Romans 5:12-21 THE REIGN OF SIN AND DEATH - THE REIGN OF GRACE AND LIFE
We have just learned that it was at the appropriate time that Christ died for us, being “while we were yet sinners” and “enemies” and “still helpless.” This develops a situation in which only God gets the glory through Christ. And that is the primary objective in salvation – that God would be glorified. This is even the reason for man’s good works (Matthew 5:16). Salvation is “to the praise of the glory of His grace” and “to the end that we who were first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:6, 12). So it was in Christ’s death that we were reconciled to God and in His life we are saved. In Christ there is life. He came that we may have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10). “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). Suffice it to say that being in Christ is having life – and life eternal!
DEATH THROUGH SIN (v. 12-13)
After just teaching us about reconciliation, the Spirit is now going to teach us about what caused the separation between us and God. It is sin. Sin “entered into the world.” It wasn’t always here, it entered in. It entered in through one man. Through that one man, Adam, sin came in and when sin came in so did death which spread to all men. But wasn’t it Eve who sinned first? Of course, but it is Adam to whom all mankind is traced back to. When Paul describes the “Unknown God” he speaks of God, saying “and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation” (Acts 17:26). The bottom line being this: if we are only related to Adam, we are only related to death. Likewise, if we are related to the second Adam (1 Cor. 15:45) we are related to abundant life! In all actuality, there are only two men who really matter – Adam and Jesus. See 1 Corinthians 15:20-49.
Death came “through sin.” Sin is error. Sin is lawlessness (1 John 3:4). Sin is transgression of law. Sin is not doing what you know you should (James 4:17). Adam was walking with God and was given one command as it is written, “The Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die’” (Genesis 2:16-17). Sure deception was involved (Genesis 3:1-4, 13) but the instruction of God was plain. Adam and Eve sinned and “hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God” (Genesis 3:8). This is when sin entered in.
This sin had enormous repercussions, as all sin does. Primarily it brought in death. For one this means that man will not live forever on earth – his life here will cease. “By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19). For another thing, death is a change in state. Job said, “If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my struggle, I wait until my change comes.” Therefore, to die is not to be annihilated, or cease to exist, but to be changed into a differed state. For example the body will die. It is appointed once for all men to die. The body dies and returns to the dust from whence it came. Ecclesiastes says it this way, “then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it” (12:7). Now we begin to see our life on this earth for what it really is – a temporary visitation. We are told to “conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth” (1 Peter 1:17). Paul could say, “to live is Christ and to die is gain” and again, “having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better” (Philippians 1:21, 23). He recognized that death wasn’t an end but a transition. His death in the body was simply a departure. Even Jesus, when He talked with Moses and Elijah, spoke about “His departure” (Luke 9:31). Thirdly, death is a separation. When your body dies it is separated from you soul and spirit. Sin has caused this death to occur for everyone of Adam’s race – humans. Much worse is the spiritual death that also occurs. When sin enters in, man is separated from God. God “drove the man out” of His presence in the garden (Genesis 3:24). This occurs where there is sin. Furthermore, “death spread to all men, because all sinned.” What we have inherited from Adam is death and a tendency or nature to sin. Outside of Christ it is normal for man to sin for he is in the likeness of his father Adam. This is why we “must be born again.” We need a rebirth; a regeneration. We need to be made in the likeness of a righteous man – Jesus. We were “dead in trespasses and sins” and “by nature children of wrath.” We needed to be “made alive” (Ephesians 2:1-5) which we were in Christ.
Even before divine law, sin was present. Remember that sin “entered into the world” through one man – Adam. Sin is not imputed or credited where there is no law but it was very present. The Law, in fact, made us aware of its presence. But even before the Law came, sin “abounded” as seen in the death of man, the corruption of man (we get worse), and the death of creation. This world is decaying and depreciating every moment. In the world things get worse as they get older. Antiques may have collectible value but are operationally obsolete. Thanks be to God that in Christ, the older you are the better you are. You “grow” and “mature” in wisdom and knowledge.
THE REIGN OF DEATH AND THE REIGN OF LIFE (v. 14-17)
A fact is now stated, “death reigned from Adam until Moses.” This is beyond questioning as it is simply affirmed by the Holy Spirit. And it wasn’t because each individual sinned in the same way that Adam sinned but that they were his offspring. Meaning, they (from Adam to Moses) did not have the Law of God from Sinai or otherwise, nor did they have a law of which tree not to eat from, nevertheless, death reigned because sin reigned. They had a tendency to do that which is contrary to the nature of God. This sounds like a helpless state of affairs and indeed it was, but “while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” The good news is that all of this destruction that came in from one man is “a type of Him who was to come.” This is all a foreshadowing of what will be passed on to those who are able to trace their genealogy to Jesus, not Adam. Christ, as we will see, will undo the trouble that Adam brought in. While sin and death were reigning – we live in a Kingdom where righteousness and life are reigning.
“The free gift is not like the transgression.” In both cases, the offspring of Adam and Christ are traced back to single acts. Adam’s act was one of disobedience while Christ’s act was one of righteousness. By Adam’s transgression death spread to many. By Christ’s act the grace of God and the gift by the grace of Jesus abounded to many. Grace is far more powerful than death. While death spread and reigned over Adam’s race, grace abundantly reigns to life for all eternity. There are many more blessings from the free gift than there are cursings from the transgression.
From Adam and his transgression judgment arose resulting in condemnation. While in the midst of many transgressions, the free gift is given resulting in justification. Oh, to “be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge” (Ephesians 3:18-19). What came from Adam was sin, death, condemnation; what came from Jesus was grace, life, and justification.
Now we must consider the effects of these acts. They are not equals. They do not have comparative quality or quantity in there respected effects. The free gift is far greater. “For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one” – this is quite a consideration of the power of that act. “MUCH MORE those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” In Christ we receive the abundance of grace – spiritual resources of heavenly riches and blessings to please us and benefit us and enable us and strengthen us. In Christ we receive the “gift of righteousness” – this is imputed to us on account of our faith in Him and His Father. When we are in that state or condition, we are in life. We have been made alive. We have more life than ever before and even more life than Adam had before he sinned. We have a close connection with God as we walk in fellowship with Him through the Son. We can come to the throne of grace for help in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16). We have every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3) and all things pertaining to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). We have been seated with Christ in the heavenly places, raised up with Him. We have been called, delivered, washed, sanctified, justified, glorified. We have hope and joy and peace which surpasses all understanding. We have the love of God shed abroad in our hearts. We have the Spirit of God and Christ within us. We have myriads of angels who are sent to render service to us. We have a Shepherd, an Advocate, a Mediator, an Author and Finisher, a High Priest, the Christ, the Savior, the Word, the Sunrise, the Sun of Righteousness, the Holy One of Israel, the Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace, Mighty God – and He is our brother and not ashamed of it! Grace abounds much more.
TWO MEN; TWO ACTS (v. 18-19)
What men do on earth does matter. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10). Here we see the cataclysmic results of “one act.” Through Adam’s one act of disobedience there resulted condemnation to all men. First we are told that through Adam sin came in (v. 12), then death through sin (v. 12), then judgment arose resulting in condemnation (v. 16). Now the conclusion is that through Adam’s act condemnation came to all men. Likewise, we have the one act of Jesus. His was an act of righteousness. Through Jesus grace came in (v. 15), resulting in justification (v. 16), and the gift of righteousness (v. 17), and life (v. 17), all in abundance. Now the conclusion is that through Christ’s act comes justification of life. Only two men and only two acts resulting in eternal condemnation and death or eternal justification and life. All men start off “in Adam” but the main thing is not how you start off – its how you end up. Those who are born again are born of “imperishable seed” and will be found “in Christ.”
LAW AND GRACE (v. 19-21)
“For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous” (v. 19). The state of those associated only with Adam is “sinner” because that is their tendency. Those associated with Christ are made “righteous” because that is their tendency. Sin is normal for the sinner while righteousness is normal for the righteous. While every man is born in Adam not every man is born again in Christ. Those in Adam are in a situation where they have been “made sinners” while those in Christ have been “made righteous.” It is a good thing that salvation is not be works but by the justification by faith. If it were by works we would not be able to get from “sinner” to “righteous” but by faith we are “made righteous.” Salvation therefore is “by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace.”
The Law came in so that transgression would increase. God has a desire to show His love toward mankind. So where “sin increased, grace abounded all the more” and “as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (v. 21). I suppose the reason is so God would be glorified. This is the nature of salvation – sin brought us low and God is bringing us high. This will even be seen in the last day, “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22). Consider the grave danger that man was in until God in Christ intervened.
“3For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. 4But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:3-7
“1And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 4But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:1-9
“6For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8