Romans 5

Monday, 6 May 2013

And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. Romans 5:16

There are different views on our state as human beings before God. Some say that we don’t bear Adam’s guilt at all. Some say we bear it after our first committed sin. And then there is the premise that we are “in” Adam and bear his guilt. The final option is the only biblically acceptable answer. The other two options come from an emotional response to the state of those who have died – maybe based on age or on whether they have or have not been given the gospel. In other words, for many theologians, the thought of death and its consequences is something that moves them emotionally in the direction of a stand which is unbiblical.

However, proper theology cannot be based on emotions. We are to be impassionate in our evaluation, acceptance, and instruction concerning the truths the Bible contains. Passion is to be a result of our understanding of God’s word, not the basis for it. When we set aside our emotions, we allow God to be God. He is the ultimate authority of our relationship with Him.

It is immensely hard to look at someone who is in emotional distress over the death of a loved one who was probably not saved and tell them that there is one way to be reconciled to God and that it is through the work of Jesus. And not only is it through Jesus’ work, but that His work came as a response to the misdeed of Adam, thus implying that all human beings are “in” Adam and must move “to” Christ. But this is what the Bible teaches – both implicitly and explicitly.

Paul tells us that “the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned.” The gift is Jesus; the one who sinned is Adam. He is making a contrast between the two. Adam’s deeds went in one direction, but Christ’s head in another. Next Paul states, “for” in order to show where the contrast leads.  

He initiates the thought with “the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation.” This is Adam’s sin and it is universal in its scope. There are no exemptions for age, level of intelligence, living in a land where the gospel hasn’t been preached, etc. All are in Adam and the judgment was pronounced on the human race because of his transgression. When he sinned, judgment resulted in condemnation. However, in the same verse we are given the good news – “the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification.”

The gift as noted is Jesus. His work stands in opposition to Adam’s offense and provides the release needed from Adam’s authority to that of Christ. It also results in our justification in opposition to Adam’s condemnation. This is the greatness of the work of Christ. Where man failed, Jesus prevailed. Where God was rejected, through Christ we are accepted. Where man stood condemned because of our earthly father, he can now stand justified because of the gift of our heavenly Father.

Is it fair that man who hasn’t heard the gospel stands condemned? The answer is yes. Adam was given both the gift of sinless life and the gift of free will. Adam willingly rejected the authority of his Creator when he exercised his free will. Along with this came his free will to procreate in his fallen state. Because he did, every person’s life after him has been a decision of man to continue in the state we are in. But from the beginning there was the promise that this state wouldn’t last forever. For those who have put their faith in this promise, there is a better hope.

When Christ came, He was the fulfillment of that hope and now a new direction is possible for the human race. But it must come by the same free will. This is why Jesus gave the great commission. If a person who had never heard the gospel could be saved, then it would be better to never tell anyone what Jesus did. But this would be completely contrary to the biblical message.

Life application: When evaluating the Bible’s message, be sure to keep your emotions from dictating your theology. Rather, let your theology dictate your emotions. When you see the glory of what God has done for you, rejoice in the message with all of your heart. And then let your heart be broken for those who haven’t yet heard it and determine in yourself to get the word out so that they too can know the glory of God in the Person of Jesus!

Heavenly Father, I know that I am here for a reason and that my life can bring You great glory if I live according to Your will. So Lord, please lead me to the truth of who You are and what You have done. When I know Your will, then help me to align my life and actions in a way which will bring You the most glory. Use me for Your good purposes O God. Amen.

Sunday, 5 May 2013

But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. Romans 5:15

Paul is showing the parallel between Adam and Christ. But, although the lines are parallel in direction, they are vastly different in altitude. Where Adam’s line runs in a downward motion, Christ’s soars to the heavens. We see the contrast with the word “but.” Death entered the world and death reigned over man… but. “But the free gift is not like the offense.” The gift referred to is the work of Jesus. What He did is not at all like what Adam did.

“For if by one man’s offense” is speaking of Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden. Adam had one rule to follow and he failed to do so. By this one transgression “many died.” This is the state of the world as explained by Paul. Every person born from the time of Adam died the moment Adam died. Because we were “in” Adam though not yet born, we inherited the spiritually dead state that He earned.

However, in Christ there is a difference. Adam’s line plummeted to the depths of the grave, but Christ’s line will take a different path. “Much more” shows us the divergence of the lines. What Adam did brought death to man, but “much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.”

Adam was created sinless; Jesus was born sinless. Adam sinned; Jesus never sinned. Adam’s disobedience brought about immediate spiritual death to all people and eventual physical death to all; Christ’s obedience – being far superior to Adam’s disobedience – brought about the possibility of immediate eternal spiritual life to any and all who will receive it and eventual eternal physical life to all of the same. Adam’s failure resulted in the wages of death; Christ’s triumph brought about the gift of God’s grace which is eternal life.

The gift is superior in all ways, but it is a gift. A gift is not forced, just as wages are not a gift. Wages are earned, but gifts are received. The truth that must be understood is that just as Adam freely chose to disobey (it was not an act which can be ascribed to God in any way) the lost son of Adam must freely choose to receive the gift offered by God.

Note: The term “free gift” is a redundancy. The original Greek simply uses the term charisma, meaning “grace.” If something has a price attached to it, it is neither “free” nor a “gift.” If it is free, it is a gift and if it is a gift, it is free.

Life application: Life itself is a gift. It is unmerited, and therefore we cannot complain about how ours turns out. Some people live long, healthy lives; some people live short, pain-filled lives. Some are rich; some are poor. Some are born in Japan; some are born in Canada. These things in no way imply that God is unfair. The same is true with our salvation. God offered His Son in payment for our sins. We cannot call God unfair if we reject this offer, nor can we claim He is unfair if we never heard the good news. Time and place are His decision, but if the gift is available it is up to us to receive it. Don’t refuse the grace of God found in Jesus… it is a blessing of eternal value.

Lord God Almighty – how can I complain about my place of birth, the year in which I was born, or the family I came through? These decisions belong to You and Your wisdom. My life is a product of Your placement, but into this life came an offer – a new family and a new direction. Into my life came Jesus. Thank You for giving me the gift of eternal life and adoption as Your son through His work. What a glorious God You are! Amen.

Saturday, 4 May 2013

Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. Romans 5:14

This verse clarifies a concept which is implicitly stated in the very first chapters of the Bible. That man sinned and death came as a result of sin. The death being spoken of here, and which will become evident by the time 5:21 is reached, is spiritual death. Adam was given a single commandment. He was told that if he broke that law, death would result, “…but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Genesis 2:17

Adam did in fact violate the commandment and yet he continued to live physically for a full 930  years. This implies that what God spoke of was spiritual death and this is the premise that Paul writes from. The physical death that man experiences is a result of the spiritual death that occurred. God, in His wisdom, removed access to the Tree of Life. This is recorded in Genesis 3 – “Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever…”

An eternally alive, but spiritually dead being would be a cosmic calamity. The wickedness of such a being would continue to grow throughout the ages. If man can wreak as much havoc as Hitler or Stalin did in such a few years, imagine the depths of depravity of an eternal, but fallen being!

Paul’s comment based on the previous verse is “Nevertheless” – Notwithstanding the fact that sin is not imputed where there is no law, “death reigned from Adam to Moses.” Why? Because all people are sons of Adam and have inherited his fallen state. This is true “even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam.” In other words, death reigns in all of Adam’s race even if they didn’t commit the same type of transgression as he did; the fallen state is inherited.

However and despite this sad news, we are given an introduction to Another. Paul says that Adam is “a type of Him who was to come.” The Bible is given to us to show the contrast between the two and the remedy which is found in this “second Adam.”

Life application: When Jesus said, “No one is good but One, that is, God” He was making an absolute claim. Only God is good. In order to be reconciled to Him, we must share in His goodness. The only way that this is possible is to have that state imputed to us by the merits of another perfectly good being. What is implied then is that if we are reconciled to God through Jesus, then Jesus must be God. Stand firm on the truth of the Bible, even if it is difficult to comprehend.

Lord God, despite our error and our turning away, You have restored us to You, just as You promised at the very beginning. You said that You would send One to right the wrong of Adam and He came and pitched His tent among us. What an amazing and glorious work You have wrought for Adam’s fallen sons. Great are Your ways, O God. Amen.

Friday, 3 May 2013

For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Romans 5:13

This verse is speaking about the Law of Moses. Prior to that law, there was sin in the world. This sin, as was previously noted, was introduced by Adam’s rebellion. From that moment, all born into humanity inherited Adam’s sin. Sin was at work and yet because there was no law given, sin wasn’t imputed. Does this mean that the people were guiltless? No. The reason is that they inherited Adam’s sin. Therefore, they were guilty through Adam.

In addition to this, there is the law of conscience which was explained in Romans 2. As he said there, people “show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them.” We stand guilty before God when we violate the natural laws which are instilled in our hearts.

What Paul is speaking of in 5:13 is the specific revelation of the Law of Moses. Violations of this law are not imputed to people who have not been given this law. How can someone be held guilty for a law that doesn’t exist? As Paul says, “For until the law, sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.”

If a policeman came up to you and said, “You are under arrest for having a black car,” you might wonder what he’s talking about. There is no law against having a black car. However, if the legislators at the state capital passed a law which outlawed black cars, then you could be arrested for having a black car. The Law of Moses set down particular rules for a particular set of people. When they broke those laws, they were guilty before the law. Those outside of that law cannot be held guilty for such a law though.

Later in chapter 5, we will see a reason why the law was introduced. Paul elsewhere (such as in Galatians) explains other reasons for the giving of the law. In the end, the law is an important aspect of what God is doing in the stream of human existence, but it is not an end in and of itself. It only points us to something else; something which we desperately need.

Life application: There are different programs going on in the pages of the Bible which are introduced for different reasons and they may apply at certain times, but not at others. It’s important to understand when something applies and when it doesn’t. If we mix these programs inappropriately, then our understanding of God’s work becomes convoluted. The Law of Moses, which was given to Israel, is such a program. It applied at a certain time to a specific group of people. Christ Jesus fulfilled that law on our behalf. Don’t reinsert that law now that it has been fulfilled.

Thank You Lord for the beauty of Your word. It’s a big and complicated book that I can come to again and again to find new treasures, and yet its overall message is so simple that a child can understand it – we have turned from You and yet You have reached out to us in love through Your Son to call us back to You. I accept His work; I receive Jesus. Amen.

Thursday, 2 May 2013

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—  Romans 5:12

The discourse of Romans 5:12-5:21 is extremely complicated, exceedingly delicate, and highly debated. It is given among other reasons to show the contrast between Adam and Christ and the nature of sin verses the nature of righteousness.

There are several prevalent views on the nature of man and His state before God. These go from the concept of man being totally depraved and incapable of choosing any good at all at one end, to man being born without inheriting Adam’s sin but having the consequences of sin imputed to him when he first sins during his lifetime.

Great care needs to be taken here to understand our nature and our state before God. If our view of this is faulty, then pretty much everything else that we believe about our relationship with God will be affected as well.

The Bible, from its very first pages is clear, Adam fell and through him “sin entered the world.” Adam, who was created outside of the Garden of Eden and then placed in the garden, sinned. When he did, he was cast back out of the Garden. However, before he sinned, God told him that “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Adam did in fact eat of the fruit and was cast out, but he continued to live to the age of 930. This tells us that the death God was speaking of was not physical death, but spiritual – although our physical death is also a part of our fallen state. Paul notes that through Adam’s disobedience, sin entered the world, “and death through sin.” Adam’s spiritual death was immediate and it was a consequence of his sin.

The moment that Adam spiritually died, there was a chasm placed between God and man which could not be traversed by man. In His spiritually dead state, there was nothing in his power that would allow him to become spiritually revived. Further, because Adam was in the stream of time, he couldn’t go back and undo what he had done. Time moved on and the consequences of his sin continued.

Paul now moves to the thought which is so highly displeasing to the fallen sons of Adam and which is so divisive within theological circles. He notes that Adam’s death (which was spiritual death) was a result of sin and “thus spread to all men, because all sinned.” What the Genesis account clearly shows, and which follows throughout the rest of the Old Testament, and also which necessitated the coming of Christ, is that all humans have inherited Adam’s sin. All humans are in Adam in three ways – legally, potentially, and seminally.

Legally – Adam is our federal head. He is the first man from whom all other men come. Just as the president of the United States represents its citizens, so Adam represents all who come from Adam. Paul deals with this in 1 Corinthians 15.

Potentially – It says in Genesis 5:3, 4, “When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth. After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.” We have no idea how many children Adam had. It could have been 10 or it could have been 150. All were potentially in him and all that were actually born actually came from him. In the same way, any normally functioning person could have any amount of children or no children. Every person who comes after them is potentially in them and a jillion other possible people could come from that same stream.

Seminally – Acts 17:26 says, “…and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth.” Again, in Hebrews 7 Levi is said to be in the loins of Abraham and thus he paid tithes to Melchizedek even though he wasn’t yet born, and wouldn’t come for three more generations. He was seminally in his father before he ever existed.

All of us are in Adam in these three ways and thus we all bear his sin in these ways. We are born spiritually dead. This is demonstrated by the account of Cain and Abel and what occurred during their lives. There is a sentence of condemnation hanging over our heads from the moment of our conception and it is merely waiting to be executed. Something external needs to be introduced in order for the sentence to move us from condemnation to restoration.

What this is will be analyzed in the coming verses.

Life application: We are all in Adam from the moment we are conceived. We bear Adam’s guilt. But God has sent a remedy to cure this fallen state. Are you going to trust in your own righteousness before God when you are already fallen? Or, will you trust in God’s provision to bring about restoration? Choose wisely.

Glorious Almighty God! When I rise in the morning, You are there. As I wander through my day, You are at my side. When I lay down again in the stillness of my thoughts, help me to contemplate all that You have done for me once again in another day of life. You faithfully carry me through each day; how much more will You carry me through to Your loving arms?Thank You for Your continued presence in my life. Amen.