass, Paul is showing us how dim a picture this is for us but then he trumps it with the gift… what does he say?

“much more”

“grace of God”

“the gift”

“grace of the one man”

“overflowed”

Paul wants the gift to to be shown as the main attraction.... I like the illustration of a jeweler who first puts down a black cloth before putting the diamond on it so that you can see how the diamond sparkles!

Adam’s trespass… his sin was devastating and brought sin & death to all.... but the gift of Christ will not allow sin & death to overcome believers because His blood has overcome sin & death!

the next contrast is in vs. 16

Condemnation & Justification (vs. 16)

so Adam’s sin brings on condemnation.... back to our legal language from 2 weeks ago… tv courtroom drama

God is the judge… the Law is the plaintiff and we are the defendant

and the verdict is that we are condemned… guilty of sin… every one of us

Adam’s trespass brings condemnation… but Christ’s gift brings justification! believers are “not guilty”..... believers are “righteous”.... our identity has completely changed if we have gone from being “in Adam” to being “in Christ”

I love what Bird says in his commentary on Romans, “we have gone from the swamp to a palace; from quicksand to the Rock; from the Dead Sea to paradise; or from a rat-infested apartment to the Bill Gates mansion!”

and you need to see this today… every person in this room is either one or the other… not some sort of “i hope” or in-between the two some how. you are either in Adam… and thus condemned… or you are in Christ… and thus justified

Can you imagine going from death row (for something you were guilty of) to walking right out the prison gates a free man or woman?

i feel like the great theologian Hux would say “from death row to being let go!”

a second chance!

this second chance… this new identity in Christ should effect every part of our lives

since we are now justified before God, reconciled to God and adopted by God… we should be building our lives on the foundation of Christ in us… no longer worshipping and serving ourselves but worshipping and serving Him!

Merida says, “when we live like that we will become a more humble, grateful, compassionate and holy person.”

in essence.. when we are “in Christ” we start to become like Christ

romans 8:29 “29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son...

romans 12:2 “2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind...

when we move from being “in Adam” to “in Christ” our lives will be different!

we find the next Contrast in vs. 17

Death & Life (vs. 17)

we know that death spread to all men because all men sinned.... death reigning over all is the impact Adam’s sin had on all of humanity

God’s plan in creation was that Adam would reign over the earth as God’s agent.. go back and read Genesis 1 & 2.... but instead of Adam reigning, Adam sinned and death reigned

by contrast however, believers in Christ will reign in life…

we see here an already/not yet situation… in Adam we were dead in our trespasses, but now in Christ… we are alive! but also… we will live and reign with Christ for eternity when he returns

i coach flag football once a week after school in the villages… we only have 45 minutes so we don’t waste much time… we split up into teams, put on the flags and then i say, “i need 2 captains!”

[tell about the process]

however they answer, they represent their whole team

everyone of us is on 1 of 2 teams… and either Adam is your captain or Jesus is your captain

if Adam is your captain you are dead in sin

if Jesus is your captain you are alive in Christ because of his gift of grace

look at end of 17 again, “those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.”

it’s really good to on Christ’s team… but you have to receive his invitation

the last contrast is in vs. 18-19....

Disobedience & Obedience (vs. 18-19)

In the Garden, Adam’s act of disobedience brought sin & death to the world

on the cross, Christ’s act of obedience brought hope & life to those who believe

“will be made righteous”

this could be talking about the moment you receive Christ and go from being condemned to righteous in your standing before God the judge

this could also be looking to the future when we are transformed on the final day

both are true for believers! Christ’s obedience leads to our:

present justification

and our future transformation

Tim Keller explains, “Jesus’s achievement was not simply to remove the penalty for our disobedience, wonderful though that is; it was to obey for us, as our representative head, throughout his life and supremely in his death. While Adam was told he would enjoy blessing if he obeyed God, and yet chose to disobey; the second Adam knew he would face agony and death if he obeyed — and yet he resolutely walked in obedience to his Father. When we read of Jesus’ continual loving obedience in the Gospels, it is a matter of life and death to us; because that obedience is our obedience, if we are in Christ instead of Adam.”

how does Paul wrap us this section? we’ve looked at the Conflict and the Contrasts and now we find the Conclusion in vs. 20-21....

III. The Conclusion (vs. 20-21)

Paul knows the Old Testament… believes the Old Testament… knows the importance of the Law… but he is convinced that no one will be saved by the works of the Law.... the Law did not fix the sin problem… it only made it worse

“The solution to sin is not Mosaic law but messianic grace.” - Tony Merida

we receive righteousness and life only through Christ and God’s gift of grace!

Christ is the greater Adam

and his gift of grace is greater than the sin and death brought in by Adam

Julia Johnston wrote the lyric...

Grace, grace, God’s grace

Grace that will pardon and cleanse within!

Grace, grace, God’s grace

Grace that is greater than all our sin!

LORD’S SUPPER:

today, for those who have chosen to receive the gift.. God’s grace… those who are alive in Christ.... we will celebrate communion… the Lord’s supper....

Participating in the Lord’s supper is reserved for those who have chosen to follow Christ, those who are part of God’s family.

For those of us here today that have not yet made that decision to follow Christ, be baptized and join God’s family… the Church, I would ask you, “what is it that keeps you from making that most important decision?”

If that’s you, you certainly don’t have to leave or anything like that, but we invite you to watch during this very special time.

The Scriptures encourage us to “look” in a number of directions as we share in the Lord’s Supper.

First, we are to look back with gratitude to Jesus and his death at the cross

1 Corinthians 11:24 ESV

24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

Next, we are to look around at the body of believers with whom we share the Supper. It is something we do as we come together.

It is significant that we share this meal as a community. Sharing the one bread together is a sign of our fundamental unity.

1 Corinthians 10:17 ESV

17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

Paul tells us to look inward, to examine ourselves...

1 Corinthians 11:28–29 ESV

28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.

You see, it is possible to come to the Table without repenting of sin (especially those sins impacting relationships within the church), but when we do that we participate “unworthily.”

so.... looking inwardly, we examine ourselves, repent of our sins, because we know that if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins—and cleanse us from all unrighteousness

We also look up to heaven, where the risen and ascended Christ intercedes for us as our great High Priest

Hebrews 4:14–16 ESV

14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Finally, we look forward to the day when Jesus will return

1 Corinthians 11:26 ESV

26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

The celebration of the Supper serves as a proclamation of Jesus’ death which anticipates his return.

so now… take out your pre-packaged elements

1 Corinthians 11:23–24 ESV

23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

1 Corinthians 11:25–26 ESV

25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

matthew 26:30 tells us that before they went out to pray, they sang a hymn...

Peyton will lead us in a chorus

PRAY

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