One Man

with you. We'll be looking at Romans chapter 5 verses 12 through 21. If you don't have a Bible with you, find text on the back of your order of worship. I'm just going to read verses 12 through 14 to get us started. So I say to you, hear the Word of God. Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin. And so death spread to all men because all sinned. For sin, indeed, was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reign from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. Let us pray. Father, I pray tonight as we look at this passage of scripture, maybe one of the most important when it comes to understanding the gospel that you would give us clarity, enable us to hear what the Spirit would have us hear. I pray that you be in my head and in my thinking, in my heart and in my understanding and in my mouth and in my speaking. In Christ's name, we pray these things. Amen. Amen. Well, if you've been coming to this service regularly, you know, I'm actually preaching a series in the book of Genesis. So you might be wondering why I read to you Romans tonight. And the answer is pretty simple. Up to this point, we'd look to Genesis chapters 1 through 3 and we're getting ready to transition to another phase. We're leaving Adam and Eve and we're going to talk about Cain and Abel and those kinds of things. But Genesis 1 through 3 in many ways is if you don't get that, you don't understand the rest of the Bible. If you don't understand what happened in Genesis 1 through 3 and in Romans 5, the Apostle Paul, the reason we're looking at that tonight is sort of a summary of 1 through 3 because basically what Paul does is he summarizes Genesis 1 through 3 and how important Genesis 1 through 3 is. And so if you remember, the purpose of the book of Genesis was to remind Israel of the promises of God, of the gospel. He promised to take them out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. And in much the same way, he makes that promise to us. He promises to deliver us from Egypt, bondage, our sin, and deliver us into the Promised Land ultimately new heavens and a new earth. And the story in Genesis 1 through 3, remember God created the heavens and earth out of nothing. And after everything was created, man and woman were created. He sort of put his feet up and said it is good. And the declaration there in Hebrew, the state of things when God created everything and he rested, that would have been known as Shalom. We tend to think of Shalom as being just peace. But Shalom, really the bigger definition of the word Shalom is the way things are supposed to be. So God created everything. It was perfect. It was the way it's supposed to be. And then Adam came along. He told Adam, Adam, everything's the way it's supposed to be. One thing, just don't eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the middle of the garden. And if you have any familiarity with the Bible, you know that Adam did eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden. And because of that, bore consequences. We saw last week that Adam bore consequences, the serpent bore consequences and Eve bore consequences. But bigger than that, what Paul talks about in Romans 5 is that we suffer consequences. That what Adam, we suffer consequences from what Adam did all the way back in the book of Genesis. When Adam ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, we suffer consequences from that. On one hand, we suffer consequences because remember God told Adam, when he did it, he said, Adam, cursed it is the ground because of you. The things aren't the way they're supposed to be now, that your work where it used to be worshiped now, it's going to be toil and frustration. So in a macro sense, that happens. On the other hand, something very specifically happened because when Adam was in the garden, he was representing someone. He's representing every single human being who would come after him. Let me read to you. We're going to look at three things tonight from this text in Romans. We're basically going to look at, we're going to introduce Adam and Jesus because the book of Romans, Paul calls Jesus the last Adam or the second Adam. So we're going to introduce that concept and then we're going to contrast the first Adam and the second Adam Jesus and then we're going to compare the first Adam and the second Adam Jesus. So I'm pretty much first by first and I might be a little more doctrinal than usual, but that's why I'm doing it. Verse 12, he says, therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, so death spread to all men because all sinned. So he first thing he starts with is therefore, and what does he say therefore? He's talking about that refers to what came before and what came before was him explaining how we are now reconciled to God and now Paul is basically explaining how we are reconciled with God and he starts with the bad news and the bad news is that sin came to the world into the world through one man and death through sin. So into the whole world, sin came through Adam. He violated Shalom and sin into the world and because sin came, death came and then Paul's does something interesting. He says, and death came to all because all sinned. Did you catch that? So he starts with Adam. He says, through one man, sin came into the world, death came into the world because of sin. Sin came to all men because all sinned. In other words, Paul's implying that in Adam, every human being sinned. Now, if that sounds a little bit bizarre to you, it shouldn't because your whole life revolves around this concept and the concept theologians call this concept federalism or federal headship and what federal headship is or federalism is is basically where one person represents many other people. Do you know a system like that? You see, federalism basically one person represents the many people and it's basically the warping wolf of all creation. If the president of the United States declares war in Iraq or Afghanistan or Pakistan or anywhere else, who also is at war with Iraq around Pakistan? Everyone, the president of the United States and that sense is the federal head of the United States, along with Congress. I mean, it's, I know it's not that simple, but nonetheless, your job, if your boss makes a bad decision and the company goes down, is it fair that you lose your job because the boss made a bad decision? It's not on one hand. On the other hand, it's not fair. It's the way things are. Your boss represents you at some level. The same thing happened with Adam. That's what Paul is representing is saying here that when Adam was in the garden, he represented all humanity. So all of us would rise or fall in what happened with Adam and because Adam sinned all sinned. We all got credit for it. Now, is it fair? I don't know. Is it the way things are? Yes, it is. And even if, you know, I'm going to throw you a bone because I know some people rail against it and say, I didn't do with that sin. So I shouldn't be responsible for it. You know, even if you think that you shouldn't be responsible for Adam's sin, are you really that guiltless yourself? Honestly. Think about it. You see what it goes both ways because some people will tell them when people claim their own self-righteousness. I'll say, you know what, I'm going to give that to you. I'm going to agree that you are completely and utterly obedient to your own low moral standards all the time. But even if that's the case, you still have Adam's sin to deal with, that Adam's sin has been credited to your account. Now, whether you think it's fair or not, what isn't fair as well is that God actually sends another Adam. Someone else to represent us. And that's where Paul comes in next. That's where on one hand he introduces this idea of federalism that through one man all sinned. And then he begins to talk about the first and second Adam and he contrasts them and then he compares them. So let's look at the contrast between the first and second Adam. First of all, verse 14, he says, yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even those who sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one to come. So Paul says right from the beginning that Adam was a type of someone who is to come. Adam as a representative was a type of someone who is to come. So that's another principle. If you're a note taker, you're always being represented. You're the represented by Adam or you're represented by this one who would come. But before God, you're represented. And the question is who represents you? Who represents you? And I'm taking your own goodness or badness out of the equation right now. The question is who represents you? Adam or the Adam who is to come. Think about it this way. He says the free gift. That's what the reconciliation that Jesus gives is not like the trespass and he contrasts them. He says, for if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for the many. So on one hand, how are they different? On one hand, how is the gift different than the trespass? Well the gift is different than the trespass because the trespass, Adam as our representative, his behavior was disobedient and defiant in self-centered. That's how the trespass came by Adam being defiant and his own authority. Now, how did the gift come? How did the gift come? It came just in opposite fashion. While Adam was disobedient and defiant, Jesus was obedient and was a servant. In other words, Adam was put in the garden and told, Adam, here's one thing you have to obey. Don't eat at the tree of knowledge of good and evil and he failed. Jesus on the other hand came and was completely and utterly obedient and completely and utterly submissive to God's will. So the trespass came because of disobedience and the gift comes because of obedience and then in the next verse Paul goes on. In verse 16, he says, in the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For judgment following the one trespass brought condemnation but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. Now that's a biggie. So Adam's trespass, his transgression, his disobedience brought what? Condemnation for all. Through Adam's sin, condemnation was now the lot in life for everybody. So through the one man's act of transgression, he brought to all of us condemnation and condemnation by that basically that means alienation from God. It means being out of relationship with God, it means broken, hurt, lonely, afraid and you ought to fear standing before God because you stand before God as a condemned sinner and that came to us originally through Adam's sin and we just lived that out. We act like who we are and so by nature and by choice we are condemned because of the actions of one man. He said, that's the trespass. He said the free gift however is different than the trespass. He says for the one man's disobedience brought condemnation, the one man's obedience brought justification and that's one of the greatest words in the whole Bible because justification means just this. If you ask, you hear me talk about this all the time. The average person, if you say, what does justification mean and they'll say, well it means just as if I'd never sin and that's halfway correct and if you stop there you will be miserable for the rest of your life because what justification says is not only did Jesus forgive your sins but at the cross he bore the wrath for your sins and he takes all of your sin upon him and takes all of his righteousness and gives it to you. In other words just as Adam's sin was credited to our account as our representative in the person of Jesus all of his goodness is credited to our account as well if we have faith. Those are two vastly different things but they come the same way. The disobedience of Adam brought condemnation, the obedience of Jesus brings justification and the question is are you justified? Are you right with God? Have you trusted Jesus because that's all it takes. Have you put your faith in Jesus? Have you actually said Jesus? I know that I'm a sinner because of my own actions and because of what Adam even did but I want you to represent me. Is that where you are? And if not I'd ask you to think about that. There's one more thing in verse 17 the results of the two actions of the two men in verse 17 it says for it because of one man's trespass death rained through that one man much more will those who received the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness rain in life through the one man Jesus Christ. That's an extremely interesting verse to me because it says because of the one man's trespass death rained was he mean by that whenever you say that something rains over you it means that that thing is your king it's your ruler and he said through the one man's sin death rained that if you're not if you have not trusted Jesus as your representative then death is your ruler. You know a lot of people avoid Christianity because they say you know I don't want all that obedient stuff you know I don't want anyone to rule over me and I don't want you know I'm my own man. Well I got news for you there's always someone who rule is over you it's either sin and death or it is Jesus and the question is which isn't a better taskmaster or are both of them tasked to ask is Jesus isn't a taskmaster sin and death is what's interesting in that past center if you catch it he says through the one man's trespass death rains and you would think that he would he would just flip it over when he talks about Jesus and say and through the one man's obedience grace rains but did you notice what he's did there he said through the one man's trespass death rains and through the one man's obedience you reign in other words he says remember Adam was put into the garden as God's vice region as sort of the king of the world and when he's sin death rained and when Jesus comes and imputes to you his righteousness and gives you his goodness he didn't say the grace reigns he says that you now reign that you're you're you're you're now restored to your rightly places vice-regent over all of creation remember the there's been several there's been books and movies Shirley Temple version a modern version of the movie The Little Princess it wasn't the Shirley Temple version it was in color as my mind remembers it but remember the the Little Princess about this girl who gets put in a boarding school in the the evil I don't know what you call the woman the board mistress mention I remember her name mention and mention was just hard to this little girl Sarah I believe her name was and finally Sarah got tired of it and she said to mention she said I know what your problem is and mention is pretty you know burly what is my problem she said your daddy your daddy never called you a princess mention didn't know what to say she just ran out of the room you see you can't be free unless you've heard your daddy call you a princess or a prince and only in the person of Jesus do you hear God say that to you we tend to think of God no matter what we are even for Christians that what he looks at me and calls me is just a miserable rotten sinner and I know I trusted Jesus and I hope I get to heaven someday but at the end of the day God knows who I am and you know what that's true you are a miserable rotten sinner as am I but God has chosen in the person of Jesus to look on us as kings and queens princes and princes of Narnia if you will and the question is do you feel that do you really believe that God looks at you and he loves you that God really cares about you the only place you see that is in the person and work of Jesus the one man who came to do with the other one man couldn't do let me finish up by showing you how he compares him he compares Paul compares him he basically compares their actions and the results that come from that in verse 18 he says therefore as one trespass led to condemnation for all men so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men for as by one man's disobedience we are made sinners so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous now the law came into increase of the trespass but we're saying increase grace about draw the more so that a sin-rained in death grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord verse 18 again he says as one trespass led to condemnation for all men so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men now as Paul teaching here some kind of universalism in other words just as Adam everyone became sinful and Adam is he saying that everyone who's ever born necessarily will become righteous in Jesus and the answer is absolutely not why you see we became we became we inherited Adam's sin by virtue of our birth our birth through natural parents and we inherit Jesus righteousness also by virtue of our birth but not by virtue of our physical birth but in fact by virtue of our spiritual birth so all men who are spiritually born of Jesus and he tells Nicodemus and John chapter three who are born from above or born again if those who are born from above and born again those will be justified and the question is have you been are you do you know Jesus have you been born from above has Jesus opened your eyes to embrace him and if you've seen that have you been willing to to go to him and give up your sin and to trust him you know the last part of this section is pretty confusing this is now the law came in to increase the trespass but we're sin increase grace abounded all the more so that a sin-rained in death grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord you know the two things I thought there as I read that the first was what C.S. Lewis said you know why does Paul throw this thing in about the law and the more the law increased the more grace increased on one hand it reminded me of something C.S. Lewis said he said that most people don't see themselves as being very bad people because they've never really tried to be that good in other words if you want to see how bad you are try and be good in some of you were my I've been in my Sunday school classes before you could you could try this for a week it only take you a couple hours just go through go through the next week and don't say anything negative with your tongue just be good if you want to know how bad you are trying be good so don't say it don't criticize don't be cynical sarcastic don't say anything behind anyone's back don't gossip don't do anything like that and see how long you last I give you a couple hours but I'll say a week just so you feel like you got a shooting chance because the flip side of it is not just don't do anything bad you gotta also spend time encouraging loving same good things to people try and be good and you see how bad you are and when you see how bad you are then you see how much more unique grace do you see how that works as sin increases grace increases all the more but also reminded me of Luke I think Luke chapter 7 remember the woman who comes in basically breaks up the party to to annoy Jesus feet and washes feet with her hair and wipe them and Simon the Pharisees says to Jesus what are you doing and Jesus asks he tells a parable the bottom line of which is he says whoever has been forgiven the most what whoever's been forgiven the most loves the most you see the more sinful you see yourself as being the more grace becomes important to you and the more grace becomes important to you the more you see that you need it because you realize that you don't deserve it think about that let me pray for us Father I pray that as we look at this passage tonight that you would open our eyes to see how Jesus has done everything for us and that as as sin increase grace increased all the more and I pray that you would help us more and more to see our need of Jesus and to see what he has done for us in Christ's name we pray these things amen amen