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Back to the Bible. Let it be our plea, God's Word alone, our authority, every word, every step in the name of Christ Back to the Bible for the way of life.
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Welcome to this period of Bible study. My name is Larson Plower and this is Back to the Bible. We are so thankful for this occasion that we have to consider God's Word and we hope that you find our efforts to be true, to be clear, and most of all that as we teach, we are seeking to be glorifying, honoring to God. If you have questions or criticisms about what we say or teach on this program, we hope that you would reach out to us. You can access us@backtothebiblepodcast.com and there you can ask questions or you can make comments. And we we will do our very best to respond to those in an appropriate way. And we thank you for listening and for engaging with the program and hope that you find it to be a useful spending of your time in this program. I want to jump into a consideration of Romans chapter 5 beginning at verse 12. We talked about this a little bit in our last program, but I want to do a deeper dive into it. This passage is challenging for several reasons, and one of the things that I have to wrestle with is that there are Bible students that I really respect, that I really appreciate who have very different takes on this passage. I think that as I've talked to those brethren, as I've listened to their teaching, as I've read from them, I think all of them are saying what I would take to be true things. I'm just trying to find what Romans 5:12 and following has to say. And so it may be that you disagree with my take on Romans 5:12 and following, and that's okay because I'm open to other understandings. But I'm going to make the case for where I am at this moment and the reason why I understand it that way, and then try to draw applications from it. It may very well be that in some resources down the road that I find myself to be in error on this. But I hope that you'll find that I don't say anything that's out of step with the rest of what God's word has to say, even if it may not match particularly what you are thinking of in this particular passage. In Romans chapter 12, beginning at verse 12, Paul there says, therefore, just as through one man sin entered in the world, and death through sin, so then death spread to all men, because all sinned. For until the law sin was in the world. But sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the trespass of Adam, who is a type of him who was to come. But the gracious gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one, the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For on the one hand, the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation. But on the other hand, the gracious gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. For if by the transgression of the one, death reign through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one Jesus Christ. So then, as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so, through one act of righteousness, there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man's disobedience, the many were appointed sinners, even so, through the obedience of the one, the many will be appointed righteous. Now the law came in so that the transgression would increase. But where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Alright, so Paul begins in this text with the word therefore. Now, when we look at the word therefore, I think we're trying to see something that Paul has just said and the conclusion that he is drawing. And I think that we should look at verse 10 of the previous paragraph and then look down at verse 18 for his conclusion. It is not that Paul gets off track talking about Adam here in these verses, but that he is laying groundwork so that we understand the therefore, verse 18. Here's what I think is happening in verse 10 he says, For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled through the death of his son, much more having been reconciled, we shall be saved through his life. Therefore, then look down at verse 18 as through one transgression, that is Adam's transgression, there resulted condemnation. Even so, through one act of righteousness, there resulted justification of life to all men. I think what he's saying is that because of what Jesus did, we can have hope of life. Then he explains how that could happen by showing Adam. As a preview, we'll talk about how that works in just a Second, and then talks about Jesus as the means by which through one act of obedience, through his death and then through his resurrection, that we could be justified for life. And we'll talk about what happens in the middle. But. But the. Therefore is in verse 10, we can have the hope of life through Jesus. And that comes because of his one act of righteousness, his one act of obedience. Now, in verse 12, the text tells us that Adam sinned and that sin came through Adam. He says, just as through one man, sin entered the world, and death through sin, so death spread to all men because all sinned. Now, there is a disagreement, and this is the part where I will go separate ways from some brethren who I really appreciate there is a disagreement about what kind of death is spreading. For years I would have said that the kind of death that is spreading is spiritual death. But I take it to be now that he is talking about things physical death. Good Bible students say he's talking about spiritual death. And spiritual death does spread as a result of sin. But other good Bible students take the view that this is physical death. And physical death does spread because of sin. But in this case, it is introduced because of Adam's sin. And not all who die are sinners. Think about little ones, for example, little babies that are dead when they arrive or die soon after their birth. I think what we're talking about here in Genesis 5 is that death understood in the physical sense is what spread and that Adam died. And in order to take that view, the phrase means that in Adam all sinned. Now, I realize that it says because all sinned and all people who live to an age of accountability do sin. But I take it to be here that he is talking about everyone sinning in Adam. What does that even mean? Of course, I don't think that what's happening here is that they are made guilty, because I don't believe that. The point here is that spiritual death is spreading. Rather, physical death is spreading. And so death entered the world because of Adam's sin. There is some way in which to say that Adam's sin had universal consequences. Adam. And we know that's true, right? We know that because of Adam's sin that physical consequences have come to the world, even creating situations, regardless of whether or not that person has sinned. Death has spread, the world is marred, darkened and fractured by sin. You know, it's interesting. And of course, all human beings who live to an accountable age will have sinned. But when the curse comes down on Eve, that she will have pain in her Childbirth. It wasn't just about Eve's childbirth, was it? And when Adam has the curse of the pain in working the ground, it wasn't only Adam's ground that was going to be cursed. It was all of it. Because their sin had real significant consequences. Now, to defend this view, the reason I came to this view, brother Marshall McDaniel shared this idea with me. And the thing that convinced me was this idea over in First Corinthians chapter 15. Now in First Corinthians 15, I think almost all Bible students would agree that we are talking about physical death versus eternal life, resurrection life in First Corinthians chapter 15. And I think what we need to see there is in First Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 20, what Paul has to say is that Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came resurrection of the dead, you see that by one man death came. What kind of death? I think it's obvious as we read through this text, he's talking about physical death. And doesn't that sound a lot like Romans chapter 5? Then in verse 21, for since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead, verse 22. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. Do you see that especially there, verse 22, in Adam all die, in Christ all will be made alive. In that passage, Paul is explaining the hope of resurrection life in view of the Gospel and in view of Jesus resurrection. I think that is the same point that Paul is making here. I want you to notice that in the previous section in Romans chapter 5, in verses 1 through 11, and in the next section beginning in Romans 6, that while spiritual life is certainly under consideration, it is all pointing forward to eternal resurrection life. Look back at that previous section, especially verse 10. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, by much more having been reconciled, we shall be safe through his life. Do you see that? It's something that is looking forward. Now I'm with a lot of those brethren. I think Romans 6 is talking about us dying and then being raised to walk in new spiritual life. But look at the point in Romans chapter 6 and verse 8. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall all also live with him, knowing that Christ having been raised from the dead, is never to die again, death is no longer master over him. So I think that both of those passages are pointing to something beyond spiritual resurrection, though that is incredibly significant. But he's pointing even beyond that, talking about that physical resurrection that will take place in the resurrection. Now, in addition to that, Moses Lord wrote an older commentary on the book of Romans. And I don't know that I would say everything, just like Mr. Lord would say even in this chapter, but I do think that he uses a passage in the Book of Hebrews in a parallel way. Over In Hebrews chapter 7, the Hebrew writer is making the point that the priesthood that Jesus brings surpasses the Levitical priesthood, because that's where it was pointing to all along, that the Old Testament temple and priesthood was a shadow, a preview of the things that were coming in Christ. But in Hebrews 7, the Hebrew writer makes the point that in some way the priesthood of Jesus had always been better than that of the priesthood of Levi, the Levitical priesthood, because Abraham had given gifts to Melchizedek, had paid tithes to Melchizedek. Now you might say, what in the world does that have to do with Romans chapter 5? Because in Hebrews 7, when it says that as Abraham paid a tenth to Melchizedek, that because Levi was in him, now, this would have been Levi's great grandfather, right? But because Levi was in him, that is, he was in him in a forefather kind of way, and that Levi would be his descendant, that there was a reality to the fact that Levi had paid a tithe to Melchizedek, Melchizedek as well, which showed that Levi was a lesser priesthood than that of Melchizedek. And Melchizedek was the order from which Jesus became priest. This is how Laud says it. It is said there of Levi that before he was born, and while he was still in the loins of his ancestor Abraham, he paid tithes to Melchizedek. Now, if Levi, while still in the loins of Abraham, could and did pay tithes with equal certainty, could the whole posterity of Adam, while still in him, sin? And what they could thus do, they did, and from the deed came death. Now, I think that this is a compelling view in view of the fact that the contrast will be between death and resurrection life. Now, to be sure, Paul does talk about new spiritual life in chapter six, but that is pointing to resurrection life. And I think that Romans 5:12 can follow and the passages following can parallel First Corinthians 15, which is explicitly about the fact that Adam's legacy of physical death is contrasted by those in Christ who will get resurrection life. Now, Paul's going to explain. Look at verse 13. He says even though the law wasn't in the world until Sinai, that sin was still there. Now, some have suggested, okay, well then there must not have been any law in place. I don't think that's what he's saying. I think he's saying there was still some law in operation even when the law of Moses hadn't been revealed yet, because sin was still in the world. However, he says, According to verse 14, death still reigned. People sinned, not just like Adam. They couldn't eat of the tree of knowledge and good and evil, but they certainly followed his lead. And perhaps he is pointing out that Adam's sin was a clear rejection of a command. And the sin between Adam and Moses was not as outright of a disobedience, though death still reigned. And we see that in chapter one with the people of the nations who had just devolved into outright wickedness, idolatry and rejection of God. Of course, it should be clear that we live in a broken world characterized by death because of Adam's sin. And even though death spread because of sin, that does not mean that all are guilty and separated from God because of Adam's sin, though we would certainly echo that. Romans 3:23 does in fact say that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. So people have ever since Adam followed in his footsteps. But Adam was a type. A type is a shadow. It is a preview of one who was to come. But the way in which he previewed was in the opposite direction of the way that Jesus would be the fulfillment of that shadow, of the fullness of that preview. Because in Adam all died. But Adam's transgression, with all of its consequences, pointed to a second Adam who will lead us into righteousness and death to sin, not because of it. We'll see more of that in chapter six. There is a gift that comes from the death of Jesus. His gift, his faithfulness to God, even to death. His faithfulness even to death provides an offer of life, and it offers that gift in abundance. And I think the idea here that Paul is trying to communicate is that in one event, Adam and Jesus have had an effect on the many. In that one event, Adam's moment of total rebellion and Jesus moment of total submission. In that one moment there are mass results. Adam sins, Jesus obeys. Adam brings death. Jesus brings life. Adam brings condemnation to death. Jesus brings justification to life, I.e. release from the sentence of death. So I want you to see the flow here. So you have Adam's trespass, one man's trespass, I think that's mentioned in verses 14, 15, 16 and 17. And on the other side we have Jesus action that in these verses is referenced in different ways the grace of that one man, Jesus Christ, or the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness. There's this one phrase that is used that one act of righteousness in verse 18 that is used. Alright, so from Adam's one trespass and if you're watching on video, hopefully we have a chart up that shows this From Adam's trespass, what flows from that? Many died, a judgment bringing condemnation to all came death reigned, condemnation to death was given. Many, all of them in Adam, all of us are in Adam were made sinners and thus condemned. And on the other side you have Jesus action which is the free gift is available. There is justification, there's reigning in life, there's justification to life. And many, all those who are in Christ will be made righteous and thus resurrected. Constituted righteous is how Lord would say that. So where does the law fit in all of this? And Paul is wrestling with this at the end of chapter six. Where does the law fit in these considerations? The law was for blessing. It was intended to bring life. Remember what Moses says in Deuteronomy chapter 30 to the people of Israel? He says, I set before you life and death, blessing and cursing, therefore choose life. That's what the law was intended to do, was to bring them life so that they could be God's special people and a light to the nations. But Israel didn't keep it. So the law that was intended to bring life as a result puts the spotlight on sin and explains the consequences clearly. It should have made people turn away from sin, but it ends up demonstrating it and highlighting it. Because now they are disobeying God right in the face of the covenant, right in the face of the law that they had been given. And their sin looks a lot more like Adam's sin but than the sin that had occurred between Adam and the law. Because they are defying the instructions that are given to them by God, given to them basically directly by God through Moses. Those under the law disobeyed like Adam, disobedience in the face of the command. Now all have followed Adam's path of death and sin, even those who were under the law. I want you to see that In Romans chapter 3, verses 19 and 20, as Paul talks about the status of the Jewish people under the law. Because remember his Gentile audiences, maybe some of them are interested in taking on the identifier as a Jew. And he says even those who are under the law were unrighteous, they had sinned. Romans 3:19. Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are in the law, so so that every mouth may be shut and all the world may become accountable to God. Because by works of the law no flesh will be justified in his sight. For through the law comes the knowledge of sin. Over In Romans chapter 7 and verse 5 he says, for while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. There is some sense in which Paul says that the law, rather than bringing victory over that sin, it it brought to them sin and that they were more aware of the issue. The Torah highlighted, it spotlighted and it testified to sin. But what Paul says in this is that God's grace was also on display. God's grace was also being shown in the law. And ultimately God demonstrated even more grace by remaining faithful through Jesus providing a means of forgiveness. And now all who will accept it and all who will follow Jesus path of faithfulness can find the life, grace, righteousness and eternal life that comes through Jesus. Jesus does much more than just fix the problem and give physical life back. Now there is hope of eternal life with God. And I want you to see this. We are all in Adam because that is the legacy into which we were born. 1 Corinthians 15:20. And following makes that point very clearly. But not all are in Christ, so all will die in Adam, but all who are in Christ will be made alive. And what we need to see is, as we look at chapter six, we're going to need to see how it is that one is in Christ. How is it that we can follow him into that path of life? Now I want you to consider here that the picture is painted that Jesus faithfulness is what leads to righteousness. That is the fact that he was faithful even to death. And when it talks about that one act of righteousness, I don't think that's talking about his whole life is in some way that one act of righteousness. Of course he has to be an innocent offering as he goes. But that one act of righteousness is his faithfulness all the way to the cross, his faithfulness even to death. So that now what happens is we can follow him in that path. We can die to sin. We can be raised to walk in newness of life with hope that those who are in Christ will receive the Eternal life at the time of the resurrection. Let me go back to Romans chapter 1 for just a second. Romans 1, verses 16 and 17. When Paul says that he's not ashamed of the Gospel because it is God's power to salvation for everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek, for therein is revealed the righteousness of God. Just as it is written, the just shall live from faith to faith. Just as it is written, the righteous or the just shall live by faith. I think the idea there of from faith to faith is that Jesus faithfulness is the great display of the righteousness of God. God is faithful to his covenant promises to Abraham, and he is going to reverse the curse, reverse the effect of the sin of Adam by producing resurrection life. How does he do that? He does it in the faithful obedience of Jesus. And we come to share in that when we give our faithfulness to Jesus. I think we see the very same thing over in Romans chapter 3, beginning at verse 21, where he says that the righteousness of God has been manifested. How? Verse 22, through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. Your text may say faith in Jesus Christ, but the King James and the new King James say through the faith or the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. For whom? For all who believe. For all who give their faithfulness to Jesus, that is through Jesus death. That one act of righteousness, life is available and we can come to share in that. Now, we're going to spend more time thinking about this very idea in our next study. But I want you to notice in chapter six, I think the person hearing this, especially when he hears where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more. I think the interlocutor, the conversation partner, Paul says, somebody's going to say. Somebody's going to raise their question. What? Well, should we just continue in sin that grace may increase? If where our sin abounds, there's always more grace, then let's just sin all the time and let the grace pile up. What does Paul say? May it never be. The King James there would say, God forbid. Absolutely not. Why? Because how can we who have died to sin live in it any longer? You see, we were all dead in Adam. That is, we. We were all going to die. Death spread to all men because of Adam's sin. But in Christ we are made alive. What happens is we are forgiven and then we are promised resurrection life. And so Paul here says, how can we who have died to sin live any longer there in it? Now, what does he say here? He says, do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ, Jesus Christ, were baptized into his death. Therefore we were buried with him through baptism into death. So that as Christ was raised from the dead to the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection. So we're not going to do the careful study of Romans 6 today as we hope to do in our next program. But I want you to see this. Somebody might ask the question, if in Adam all are dead, how is it possible that we could be in Christ and have hope of his resurrection life? Paul answers right here in Romans chapter six, doesn't he? That we die with him and we are raised with him in the waters of baptism. And for the Romans, people who had already experienced that, now they can know that they have hope of eternal life not because they're a Jew, not because they've received circumcision, because they have died and they've been raised with Christ and have hope of eternal life with Him. Until next time, we bid you a pleasant good day.
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Back to the Bible. Let it be our plea. God's word alone, our authority, every word, every step in the name of Christ back to the Bible for the way of life.