The Death-Giving Sin Vs. The Life-Giving Gift
Text: Rom. 5:12-21
Introduction
1. What is original sin?
2. Picture your ancestors as plantation farmers in the South. They have many acres of farmland and need to manage those crops. To help them accomplish this task, they go to the docks and buy a family of slaves to do the work around the farm, thus becoming the first slave owners in your family. Generations pass and you are now operating that farm and as it is, the original family your ancestors bought, have descendants that still work for you as slaves. One day, you and one of those slaves have a conversation about the fact that you have wronged them by making them slaves. You indicate it wasn’t you that made them slaves you just inherited the situation and therefore can’t be blamed. However, the fact is you have still wronged them by continuing in the custom of maintaining the slaves. It is similar with us and original sin. Adam was the first man who committed the first sin. We are guilty of the same sin because we continue in the custom of sinning that Adam started. Therefore, we are guilty of original sin, not because we committed the original sin but because we continue to sin confirming we have a sin nature.
3. Original sin is that thing about man which makes him capable of conceiving of his own perfection and incapable of achieving it. Reinhold Niebuhr
4. Proposition: In our text today, Paul brings up this concept of original sin, because Adam and Eve chose to sin, all people are born in sin and have the tendency to sin. However, he also shows how Jesus sacrificial death reverses the curse of original sin.
5. Paul shows us…
a. Results Of Adam’s Sin
b. Results Of Christ’s Gift
c. Results Of Grace
6. Let’s all stand as we read Rom. 5:12-21.
Transition: First, Paul talks about…
I. Results Of Adam’s Sin (12-14).
A. Adam’s Sin Brought Death
1. In his letter, Paul moves from justification to why justification was necessary.
2. The reason was Adam’s sin. In v. 12 he writes, “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.”
a. Paul wants us to understand how sin was wiped out through Christ.
b. So, he begins this section by saying that sin came into the world though one man...Of course that one man is Adam, and the world is all humanity.
c. Just as salvation came through Christ, sin came into the world through Adam.
d. Likewise, as sin came because of Adam, death came because of sin.
e. Adam sinned against God causing a domino effect: sin entered the entire human race, then sin brought death. Because everyone sinned, then everyone also died.
f. Death is the consequence of being under the power of sin.
g. It was not in God’s original plan for human beings to die, but it was the result when sin entered the world. (Barton, 598).
h. However, this isn't referring only to physical death, but also to spiritual death, the separation from God that was the natural result of sin, and if it hadn't of been for Christ would have led to eternal death.
i. The gift of life we give to our children includes with it the sting of death.
j. 1 Corinthians 15:56 (ESV)
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
3. People might say this seems a bit unfair, Adam sinned, and we pay the price for it.
a. But we also have a part to play in this story. While we did inherit this tendency to sin from Adam, we also participated in it personally.
b. Notice what Paul says at the end of the verse, all sinned! If we sinned, and we all have, then we are just as guilty as Adam.
c. This is the difference between Christianity and all the religions of the world, the nature of total corruption and the universal guilt of all people under sin.
d. In other religions, people can work their way into heaven through good works, but in Christianity the work is done for us by Christ. And this is a good thing because nothing we could ever do is good enough to wipe away our sin.
4. Now look at what Paul writes in vv. 13-14, “Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. 14 Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come.”
a. God’s law was not given until the time of Moses, so the people who lived between Adam and Moses did not have any specific laws to obey or break.
b. But sin that was in the world was the power or force that causes people to act independently of God.
c. All people are under the power of sin, and all people act in rebellion against God.
d. Sin was in the world from the beginning, but it came into sharp focus when the law was given.
e. Adam disobeyed an explicit commandment of God. His descendants who lived prior to the time of Moses could not break any specific laws because there were none. But they still sinned, witnessed by the fact that they all died.
f. Adam’s descendants had sinned with Adam. Death is the result of Adam’s sin and ours, even if our sins don’t resemble Adam’s.
g. For thousands of years, the law had not been explicitly given, and yet people died.
h. The law was added to help people see their sinfulness, to show them the seriousness of their offenses, and to drive them to God for mercy.
i. This was true in Moses’ day and in Paul’s day, and it is still true today.
j. Sin is a deep break between who we are and who we were created to be.
k. The law points out our sin and places the responsibility for it squarely on our shoulders, but it offers no cure.
l. The contrast between Adam and Christ is that Adam’s one act determined the character of the world; Christ’s one act determined the character of eternity.
m. In modern terminology, we could say that Adam was a flawed prototype, but Christ was the perfect original.
n. Just as Adam was a representative of created humanity, so is Christ the representative of the new, spiritual humanity (Barton, 598).
B. Wages Of Sin
1. Illustration: One day Adam and his boys were out for a walk and happened upon the Garden of Eden. One of the boys said, “Dad, what is that place?” Adam responded, “Guys, that’s where your mother ate us out of house and home.”
2. As a result of Adam’s sin, we are shackled with sin and sentenced to physical and spiritual death.
a. Romans 6:23 (NLT2)
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
b. God gave us everything. He dropped us in the middle of paradise and gave us the run of the land.
c. God said, you can have anything you want except the fruit on that tree in the middle. Eat from it and you’ll die!
d. And so, what did we do? We ate from that one tree we weren’t allowed to touch, and we died physically and spiritually!
e. Ever since that day, we have struggled with sin, death and the grave.
f. As much as we try, we cannot escape the inevitable.
g. But I’ve got good news…Sunday’s a coming!
Transition: That’s because of…
II. The Results Of Christ’s Gift (15-19).
A. God’s Gracious Gift
1. Now Paul draws a series of contrasts between Adam and Jesus.
2. In v. 15 he writes, “But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ.”
a. God’s generous gift of forgiveness through Christ (justification) has a greater but opposite effect than the trespass of Adam and its consequences.
b. Yet in each case, the act of one affected the lives of many.
c. Because of Adam’s sin, death entered the human race, and since then all people have died (with the Bible’s exceptions of Enoch and Elijah). All people will die until the end of this age.
d. Because of Jesus Christ, however, we can trade judgment for forgiveness.
e. We can trade our sin for Jesus’ goodness. Jesus offers us the opportunity to be born into his spiritual family—the family line that begins with forgiveness and leads to eternal life.
f. If we do nothing, we have death through Adam; but if we come to God by faith, we have life through Christ (Barton, 598).
3. Paul’s second contrast between Adam and Jesus is in v. 16., “And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins.”
a. God passed judgment on Adam’s one sin of disobedience.
b. As a result, Adam and the entire human race received condemnation.
c. Everyone since Adam has sinned, and yet Christ overcame those many mistakes and brought righteousness to those who accept him, even though they are guilty of many sins.
d. The result of sin is death; the gift of God—his justifying sinners—results in reigning forever with Christ.
e. Man was involved in circumstances in which there was no hope.
f. Sin and death had man in their power and there was no escape.
g. Into this setting Christ came. He conquered sin and death. By His death and resurrection, He broke the stranglehold of sin.
h. Man can escape but only by an act of his will, his free choice.
i. Our relationship with the first Adam is automatic; our relationship with the last Adam is voluntary (Carlson, Romans-Corinthians, 89).
4. Now look at the great news that Paul talks about in v. 17, “For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.”
a. By surendering to sin, Adam caused death to rule over the whole human race.
b. Death is inescapable; it comes to every living thing.
c. We all live close to the valley of the shadow of death. And the reign of death over creation began because of Adam’s sin.
d. However, there is a cure. Those who receive God’s wonderful, gracious gift of righteousness will live in triumph over sin and death.
e. What a promise this is to those who love Christ! We can reign over sin’s power, over death’s threats, and over Satan’s attacks.
f. Eternal life is ours now and forever. Though this promise has its greatest fulfillment in the future, it also has a significant immediate impact.
g. In Christ, death loses its sting.
h. We are still subject to the physical suffering and death brought by sin in the world, but we are free from the eternal spiritual separation that we would experience outside of Christ.
i. Genesis 4:7 (NLT2)
7 You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”
j. Also, in the power and protection of Jesus Christ, we can overcome temptation (Barton, 598).
k. In Christ, we are more than conquerors, we are super overcomers!
5. Paul’s fourth comparison between Adam and Christ appears in vv. 18-19, where Paul writes, “Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. 19 Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.”
a. The same statement is made in different words in these two verses.
b. Paul emphasizes the contrasting roles of two single agents, Adam and Christ.
c. Adam’s one sin brought condemnation on the human race; this one person disobeyed God causing all people to become sinners.
d. But Christ’s one act of righteousness, done because he obeyed God, opened the way for all people to be made right in God’s sight and given eternal life (Barton, 598).
e. One Man, the last Adam, brings all men who believe into a supernatural generation.
f. We died with Him, we rose with Him, and we sit in "heavenly places" with Him.
g. Offsetting "sin" and "death" is His gift of "grace," "righteousness," and "eternal life," which are ours "by Jesus Christ our Lord.”
h. As the guilt of Adam was added to our account for condemnation, so the righteousness of Jesus Christ has been added to us for our justification.
i. When Christ died, He paid the penalty of sin in our place. He took our place. He was our Representative, our Substitute (Carlson, 91).
B. We Have Victory!
1. Illustration: The reason why many fail in battle is because they wait until the hour of battle. The reason why others succeed is because they have gained their victory on their knees long before the battle came. Anticipate your battles; fight them on your knees before temptation comes, and you will always have victory. (R.A. Torrey).
2. Through Christ we have the victory, but we need to learn to walk in that victory!
a. 1 Corinthians 15:57 (NLT2)
57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.
b. Often there are sports teams that have all the best players, best coaches, and best plans, but they don’t know how to win.
c. As the church, we have the power of the cross, the power of the Holy Spirit, the power of prayer, and the power of the Word, but we don’t know how to win.
d. We think because we are a King’s Kid the devil is just going to lay down and let us win.
e. If we are going to learn how to win it has to start in that sweet hour of prayer.
f. If we are going to learn how to win it starts with our daily time in God’s Word.
g. It’s going to take discipline!
h. It’s going to take persistence.
i. It’s going to take spending time at the feet of Jesus!
Transition: Then Paul tells us about…
III. The Results Grace (20-21).
A. God’s Wonderful Grace
1. Paul now moves from the contrasts of Adam and Jesus to a discussion on the grace of God.
2. In v. 20 Paul writes, “God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.”
a. This statement is certainly not what Paul’s Jewish readers expected to hear.
b. The law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were.
c. Paul is winding up the argument he has been carrying on through the first five chapters of his letter.
d. The purpose of the law for his own people, the Jews, had been to make them aware of their need for salvation.
e. Sin was present from Adam, but the giving of the law was like having a huge spotlight turned on—the sinfulness of people became all the more defined.
f. The solution to sin was not law, but grace. No matter how much people sin, God’s wonderful kindness is greater.
g. When our awareness of sin increases, we need to ask God to help us see that his grace is always greater in its capacity to forgive than our capacity to sin (Barton, 599).
3. Then Paul talks about the rule of grace. In v. 21 he writes, “So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
a. Our age is characterized by sin and inevitable death; but the age to come will be characterized by grace, righteousness, and eternal life.
b. It is common to call the ultimate struggle that is going on in the world “the conflict between good and evil.”
c. Paul was picturing here the outcome of the war between the Kingdom of grace and the kingdom of sin.
d. Until Christ, the war appeared to be decided, because sin ruled over all people. But Christ’s death and resurrection provided the decisive victory by which God’s wonderful kindness rules.
e. Under the reign of grace, a right standing is declared that will bring eternal life. (Barton, 599).
B. By Grace
1. Illustration: Listen to this from R.C. Sproul: “Perhaps the most difficult task for us to perform is to rely on God’s grace and God’s grace alone for our salvation. It is difficult for our pride to rest on grace. Grace is for other people—for beggars. We don’t want to live by a heavenly welfare system. We want to earn our own way and atone for our own sins. We like to think that we will go to heaven because we deserve to be there.”
2. In a world filled with sin, grace rules!
a. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NLT2)
8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
b. Sin is rampant; grace is abundant.
c. Sin separates; grace unites.
d. Sin destroys; grace heals.
e. Grace is the undeserved favor of God given to us as a free gift because of the sacrifice of Jesus.
f. We cannot take credit for grace.
g. We cannot earn grace.
h. We can only accept and be grateful for grace!
Conclusion
1. Paul shows us…
a. Results Of Adam’s Sin
b. Results Of Christ’s Gift
c. Results Of Grace
2. THREE THINGS TO REMEMBER…
a. ADAM’S SIN BROUGHT SEPARATION AND DEATH; JESUS’ DEATH BROUGHT RECONCILIATION AND LIFE.
b. ADAM’S SIN BROUGHT DEFEAT; JESUS’ DEATH BROUGHT VICTORY!
c. ADAM’S SIN BROUGHT THE RULE OF SATAN; JESUS’ DEATH BROUGHT THE RULE OF GRACE.
