Adam and Jesus– Romans 5:12-21
by Pastor Lee Hemen
November 12, 2006
Certain people are very important in our lives. Parents, grandparents, friends, and our church family. All of these become extremely important to our lives because each affects us in someway or another for either good or bad. However, there are others who have effected our lives, yet we may have never met them personally or interacted with them in anyway whatsoever. Politicians, doctors, lawyers, famous persons present or from the past may have affected our lives without us ever having met them. Two such prominent men are Adam and Jesus. they have affected each of our lives, even though we have never personally nor physically met either of them. Paul explains to us exactly how that is possible and the importance what it means for each of us.
We discovered within the past several weeks that possessing the Law was no salvation for the Jews. The Law did not remedy the problem of sin but only caused sin to increase so that the problem became more dramatically evident. Ritual, the Law, or trying to be good enough just does not hack it spiritually. In fact, we discovered that the Law not only increased sin; it made sin a personal matter! We are without excuse. Two people illustrate this dramatically for us, Paul relates. The men are Adam and Jesus. Let’s discover how this morning.
READ: Romans 5:12-21
Over the countless centuries of mankind’s history, a variety of people have significantly impacted the destiny of those who followed after them. None, however, has had as great an influence as that of Adam, the first man. In the passage we are looking at this morning, Paul shows just how great the impact of Adam’s “fall” has been upon all mankind. Paul relates to us…
I. The Results Are From Adam (vv. 12-14)!
1. Paul gives us the basis for sin – Adam! No one refutes Adam’s personal involved complacency in this. Try as we might to blame the woman involved, Eve, Paul knows that because of one man’s actions we all suffer the consequences! The basic premise is that “sin entered the world through one man.” And thereby, death came into being because of that same individual. It is almost impossible for us to comprehend the magnitude of Paul’s statement because we ourselves suffer from the consequences of this man’s actions! All of us sin! We are born into sin-fallen universe and we decide to sin! Death is the not only the natural consequences of sin, but it is also the spiritual consequence as well. While Adam and Eve did not immediately die for their disobedience, they died spiritually. At that precise moment in history the natural man’s inclination, his nature, was to sin. Humans pursued the path of pride and self-destruction. Adam’s transgression determined human nature with its propensity to sin, but more than that – all creation suffered! Physical and spiritual death entered into the idyllic realm where God and man met. Paul relates that “death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command.” Everyone, even those who try to follow God’s Law are under a curse. The results are from Adam.
EXAMPLE: We might exclaim, “It’s not fair!” when we hear that everyone suffers because of Adam’s disobedience. Yet we forget the simple fact that if not him, it would have been one of us. Why? Because we have a propensity, an inclination, a desire, and a predisposition that propels itself to sin. We have freewill. We decide, and in that decision making process we always make the choice for us first instead of God. In fact, we have to continually fight the urge not to. Like Dennis the Menace we can be told not to do something, and it is as if a hidden urge creeps up inside of us and we just have to follow through with our decision to disobey. Like iron filings to a magnet, we are attracted to sin. We want to know good from evil. We want to see it from all sides, even if one side is of no value for us. We forget that Eve did not sin when she took the fruit and bit into it, she sinned when she “saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye” and thereby made the decision for herself what was good for her or not. Adam agreed. The results are from Adam.
The Law was useless because sin reigned in the human realm both physically and spiritually. Paul stresses the impact of Adam to demonstrate that in spite of the curse, which Adam’s sin brought upon the entire human race, God has provided a dramatic cure in the effective persona of Jesus His Son. To the non-believer, this following passage promises and offers not only the forgiveness of one’s sins, but a brand new beginning. To the Christian, there are no more encouraging words than those found here. While Adam was the physical pattern of the One to come, Jesus is the ultimate spiritual answer! Paul writes that this is because…
II. The Rescue Is From Jesus (vv. 15-17)!
1. The beautiful brush strokes of God are detailed in Paul’s use of the parallelism between Jesus and Adam beginning with the words “the gift is not like the trespass.” However, we find the horrible truth that “many died by the trespass.” Multitudes have died in their sin. While Adam’s sin lead to the death of the human race, how “much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!” When Adam sinned, God was ready to give His greatest gift, Jesus Christ. God’s gracious gift of His Son freely flows to those who are willing to accept it. What Adam did to rebel, God did to rescue! And while many have sinned since then, God’s one act of love “followed many trespasses and brought justification.” Paul is astounded at the good news God has given us. He cannot believe the fact that even though “by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!” The disobedience of one man brings death, but the obedience of one man brings eternal triumph to all who believe! The rescue is from Jesus!
EXAMPLE: Rescued. What a beautiful word to those who are lost and cannot find their way back from the dark wilderness. Rescued. What a tremendous word for those clinging to a life preserver in the midst of towering waves, ferocious winds, and pelting rain. Rescued. What a comforting word for those who are caught in the midst of the inferno of flames licking the walls. Rescued. Did you know we are all rescued? Rescued from the eternal consequences of sin and the undying fires of hell. Rescued from life’s incomprehensible pitfalls that await us with every step we take. Rescued from the proclivities of our own degraded human reasoning to the immutable light of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control we all long for in life. Rescued from the pit. Rescued to a new life. Rescued! For Paul the rescue was from Jesus!
Spurgeon wrote that “it is still discovered who are the Lord’s chosen, and who are not; for when the gospel comes to some, they fight against it, and will not have it, but where men receive it, welcoming it, this is a sure indication that there is a secret work going on in the soul, and that God has chosen them unto eternal life.” Paul agrees and teaches us that…
III. The Restoration Is Complete (vv. 18-21)!
1. Paul returns to his comparisons: “Consequently,” Paul relates, “just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.” The Judge’s gavel fell and we were all found guilty, but there is a divine acquittal provided for all who willingly accept the provision! The provision is found in the one righteous act of Jesus! It is therefore a promise and it comes to the entire human race as an offer and opportunity which is applied only to “those who receive” it (v. 17). Paul’s Jewish readers, like some of today’s legalists, would immediately ask, “Where does the Mosaic Law fit into all this?” The Law came to display or reveal for us how sin affects us. The giving of the Law did not solve the problem of sin. The Law was not given in order to reduce or remove sin but to increase it. While this sounds incredible, this is exactly what Paul says! We cannot follow God’s Law, it only shows us where we sin! We become aware of our sin because of it! In effect, where we were once ignorant of sin, but now because of God’s Law, we became aware of sin, and therefore sin increased! We, therefore, are now without excuse! The beautiful truth is that “where sin increased, grace increased all the more!” Grace increased through Jesus. Paul writes that where “sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord!” For Paul, the restoration is complete!
EXAMPLE: Our dog Molly is still just a puppy, but she has to learn how to be a “big dog.” She cannot do whatever she wants to do whenever she wants to do it. For her anything found on the floor or ground is free game and she will eat it immediately. This includes Chloe’s, our cat, food. In fact ,what was once free game as far as Molly was concerned has become a test of wills, so to speak. She now knows her sin, and she now has to fight her natural instincts to eat Chloe’s food. But we have provided a means whereby Molly is made aware of her sin immediately. It is called a rolled up newspaper. One sound of it being whacked on my leg and she runs for her bed. Restoration for Molly is provided in the fact that when she obeys, she is rewarded. You know what? That is exactly the way the Jews of Paul’s day and many legalists in our day and age, see God. They think God rewards or gives us treats if we obey His law, forgetting the fact that the Law only makes us aware of our sin. True grace is found only is Jesus Christ. That is where restoration is made complete.
Conclusion:
We have learned three things from Paul this morning: 1) The results are from Adam. 2) The rescue is from Jesus. 3) The restoration is complete. What will you do with what you have learned?
by Pastor Lee Hemen
November 12, 2006
Certain people are very important in our lives. Parents, grandparents, friends, and our church family. All of these become extremely important to our lives because each affects us in someway or another for either good or bad. However, there are others who have effected our lives, yet we may have never met them personally or interacted with them in anyway whatsoever. Politicians, doctors, lawyers, famous persons present or from the past may have affected our lives without us ever having met them. Two such prominent men are Adam and Jesus. they have affected each of our lives, even though we have never personally nor physically met either of them. Paul explains to us exactly how that is possible and the importance what it means for each of us.
We discovered within the past several weeks that possessing the Law was no salvation for the Jews. The Law did not remedy the problem of sin but only caused sin to increase so that the problem became more dramatically evident. Ritual, the Law, or trying to be good enough just does not hack it spiritually. In fact, we discovered that the Law not only increased sin; it made sin a personal matter! We are without excuse. Two people illustrate this dramatically for us, Paul relates. The men are Adam and Jesus. Let’s discover how this morning.
READ: Romans 5:12-21
Over the countless centuries of mankind’s history, a variety of people have significantly impacted the destiny of those who followed after them. None, however, has had as great an influence as that of Adam, the first man. In the passage we are looking at this morning, Paul shows just how great the impact of Adam’s “fall” has been upon all mankind. Paul relates to us…
I. The Results Are From Adam (vv. 12-14)!
1. Paul gives us the basis for sin – Adam! No one refutes Adam’s personal involved complacency in this. Try as we might to blame the woman involved, Eve, Paul knows that because of one man’s actions we all suffer the consequences! The basic premise is that “sin entered the world through one man.” And thereby, death came into being because of that same individual. It is almost impossible for us to comprehend the magnitude of Paul’s statement because we ourselves suffer from the consequences of this man’s actions! All of us sin! We are born into sin-fallen universe and we decide to sin! Death is the not only the natural consequences of sin, but it is also the spiritual consequence as well. While Adam and Eve did not immediately die for their disobedience, they died spiritually. At that precise moment in history the natural man’s inclination, his nature, was to sin. Humans pursued the path of pride and self-destruction. Adam’s transgression determined human nature with its propensity to sin, but more than that – all creation suffered! Physical and spiritual death entered into the idyllic realm where God and man met. Paul relates that “death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command.” Everyone, even those who try to follow God’s Law are under a curse. The results are from Adam.
EXAMPLE: We might exclaim, “It’s not fair!” when we hear that everyone suffers because of Adam’s disobedience. Yet we forget the simple fact that if not him, it would have been one of us. Why? Because we have a propensity, an inclination, a desire, and a predisposition that propels itself to sin. We have freewill. We decide, and in that decision making process we always make the choice for us first instead of God. In fact, we have to continually fight the urge not to. Like Dennis the Menace we can be told not to do something, and it is as if a hidden urge creeps up inside of us and we just have to follow through with our decision to disobey. Like iron filings to a magnet, we are attracted to sin. We want to know good from evil. We want to see it from all sides, even if one side is of no value for us. We forget that Eve did not sin when she took the fruit and bit into it, she sinned when she “saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye” and thereby made the decision for herself what was good for her or not. Adam agreed. The results are from Adam.
The Law was useless because sin reigned in the human realm both physically and spiritually. Paul stresses the impact of Adam to demonstrate that in spite of the curse, which Adam’s sin brought upon the entire human race, God has provided a dramatic cure in the effective persona of Jesus His Son. To the non-believer, this following passage promises and offers not only the forgiveness of one’s sins, but a brand new beginning. To the Christian, there are no more encouraging words than those found here. While Adam was the physical pattern of the One to come, Jesus is the ultimate spiritual answer! Paul writes that this is because…
II. The Rescue Is From Jesus (vv. 15-17)!
1. The beautiful brush strokes of God are detailed in Paul’s use of the parallelism between Jesus and Adam beginning with the words “the gift is not like the trespass.” However, we find the horrible truth that “many died by the trespass.” Multitudes have died in their sin. While Adam’s sin lead to the death of the human race, how “much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!” When Adam sinned, God was ready to give His greatest gift, Jesus Christ. God’s gracious gift of His Son freely flows to those who are willing to accept it. What Adam did to rebel, God did to rescue! And while many have sinned since then, God’s one act of love “followed many trespasses and brought justification.” Paul is astounded at the good news God has given us. He cannot believe the fact that even though “by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!” The disobedience of one man brings death, but the obedience of one man brings eternal triumph to all who believe! The rescue is from Jesus!
EXAMPLE: Rescued. What a beautiful word to those who are lost and cannot find their way back from the dark wilderness. Rescued. What a tremendous word for those clinging to a life preserver in the midst of towering waves, ferocious winds, and pelting rain. Rescued. What a comforting word for those who are caught in the midst of the inferno of flames licking the walls. Rescued. Did you know we are all rescued? Rescued from the eternal consequences of sin and the undying fires of hell. Rescued from life’s incomprehensible pitfalls that await us with every step we take. Rescued from the proclivities of our own degraded human reasoning to the immutable light of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control we all long for in life. Rescued from the pit. Rescued to a new life. Rescued! For Paul the rescue was from Jesus!
Spurgeon wrote that “it is still discovered who are the Lord’s chosen, and who are not; for when the gospel comes to some, they fight against it, and will not have it, but where men receive it, welcoming it, this is a sure indication that there is a secret work going on in the soul, and that God has chosen them unto eternal life.” Paul agrees and teaches us that…
III. The Restoration Is Complete (vv. 18-21)!
1. Paul returns to his comparisons: “Consequently,” Paul relates, “just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.” The Judge’s gavel fell and we were all found guilty, but there is a divine acquittal provided for all who willingly accept the provision! The provision is found in the one righteous act of Jesus! It is therefore a promise and it comes to the entire human race as an offer and opportunity which is applied only to “those who receive” it (v. 17). Paul’s Jewish readers, like some of today’s legalists, would immediately ask, “Where does the Mosaic Law fit into all this?” The Law came to display or reveal for us how sin affects us. The giving of the Law did not solve the problem of sin. The Law was not given in order to reduce or remove sin but to increase it. While this sounds incredible, this is exactly what Paul says! We cannot follow God’s Law, it only shows us where we sin! We become aware of our sin because of it! In effect, where we were once ignorant of sin, but now because of God’s Law, we became aware of sin, and therefore sin increased! We, therefore, are now without excuse! The beautiful truth is that “where sin increased, grace increased all the more!” Grace increased through Jesus. Paul writes that where “sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord!” For Paul, the restoration is complete!
EXAMPLE: Our dog Molly is still just a puppy, but she has to learn how to be a “big dog.” She cannot do whatever she wants to do whenever she wants to do it. For her anything found on the floor or ground is free game and she will eat it immediately. This includes Chloe’s, our cat, food. In fact ,what was once free game as far as Molly was concerned has become a test of wills, so to speak. She now knows her sin, and she now has to fight her natural instincts to eat Chloe’s food. But we have provided a means whereby Molly is made aware of her sin immediately. It is called a rolled up newspaper. One sound of it being whacked on my leg and she runs for her bed. Restoration for Molly is provided in the fact that when she obeys, she is rewarded. You know what? That is exactly the way the Jews of Paul’s day and many legalists in our day and age, see God. They think God rewards or gives us treats if we obey His law, forgetting the fact that the Law only makes us aware of our sin. True grace is found only is Jesus Christ. That is where restoration is made complete.
Conclusion:
We have learned three things from Paul this morning: 1) The results are from Adam. 2) The rescue is from Jesus. 3) The restoration is complete. What will you do with what you have learned?
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