Opening illustration: On November 24, 1971, a man known today as D. B. Cooper hijacked a commercial flight between Portland and Seattle by threatening to blow up the plane unless he received $200,000. After landing to receive a ransom, he ordered the plane back into the air. Then the rear stairs of the 727 aircraft were lowered, and he parachuted into the night. He was never captured, and the case is still unsolved. This act hastened the age of airport security in which trust and confidence have been replaced by suspicion and fear. What he did affected us all.
The Bible describes two actions that changed the world in a far more significant way. Through Adam’s choice, sin and death entered the world, “and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Rom. 5:12). But through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, God provided a remedy for the results of sin. “Through one man’s [Adam’s] offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s [Christ’s] righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life” (v.18).
This morning we shall turn to Romans 5 and see the parallels between the first Adam and the second Adam. We will dwell upon the actions of Adam and the consequences we face as well as what Christ has done to cancel those actions so that we are saved, redeemed, forgiven and have eternity with Him.
Introduction: I have often been asked, "If God is a God of love, and how could He send anyone to hell?" But the more appropriate question is this: If God is a God of perfect holiness, how could He send anyone to heaven? How can a holy and just God arbitrarily overlook sin? How could a loving God not forgive sin? Immutable holiness and unconditional love collide. The greatness of God was displayed, not in the fact that He forgave our sins, but in precisely the way He forgave them—He sent His Son as a perfect sacrifice for us. His love was displayed, and His justice was satisfied.
Adam sinning, his nature became guilty and corrupted, and so came to his children. Thus in him all have sinned. And death is by sin; for death is the wages of sin. Then entered all that misery which is the due desert of sin; temporal, spiritual, eternal death. If Adam had not sinned, he had not died; but a sentence of death was passed, as upon a criminal; it passed through all men, as an infectious disease that none escape. Through one man’s offence, all mankind are exposed to eternal condemnation. But the grace and mercy of God, and the free gift of righteousness and salvation, are through Jesus Christ, as man: yet the Lord from heaven has brought the multitude of believers into a safer and exalted state than that from which they fell in Adam. As by the offence of one, sin and death prevailed to the condemnation of all men, so by the righteousness of one, grace prevailed to the justification of all related to Christ by faith. Through the grace of God, the gift by grace has abounded to many through Christ; yet multitudes choose to remain under the dominion of sin and death, rather than to apply for the blessings of the reign of grace. But Christ will in nowise cast out any who are willing to come to him.
God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. (Romans 3: 25-26)
What actions changed the results in our world?
1. Adam
(a) Action: Sin Result: Death (v. 12)
How can we be declared guilty for something Adam did thousands of years ago? Many feel it isn’t right for God to judge us because of Adam’s sin. Yet each of us confirms our solidarity with Adam by our own sins each day. We are made of the same stuff and we are prone to rebel, and we are judged for our sins we commit. The human race was involved in something that had no escape except through Christ laying down His life. And because we are sinners, it isn’t fairness we need – its mercy!
Paul does not therefore properly make a digression, but returns to speak again of sin and of righteousness. As by one man - Adam; who is mentioned, and not Eve, as being the representative of mankind. Sin entered into the world - Actual sin, and its consequence, a sinful nature. And death came into this world as a consequence of sin. It entered into the world when it entered into being; for till then it did not exist. By sin - Therefore it could not enter before sin. Even so - Namely, by one man. All sinned - In Adam. These words assign the reason why death came upon all men; infants themselves not excepted, in that all sinned. Even though it was a personal sin, the consequences were corporate. Biblically, sin and death are integrally connected.
Illustration: On 11 May 2000 a lady found a new e-mail message on her computer, which simply said, "I love you". It looked innocent enough, perhaps even romantic. Like most of us would, she clicked to open the message, and the so-called "Love Bug" was born. With lightning speed it raced around the world, bringing politics and business to a halt. It was a deadly computer virus that caused millions of computer software programs to crash. One virus - so much contamination. But it’s not the first time that a single virus has caused so much grief to mankind. In fact, it’s a kind of replay of a deadlier virus that hit Planet Earth more than six thousand years ago polluting the first human couple, Adam and Eve. Despite God’s warning not to click on to Satan’s message, they did so with appalling consequences for them and through them to all mankind. That virus is called "Sin."
Why does the action of one man affect the results for the entire human race?
It is a matter of solidarity. No Jew thought of himself as an individual. He always thought of himself as a family, clan, society, tribe or nation. Even the Australian aborigines who lived in total isolation for centuries, thought in the same manner. Even today in most parts of the middle-east people don’t think of themselves as individuals. They associate themselves to their tribe or nation. Observe their last names … it is not their family or surname but identifies them to their tribe. If anyone from the tribe was attacked or killed by another tribe, the whole tribe of the victim would seek revenge. You can even see this being played out in the OT/NT narratives. Apparently whatever happened to any individual member of the tribe or whatever anyone from the tribe did, the repercussions would profoundly affect the entire tribe. Therefore this cycle of one man’s sin even affects us today and will do so till Christ returns. This is even how God views the human race.
(b) Action: Judgment Result: Condemnation (v. 16a)
By "judgment" is meant, not the judgment of God, or the judiciary sentence pronounced by God on Adam and his posterity for sin; but the guilt of the one man’s sin, which is imputed to all men to condemnation, on account of which the sentence of condemnation passed on all men; the law transgressed, became a ministration of condemnation to them: the righteousness of Christ, which stands opposed to the guilt of Adam’s sin, being imputed to all his offspring, is to the justification of them; and that not only from the guilt of that particular offence, but from many other offences, even all their actual sins and transgressions, of every sort; which is another instance of the exuberance, or abounding of the grace of God, in the righteousness of Christ, not only over the sin of the one man, but also over the sins of many, even all the elect of God; for the last clause may be also thus rendered, "the free gift is of the offences of many, unto justification".
© Action: Disobedience Result: Many sinners (v. 19a)
Adam sinned because of disobeying God’s direct commandment – that is not to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree. This is the sum of what is said in the foregoing verses, that as by Adam’s sin all his posterity are made sinners, and so are brought under a sentence of condemnation; in like manner by the obedience of Christ, all his seed are made righteous, and come under a sentence of justification of life: the persons made sinners are said to be "many", in opposition to the "one man", by whose disobedience they became so, and because there is an exception of one, even Jesus Christ; and mean all the natural descendants of Adam, who are many, and are so called, to answer to the subjects of justification in the next clause: what they are made sinners by, is "the disobedience of one man, Adam"; and by the first and single disobedience of his, in eating the fruit of the forbidden tree, by which they "were made sinners": the meaning of which is not, that they became sufferers for it, or subject to death on the account of it; the word used will not bear such a sense, but signifies men guilty of sin, and sometimes the worst and chief of sinners; besides, the apostle had expressed that before; add to this, that the sons of Adam could not be sufferers for his sin, or subject to death on account of it, if they were not made sinners by it, or involved in the guilt or it: and though the posterity of Adam are habitually sinners, that is, derive corrupt nature from Adam, yet this is not meant here; but that they are become guilty, through the imputation of his sin to them; for it is by the disobedience of another they are made sinners, which must be by the imputation of that disobedience to them; he sinned, and they sinned in him, when they had as yet no actual existence; which could be no other way, than by imputation, as he was reckoned and accounted their head and representative, and they reckoned and accounted in him, and so have sinned in him. This is also evident, from the sentence of condemnation and death passing upon all men for it; and even upon those, who had not actually sinned; to which may be added, that Adam’s posterity are made sinners through his disobedience, in the same way as Christ’s seed are made righteous by his obedience, which is by the imputation of it to them.
2. Jesus Christ
(a) Action: Death on Cross Result: Salvation/Eternal life (v. 15)
It may be rendered, "by one offence death reigned by one"; for it was the single sin of Adam, the first sin that was committed by him, which gave death its reigning power over the sons of men. Similarly by the death of one MAN for all humanity gave us the access to eternity with Christ. In corporeal life, they are not now subject to death as a penal evil, as other persons are, and though they die this death, they will triumph over it in the resurrection morn, they will rise again to everlasting life; they reign now in spiritual life over sin, Satan, and the world; and they will reign in eternal life, they will sit on thrones, wear crowns, and possess a kingdom of glory for ever and ever; and all by and through one, Jesus Christ, and not on account of any works, or merits of theirs.
(b) Action: Righteous acts Result: Justification (v. 16b)
The righteousness of Christ being freely imputed without works, as it is to all the men that belong to the second Adam, to all his seed and offspring, is their justification of life, or what adjudges and entitles them to eternal life. The sentence of justification was conceived in the mind of God from eternity, when his elect were ordained unto eternal life, on the foot of his Son’s righteousness; this passed on Christ at his resurrection from the dead, and on all his people as considered in him, when they, in consequence of it, were quickened together with him; and this passes upon the conscience of a sinner at believing, when he may, as he should, reckon himself alive unto God, and is what gives him a right and title to everlasting life and glory.
© Action: Obedience Result: Many righteous (v. 19b)
But alas! in this glorious redemption accomplished by grace, which substitutes the righteousness of God and the person of the second Adam for the sin and the person of the first, the perversity of the flesh can find occasion for the sin which it loves, or at least to charge the doctrine with it. If it is by the obedience of One that I am constituted righteous, and because grace super abounds, let us sin that it may abound: that does not touch this righteousness, and only glorifies this superabundance of grace.
So by the obedience of one (Christ), all are counted obedient, and hence, righteous. Christ’s obedience was to go to the cross for the sake of all humanity. That is, all inherited penalty for Adam’s sin is blotted out for the whole race. All who have not personal sins are held to be justified. Hence all infants are sinless. The basis of infant baptism is removed. Baptism is for those who have personally sinned.
Illustration: Several years ago Billy Graham preached in St. Petersburg, Russia. During the crusade a very brilliant architect, an atheist, came to hear him. Night after night he listened to the preaching of the gospel. He didn’t make a decision during the crusade. As he thought about the matter later, he realized the question was not, "What should I do with Jesus?" but rather "Am I smart, or am I stupid?" "Am I a normal person, or am I crazy?" And so while he was taking a shower one day, it all came together for him. With the water splashing in his face, he looked to heaven and said, "Jesus Christ, forgive my sins." In that moment, he was saved, his sins were forgiven, and he was transferred from Adam to Christ.
Application: Christ did what no one else could do when He broke the power of sin and death by His resurrection. He offers forgiveness and eternal life to all who will accept His gift. And for that, we thank Him with all our hearts. Only the cross of Christ can cure the condemnation of Adam’s choice. Through Jesus Christ we have received abundant grace and gift of righteousness. This grace does not give us license to sin, but grants us the freedom to live and grow in Godliness. After we accept Christ as our Savior, we let grace reign in our life through godly living.
