One of actor Jimmy Stewart’s most famous films is “It’s a Wonderful Life.” In that motion picture, Stewart plays a despairing young banker who comes to a point in his life when he thinks he’d be better off dead. So, through the remainder of the movie, an angel shows him what the world would be like if he did indeed leave the scene.
You know, in a sense the lives of most people are like that of the Jimmy Stewart character. While they’re living and breathing physically, a vital part of them – the spirit – is dead. In fact, it was dead on arrival when you entered this world because of the choice made by Adam. Even if you’re not a Christian you, too, were a spiritual stillbirth. You were born dead. You also inherited this condition from Adam.
This is the difference Adam’s made in all of our lives. And this morning what I want to do is to look more deeply at the disastrous change that took place in Adam’s life and consequently in our lives as a result of his having rejected God’s authority over his life in the Garden of Eden. So first of all let’s look at:
I. The Spiritual Death of Adam and Us v.12b
Adam produced a bunch of descendants, one of whom was you. But what would have happened to you if your grandfather had died before his wife ever had your father? You would have died in your grandfather’s gene pool and never showed up on planet earth, right? Well, that obviously didn’t happen, but Romans 5:12 says that in some way it did happen to you “in Adam.” Somehow, when that first man died, ALL men died. How? What part of you died before you ever showed up on earth? What difference did Adam make in your life?
Well, let’s look back to that garden scene. You see, you too, were there, in Adam’s loins. You were potentially there as an offspring of Adam. So there, the Lord and Adam fellowshipped with one another regularly because Adam was created with an innocent spirit that made him alive to God. One day God said, “Adam, you may do anything in this garden you wish except one thing. You may not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”
You see, God gave Adam a choice. He could either let God be his God, determining what is right and wrong for Adam or he could stake his claim, carve out his own little kingdom, and declare himself “Lord of the Ring,” as Bill Gillham says. Adam decided he would determine what he thought was right and wrong. He didn’t need God’s opinion. Then God said, “The very day you eat from that tree, you will die.” Now, he didn’t say Adam would die hundred’s of years later. He said he would die immediately. God wasn’t implying a physical death by the end of the day, because if He had, we would’ve died physically “in Adam” and none of us would have ever been born.
Well then, did Adam and Eve die “soulically”? Did their personalities die? No, in that case they would have become robots who could not think, feel, or choose. So, we’ve ruled out all but one part of man, his spirit. Their spirits died that day. The part of Adam and Eve that made them alive to God died and after sundown they could no longer fellowship with God. They then began to produce spiritually dead offspring whose normal, natural state was to be dead to God and by nature to rebel against God’s authority in their lives, claiming their “right to live their own lives.” They became the first “Lord’s of the Ring” and that’s the difference they made in our lives. But there’s more! Not only did they bring Spiritual Death but:
II. The Power of Sin came into Adam and us
Romans 5:12 says that simultaneous with spiritual death and man’s rebellion against God’s right to authority over him, something called “sin” entered into the world. Now, sin doesn’t refer to just one sinful act, but rather to a power called sin that entered into man’s experience. This comes from the fact that the word for sin, “hamartia” found 41 times in Romans 5-8, is used as a noun 40 of those times. So that makes it a person, place or thing – an entity of some sort.
Now, I don’t claim to understand exactly what this is other than to say what the Word of God says. Romans 7:21 records that it is an “evil . . . present in me”, a “different law in . . . my body” v.23. Terms such as “the power of sin,” “the law of sin,” “the principle of sin,” or simply “sin” are synonyms. These speak of the same essence or entity. A quick look at Romans 7 will demonstrate that “sin” often refers to an evil power against which the Christian battles.
Now, the word sin is first introduced in Genesis 4:7. God addresses Cain, who is contemplating murder. He says, “Sin is crouching at the door; and his desire is for you, but you must master him.” God personifies this power which He calls sin. Understanding this truth will help you in the important role in your battle against sin. But when Adam sinned against God’s authority, not only did his innocent spirit die to God so that he had no life toward God, but his spirit instantly became one with Satan. Adam’s dead spirit was instantly unified with Satan’s spirit, the power of sin. This power of sin entered into Adam and took control over him in spirit, soul and body. He became Satan’s spirit-offspring, born of the same rebellion as him, a dead spirit being in human form totally submissive to Satan. Ephesians 2:1-2 describes this difference Adam made in our lives.
What a Difference You’ve Made in My Life! The Spiritual Death of us, The Power of Sin entered into us, and:
III. The Soul and Body is Dying by Degrees
Not only was Adam’s spirit now dead to God, but his soul and body were now dying by degrees as well. And if he didn’t repent before he ejected from his dying earthsuit, he’d have to exist forever as a dead spirit-son of Satan in hell. So take a look at what the Bible says about the difference he’s made in our Mind, Will and Emotions.
Ephesians 4:17-18 describes a lost person as having a darkened mind, as having a veil over his mind. This means that he can’t understand the things of God. He has no spiritual comprehension. The Bible will be meaningless to you in terms of being able to discern spiritual enlightenment from it. You may earn a Ph. D. in Bible, but still not know anything about spiritual truth. The mind is darkened and dying.
The will is rebellious. The lost person has rebellious will. You will not, indeed you cannot, submit to God’s authority over you. You see God’s ways as burdensome. You may see God as an authoritarian party pooper. Your theme song is, “I Did It My Way.” You fit perfectly into the “Me Generation” of the world today. You’re your own god and insist on ruling over your own personal kingdom. Your will has become totally self-centered.
The emotions of a person like Adam are for worldly affection. You love the world, the system of the world, the way it’s structured. You live to satisfy your needs. You live to feel good. You enjoy life separated from God you’d like to be 21 on earth forever! That is if your body would let you. However, Adam’s body was dying as well. It was headed for the dirt. It was just a matter of time before the warranty would run out. This is what Adam and each of us became with the Fall of Man thus, “The Difference he Made in Our Lives.”
But the good news is that there’s a second Adam Jesus Christ the Son of God. And you can be born again, you can receive a new identity; an “in Christ” identity. You can become a new person altogether; then a real positive difference can be made in your life that will last forever. As the lyrics to the song Amy Grant sings, “What A Difference You’ve Made” written by Archie Jordan communicates:
What a difference You’ve made in my life
What a difference You’ve made in my life
You’re my sunshine day and night
Oh what a difference You’ve made in my life
What a change You have made in my heart
What a change You have made in my heart
You replaced all the broken parts
Oh what a change You have made in my heart
Love to me was just a word in a song
That had been way over used
But you gave love a meaning
So I’ve joined in the singing
That’s why I want to spread the news
[Chorus:]
What a difference You’ve made in my life
What a difference You’ve made in my life
You’re my sunshine day and night
Oh what a difference You’ve made
Jesus wants to be your sunshine day and night. He’ll give you a new heart, a new spirit and make you alive for the very first time. He’ll forgive your sin and renew the sanctifying process of your soul.
(Most of the content of this message came from the book "Lifetime Guarantee" by Bill Gillham pages 78-82, 85.)
