Romans 5:12-21

The Free Gift Through the One Man

The apostle Paul has been explaining how the gospel of Jesus Christ transmits God's absolute power to break the power of sin and death over our lives resulting in our absolute and certain assurance of glory.

We are assured of this glory to come because the final judgment has already been made on behalf of all who rest in the person and work of Jesus Christ our Lord.

But how is this possible?  How can the verdict already be rendered?  How can we already be declared by God to be acquitted of all the charges and fully forgiven of all our sin and rebellion?

Because the future judgment of wrath due your sin has already fallen upon Jesus Christ in your place.  Think of it this way:  All humanity will one day stand before God's judicial throne and be judged in accordance with God's holy and perfect law to see whether or not we measure up to His holy standard.  Since we have all sinned and fallen short of God's glory, no one will be found innocent and we will stand condemned.  But in God's grace, he sent His only Son to stand in your place.  At the cross, Jesus took your judgment for sin upon himself.  He became your sin and received the wrath of God in your place.  Now that that judgment has fallen upon him, there is no more condemnation for you who rest in his work on your behalf.  All that awaits you now is the triumphant conclusion and public display of God's grace when he saves you from his wrath to come.

Theologians have used the analogy of D-day and VE-day to explain the victory won for us by Christ.  On June 6, 1944 the United States and her allies invaded Europe in the largest seaborne invasion in human history catching Germany by complete surprise and in one day created a safe harbor for supplies and troops which decisively turned the war in our favor.  But the war carried on for almost another year until May 8, 1945, Victory in Europe Day, the day following the German unconditional surrender to General Eisenhower.

At the cross, Jesus decisively accomplished the war and defeated our enemy in his D-day invasion of the kingdom of darkness.  But we must wait until His complete and total V-day for the full surrender of our enemy and final, victorious completion of our salvation.  And the hope of final victory is already absolutely assured because the battle that decides the victory has already been fought and won for us at the cross.  Now the tension of the last few skirmishes may weight heavy on our souls from time-to-time, but they are only momentary, light afflictions which will all pass away soon when we enter into the fullness of joy in the glory to come.

Last Sunday we saw how Paul assures us of this certain glory to come because even while we were still sinners -- enemies of God -- Jesus Christ died for us so that we might be justified through his blood.  And if we now already have peace with God through the selfless, sacrifice of Christ then how much more can we be certain that we will be saved from the wrath to come.

But further, as we will see today, our salvation and glory to come is even more certain because just as through the disobedience of one man, sin, death, and condemnation entered the world for all of us, so also through the obedience of one man, righteousness, life, and justification has secured our eternal life with Christ. 

In our passage this morning, Paul argues that the eternal destiny of every single person is determined solely by their relationship to one of two men.  The actions of these two men will forever seal the future, eternal life of all who belong to them.

Either one belongs to Adam and is therefore under the sentence of death because of Adam's act of disobedience.  Or, one belongs to Christ and is assured of eternal life because of Christ's righteous act of obedience.

The choice of either man equally determines the future destinies of every single person however, they are not equal in power.  For the obedient act of Christ is completely and forever able to overcome all the negative effects of Adam's act of disobedience.  And anyone who receives the "free gift" that God offers through the work of His Son, will find eternal security and joy and will know for certain that the reign of death and condemnation have been broken and finally overcome by the reign of grace and eternal life.

The theme of our passage is clear:  just as Adam got us all into this mess, so Jesus Christ has come in His power to get us out of it.

In v. 12, Paul gives us the ground or reason for the certainty of our final salvation, which he developed in vv. 1-11.  From v. 2, we exult or boast in the glory of God because what we lost in Adam has been gloriously and powerfully regained in Christ. 

In v. 12, Paul begins this comparison and contrast between Adam and Christ and then gets slightly off-track before he returns to it in v. 18.  He starts with Adam, the one man, and how through his act of disobedience sin entered into the world.  Sin is viewed here as an active power that holds sway over all humanity bringing about disaster and death in our lives.  Sin is pervasive and dominant in our lives and controls our every thought and action. 

Adam is presented here as God's divinely appointed representative of all humanity.  In the garden, Adam was appointed as this representative head of the whole human race and placed in a covenantal relationship with God based upon his obedience or disobedience.  If Adam obeyed, then all humanity with him would enjoy eternal life based upon his obedience alone.  But if Adam disobeyed, then all humanity with him would suffer eternal death or separation from God because of his disobedience alone.

Well, we don't have to guess what happened.  Adam sinned and through him all humanity plummeted under the full misery of sin and death, both physically and spiritually.  Therefore, in Adam's rebellious decision, as Paul says, all man sinned.  Death is universal because the guilt of Adam's sin is universal.  All men die as a result of one man's sin. 

Now, theologians disagree as to how this sin is imputed to us?  Was the imputation "mediate" or "immediate"?

Some theologians argue that the imputation of Adam's sin is "mediate," in other words that the guilt of Adam's sin is not applied to us.  We are not guilty because of the disobedient action of another.  However, when Adam sinned our human nature was corrupted or polluted and we inherit that polluted nature from Adam.  And it is because of our corrupted human nature that we choose to sin and it is because of our own personal sin that we are guilty before God.

Other theologians argue that the imputation of Adam's sin is "immediate," in that Adam is viewed as a representative of all mankind so that in his own disobedient act we are declared guilty because of what he did in our place.  Everyone stands condemned because of Adam's sin.

While our text does not explicitly decided this debate for us, it is clear that with the parallel to Christ in the passage that Paul understands the imputation to be immediate, or that we directly inherit the guilt of Adam's sin due to his disobedience.  In the same way, Paul argues that we are justified before God not because of an inherent righteousness in us.  We are justified solely on the basis of Christ's obedience. 

Therefore, just as through one man's disobedient act we are all lost, so even more so trough the obedient act of another we are saved.

But we are getting ahead of ourselves.  Notice that just as quickly as Paul begins this comparison between Adam and Christ he suddenly stops in mid-sentence and elaborates on something he says in v. 12 (see the dash in the text). 

Paul has to answer the question of how this relationship to Adam's sin is affected by the law (vv. 13-14).  He says that the judgment of sin is not imputed where there is no law.  So then, how do we explain the presence of death in the world before the law was given? 

If the punishment for sin is only reckoned or applied when God's law has been transgressed, then why did people die before the law was given through Moses?  How could death reign over all those people who lived between Adam and Moses?  How could all those people between Adam and Moses be guilty of a law they did not possess?

Paul describes them as "those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam," or those who did not consciously, personally transgress a direct command from God under the threat of death for disobedience. 

The answer is Adam's sin.  Although all those people did not break an explicit command given by God under the threat of death, as Adam did, nevertheless because Adam in our representative before God his choice of disobedience affected all of us equally. 

In this way, Adam is a type of Christ (v. 14).  There is a parallel relationship between the universal impact of Adam's act and the universal impact of Christ's act.  In the same way that Adam's disobedience affected everyone's destiny who is related to him, so everyone who is related to Christ is affected by his act of obedience.

In one way, the free gift is not like the transgression (v. 15).  In v. 15, the free gift is the gracious work of Jesus Christ on our behalf and the transgression is Adam's act of disobedience which affected every single person.  Paul emphasizes that the gift is not like the transgression with the words "much more." 

By the transgression of Adam, "the many" or all of us were affected.  But how "much more" did the grace of God "abound" to "the many" who according to v. 17 received the gift?  Paul is contrasting the result of Adam' work and Christ's work to emphasize how much more certain is result of Christ's gift than the death that came through Adam.  If we can be certain that in Adam all died, we can be even more certain that all who are in Christ will be made alive.  Christ's gift not only has the power to cancel out the effects of Adam's sin, but Christ's work has the superabundant power to give life and peace with God (cf. v. 20).

The super abounding power of Christ's work compared to Adam's transgression is seen in that Christ's work is the result of God's gift of grace, whereas Adam's trespass is man's work.  In other words, Adam's work shows us all what man can accomplish in his own strength, but Christ's gift shows us what God is able to do for us by His marvelous grace.

In vv. 16-17, Paul explains more clearly how Christ's act is more powerful, more abundant than Adam's act.  Notice how judgment and condemnation came about through just one sin, which Adam committed (v. 16).  This makes sense that it only takes one sin, one act of rebellion, and we stand condemned before a holy God.  One sin is all it takes.

But notice how much more abundant is the gift of grace in that we have been justified even after an infinite number of transgressions (v. 16).  

Do you see the graciousness of God's work in Christ that through his power he is able to overcome an innumerable acts of sin and rebellion while Adam was simply over come with death by one single act?

Do you see how grace has super-abounded over our sin?  God's grace is greater than our sin -- that's why it is amazing!

Paul wants you to rejoice is seeing the grace of God on your behalf.  We all know clearly what has happened to us through the one act of sin of Adam.  We know what our lives look like in the hands of our father Adam.

But do you see what God has done for you in Christ?  The one act of obedience of Christ, the new Adam, has completely reversed what the old Adam has done.  The consequences of Christ's work are even more glorious.  There is abundance of Christ's side that is the result of God's gift of grace and the gift is available to all in Adam's race who will simply receive God's gift (v. 17).

The entire misery that Adam brought into this world can be completely overcome by trusting in the work of Jesus Christ.  God has done it all.  There is no more work to do -- but to rest in the work of Jesus Christ our Lord.

In v. 18, Paul now returns to the point he was making in v. 12 -- as condemnation came to all people through the transgression of one man, so also did the righteousness that leads to life through the act of one man.

Some theologians have thought that the "all men" at the end of the verse is the same group at the beginning of the verse, which would result in a doctrine of universalism.  Just as everyone is condemned because of Adam's sin, so now everyone is saved because of Christ's obedience.

Others have argued that while not everyone is saved because of Christ's obedience, the salvation that Christ's has affected is now available to everyone without exception.  Christ has made salvation "possible" for every person. 

But notice that Paul doesn't say that salvation is merely possible or that it is simply being offered, but that it is accomplished.  It is a completed act that is actually given to the believer. 

Also, the context clearly shows that the gift is given only to those who receive it (v. 17) and not everyone is saved.  So Paul's point in stating it this way is to show the parallel between Adam and Christ in how each man's act determines the destiny of everyone who belongs in union with them. 

Paul wants to assure you that just as through Adam's act of disobedience we can all be sure of condemnation, even more so through Christ's act of obedience you can be certain of your salvation.

Christ has secured the full benefits of His righteousness for all who belong to him through faith.  Another way of saying this is that as Adam affects all who belong to him through their natural birth, so Christ affects all who belong to him through their spiritual, new birth.

Just is case we missed, in v. 19, Paul says one more time, just as through Adam's disobedience we were all declared sinners -- sin was imputed or reckoned to our account -- so also through Christ's obedience we have been declared righteous -- Christ's righteousness has now been credited or imputed to your account.  You have been acquitted of all the charges in the heavenly judgment and your home in glory is certain.

Just as you were declared a "sinner" because of the disobedience of Adam, so now you have been declared "righteous" because of the obedience of Jesus Christ.  That is why you can be certain and rejoice in the glory of God.  We rejoice, because we can be absolutely assured because our entire salvation is based upon the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Therefore, the whole human race is divided into two groups and their eternal destiny is determined by their relationship to one of two men:  before the throne of God you will be represented by either Adam or Christ.

But surely, some of Paul's Jewish readers, who were causing divisions in the church in Rome, would object to Paul's overly simplistic representation of the history of salvation.  All Paul talks about is Adam and Christ, but what about the whole history of Israel and the law of Moses?  Where does the Law fit into this?  Didn't God give the law as a means of getting out of this misery that Adam got us into?

Well, the law certainly entered into this tragic, fallen world of sin but it didn't come to make the situation better but it made it worse (v. 20).  When the law was introduced at Sinai, it came into a world already dominated by the power of sin and the law had no power to change the situation.  It only increased the misery by clearly defining the nature of sin and by making the power of sin stronger.

It was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful (Rom. 7:13).

Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions (Gal. 3:19).

The law doesn't neutralize or erase the problem inherited through Adam.  It turns up the heat and shows us how utterly sinful we truly are.  The law reveals just how desperate our condition truly is apart from God's grace.

But God's grace is more than sufficient to overcome this intensified power and seriousness of sin brought on by the law.  For in the very place where sin increased through the law, God's grace super-increased and overpowered our sin.  The law's purpose to stir up our sin has been fully met and overcome by the power of God's grace.  As Paul says in Gal. 3, the law leads us to Christ (3:24).

As our entire lives have been ruled by sin leading to the dominion of death so now we have been transferred to a new dominion of life in which grace now reigns through our Lord Jesus Christ (v. 21).

Amen!  -SDG-