“A Radical Change of Address”
(Romans 5:12-21)
Series: Not Guilty!
Rev. Todd A. Linn, PhD
First Baptist Henderson, KY
(6-21-09) (AM)
- Take your Bibles and open to Romans, chapter 5.
We’re continuing our verse-by-verse study of the Book of Romans, arguably the greatest letter written by the Apostle Paul. Romans is practically synonymous with Gospel. Think Romans, think Gospel. And especially in these last few weeks we have been unpacking the glorious truth about the doctrine of justification by faith. How is man saved? How is man justified—or declared righteous? Not by works, not by good deeds, but by God’s grace, through man’s faith in Christ alone.
Chapter 5 is about how we may be assured that when we have been saved it will last to eternity. When God declares us righteous by our faith our righteousness is guaranteed forever. So last week we read about that in verses 1-11, reading about a guaranteed peace with God, a righteous standing that lasts forever, about rejoicing in hope, New Testament hope defined as a certainty, a rock-solid assurance that God keeps His promises to the end. We also read that this is one reason why we can rejoice during times of suffering and tribulation, normal experiences of the Christian. All these things in the first 11 verses culminate in God’s assurance to us that our being reconciled to Him lasts forever.
Now, in verse 12 to the end of chapter 5, Paul tells us on what basis this assurance comes. He tells us why we can be so sure that our salvation lasts forever. In a few words, we can be sure our salvation lasts forever because Jesus Christ overcame all the negative effects of Adam’s sin. That’s basically what our text teaches this morning. Jesus Christ overcame all the negative effects of Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden, Genesis 3, thousands of years ago.
- Stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word.
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned —
- Pray.
Introduction:
It would not be an overstatement to say that our text this morning gives us a bird’s eye view of all humanity throughout history, past, present, and future. Verses 12-21 are like a canvass onto which God paints the history of all people, people over the past several thousand years, people of the future, people of today, all ethnicities, all nations, people in Henderson, people in Lynch, KY, people in Brazil, people in the Ukraine, people in China, people in Thailand, all people everywhere. Everyone is found in this passage. And the reason why is because everyone in this passage is represented by either one of two men, Adam or Christ.
Thomas Goodwin, the 17th century puritan, put it this way: “There are two men—Adam and Jesus Christ—and these two men have all other men hanging on them.” He said if you could picture Adam and Christ as having something like belt loops or hooks upon them, then know that every person in creation hangs onto, or is connected to, one of these two men. Every person, irrespective of race, gender, social status, goodness, badness, every person connected to one man or the other. Every person, regardless of church membership, biblical knowledge, financial generosity, every person hanging onto one man or the other.
Think about that image throughout our study this morning. Ask yourself: “Am I connected to Adam or to Christ? Am I ‘hanging’ onto Adam or hanging onto Christ?” I want to ask you to think about that as we read through these verses and think deeply about the Gospel and our response to it. First, let’s think deeply about:
I. The World of Sin (12-14)
Frequently we note that we live in a “fallen world.” We are referring to the biblical event known as the Fall. Genesis, chapter 3, tells us about it. It is there we read about Adam and Eve. We know the story well: Satan tempted Eve to partake of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Eve gave-in to temptation, but Adam bears ultimate responsibility because God created Adam first as spiritual leader of his home. This is why God comes looking for Adam in Genesis 3 and why we refer to this first sin as Adam’s sin. So Paul begins here in verse 12:
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned —
Then Paul speaks parenthetically. He pauses after this opening statement in verse 12 because he feels the need to talk about the law in relation to Adam’s sin. So he speaks in brackets from verse 13 to verse 17. If you look at verse 18 you’ll see that that is where he picks back up his initial thought: “Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.” That’s what Paul intended to say back in verse 12, but felt the need to go in another direction for a moment. Look again at verse 12. It is a very concise and succinct statement about the entrance of sin in this world:
12 … through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned —
Remember we are thinking about these two men: Adam and Christ. Through the first man, Adam, sin entered the world and death through sin. That’s why we live in a fallen world. Adam’s sin brought sin into the world. And that’s also why we have death in this world. Death came through sin. Death—both spiritual and physical death—was the penalty for Adam’s sin. God had said in the Garden, “If you eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, you will surely die.” Adam and Eve partook of this fruit and the result is spiritual and physical death.
Then Paul says in the latter part of verse 12, “and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.” Paul is teaching that all of humanity bears the guilt of Adam’s sin. Question 19 of the Baptist Catechism asks, “Did all mankind fall in Adam’s first transgression?” Answer: “All mankind descending from him…sinned in him, and fell with him in his first transgression.” Paul is teaching that there is a very real sense that we were right there with Adam when he sinned. And this is so because Adam is the representative head, if you will, of all humanity. Adam’s name means “humanity.” So he is both an individual man and a corporate man. He represents all humanity the way the President represents America, or the way David, when battling Goliath, represents Israel.
As FF Bruce puts it, “The whole of humanity is viewed as having existed at first in Adam.” So lest we cry, “Well, it’s Adam’s fault,” the truth is if God had tested any one of us in the Garden of Eden, the result would have been the same. We would have failed the test. Indeed, every time we sin we “cast our vote” with Adam. We enter into this world as sinners, sinners by nature and sinners by choice. And the result of sin is death. Verse 13:
13 (For until [better, “before”] the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
Paul is saying that sin existed before the Old Testament law was given through Moses. But sin “is not imputed when there is no law.” In other words, “though sin existed, it wasn’t officially recognized at that time as a breaking of Old Testament law.” Verse 14:
14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.
Paul’s point is that sin and death existed, indeed “reigned” from Adam’s first transgression all the way up to God’s giving the law through Moses. All have sinned, even if it wasn’t the same kind of transgression Adam committed, all are guilty of sin.
And Adam is “a type” of Him who was to come. Just as Adam is a representative of humanity, so is Christ a representative of humanity. Adam represents the old humanity, Christ represents the new humanity. Adam sin means all humanity is condemned in him, resulting in eternal death. Christ’s righteousness means that a new humanity may be justified in Him, resulting in eternal life. As he puts it in 1 Corinthians 15:22, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.”
So Paul is going to develop this more fully as he takes us from the world of sin to:
II. The Work of our Savior (15-19)
15 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.
16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification.
17 For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)
Do you see how Paul compares and contrasts these two men? In Adam all die. In Christ shall all be made righteous. And Paul is actually saying that Jesus Christ restored much more than that which was lost through Adam.
But it doesn’t come to us automatically. We must receive Christ as our Lord and Savior. Verse 15, note “the free gift,” a gift is to be received, and verse 17 says, “much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life.” We must “receive” Christ as Savior. But if we receive Him, then we may be assured that Christ has done everything necessary to overcome all the negative effects of Adam’s sin.
18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.
19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
Christ comes as something of and “Adam in reverse.” He is a new representative. Through His work on the cross, he restores us into an even greater state than Adam enjoyed before the Fall. Christ was obedient in life and death. In life, He obeyed the law perfectly, obeying all its commands. In death, He willing lay down His life for us, dying as our substitute, taking our sin upon Himself so that we would get credit for what He did. So “in Christ” we may be justified—declared righteous. If I have placed my faith in Christ, God forever sees me “in Christ,” the righteousness of His Son imputed or credited to or reckoned to me.
I heard a preacher recently put it in terms with which I can identify. As most of you know, I love coffee. I like all kinds of coffee. I like it hot or cold or old or new or black or with cream or with cream and sugar. There’s no greater smell than opening a fresh bag of Starbuck’s. I even like those chocolate-covered coffee beans. I like it all!
When I put sugar in my coffee, I stir it into the coffee until you cannot see it anymore. Now where is the sugar? Well, it’s in the coffee, of course. If I pour that coffee into another cup, where is the sugar now? It’s in that other cup, but it’s still in the coffee. If I put the coffee into another room, where is the sugar now? It’s in that coffee in the other room. And if I pour the coffee out onto the floor, where is the sugar? It’s still in that coffee. Wherever that coffee is, that sugar will be because it is bound up in that coffee. It cannot be separated. That’s what it’s like to be “in Christ.”
I once was “in Adam,” but I am not “in Christ.” You might say I have changed my address. And it is a radical change of address! All humanity resides either “in Adam” or “in Christ.” If we are “in Christ” then we enjoy a new residence, a salvation that lasts forever. So we’ve reflected on the world of sin and the work of our Savior, thirdly, let’s think deeply about:
III. The Wonder of Salvation (20-21)
20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more,
Paul teaches that the Old Testament law was given that it might underscore our sin and, consequently, our need for a Savior.. “The law entered that the offense might abound.” Sin was already in the world, but when the law came through Moses, sin was even more pronounced. It’s kind of like when you are told not to do something, what do you then want to do? You want to do the very thing you are told not to do!
But Paul says, “where sin abounded, grace “super abounded.” That’s really what the Greek says there in the phrase, “grace abounded much more.” No matter how great our sin, church family, no matter how many sins—past, present, and future—if we are “in Christ,” connected to Christ, then grace abounds “much more.” If we are “in Christ,” we may be assured that Jesus Christ has completely overcome all the effects of the fall. Oh, the wonder of salvation!
21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Our assurance is guaranteed. Previously, sin reigned in death. And if we remain “in Adam,” if we do not “change our address,” as it were, then we will remain under the reign of sin and death. But if we change our address, if we receive the free gift of God’s grace, then grace will reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Conclusion:
If you are “in Christ,” you may be reminded that you were once “in Adam” along with all humanity. So think no less of people who are “in Adam.” Lost people at your workplace, in your family, in your community—you once were there. You were lost. You once were united together will all other humanity, hanging onto Adam. You once were connected to Adam, hooked to Adam and on your way to final and certain death, eternal separation from God in a place called hell. But now you are connected to Christ and God has entrusted you with a Great Commission to get everyone else “unhooked” from Adam and “hooked” to Christ. That is your great purpose in life through which you glorify God: leading others to radically change their address. And what motivates you? Grace: God’s undeserving mercy to judgment-deserving sinners. Live out your life out as a glorious “Thank You Note” to God for His grace.
John Piper was speaking several years ago at a conference in Memphis where he was challenging his hearers about the importance of making their lives really count. He said these words:
Three weeks ago we got word at our church that Ruby Eliason and Laura Edwards had both been killed in Cameroon. Ruby was over 80. Single all her life, she poured it out for one great thing: To make Jesus Christ known among the unreached, the poor, and the sick. Laura was a widow, a medical doctor, pushing 80 years old, and serving at Ruby’s side in Cameroon. The brakes failed, the car went over the cliff, and they were both killed instantly. And I asked my people: was that a tragedy? Two lives, driven by one great vision, spent in unheralded service to the perishing poor for the glory of Jesus Christ—two decades after almost all their American counterparts have retired to throw their lives away on trifles in Florida or New Mexico. No. That is not a tragedy. That is a glory.
I tell you what a tragedy is. I’ll read to you from Reader’s Digest (Feb. 2000, p. 98) what a tragedy is: “Bob and Penny… took early retirement from their jobs in the Northeast five years ago when he was 59 and she was 51. Now they live in Punta Gorda, Florida, where they cruise on their 30 foot trawler, play softball and collect shells.” The American Dream: come to the end of your life – your one and only life – and let the last great work before you give an account to your Creator, be “I collected shells. See my shells.” THAT is a tragedy. And people today are spending billions of dollars to persuade you to embrace that tragic dream. And I get forty minutes to plead with you: don’t buy it.
Do you realize how great it is to be “in Christ?” Do you know how many people remain “in Adam?” There is no greater work in all the world than the work of leading others to get “unhooked” from Adam and “hooked” to Christ. Don’t waste your life. Use it for God’s glory.
- Stand for prayer.
I’ve been asking you to be thinking about whether you are “hooked” to Adam or “hooked” to Christ. Are you “in Adam” or “in Christ?” You can’t do anything about being “in Adam.” But you can do something about “remaining in Adam.” By the grace of God you can radically change your address today from “in Adam” to “in Christ.”
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