‘In Adam - In Christ’
One of the perplexing questions we’re all forced to address is, ‘Why does man behave the way he does?’ Another way to frame the question is to ask, ‘What is it that fundamentally shapes our character and orders our behavior?’ Thomas Goodwin, the 17th century President of Magdalen College, Oxford, spoke insightfully to this question: “In God’s sight there are two men, Adam and Jesus Christ, and these two men have all other men hanging at their girdle strings (gracequotes.org).” In other words, the essential character of every person is determined by either their connection to Adam, the federal head of the human race, and in that relationship the human condition is dominated by sin, condemnation, and death; or their life is shaped by their commitment to Christ, the head of a new humanity, who provides righteousness, justification, and eternal life.
The passage I want us to consider is a passage of parallels that contrasts the human condition affected by Adam’s sin with God’s redemptive response in Christ - “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 reigned 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.
But the free gift is not like the trespass. 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 many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
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 the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom.5:12-21).”
Perhaps the best way to approach this passage is to lift the main idea out of each paragraph and not get embroiled in the technical details of the text. In verses 12-14 Paul tells us that sin, a condition of rebellion against God, and death are the result of Adam’s transgression. In verses 15-17 Paul underscores the grace of God and God’s redemptive provision in Christ. Then in verses 18-21 he speaks of the adequacy of God’s grace to save and restore man to a state of righteousness. When we think deeply about the human condition we’re confronted with a crucial question: How do we account for our selfishness, cruelty, greed, cynicism, and despair? The explanations are quite varied, ranging from B. F. Skinner’s theory of social conditioning to the atheistic evolutionist’s suggestion that these human traits are leftovers from a more primitive period in our development. I don’t think either of these explanations is adequate. What Paul does in this passage is present the Christian understanding of the human condition - particularly the wicked expressions of what Francis Schaeffer called ‘the manishness of man’. This understanding is presented propositionally in verse 12 - “...just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.”
Corporate Personality
This proposition is built on the Hebrew concept of ‘corporate personality’. Here’s how the concept presents itself - “...through one man…all men sinned.” There’s a good illustration of the idea of ‘corporate personality’ given to us in Hebrews 7. The writer of Hebrews is arguing that Christ’s priesthood is superior to the Levitical priesthood because it’s ‘after the order of Melchizedek’. He reminds us of the account in Genesis 14 where Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth of his spoils of battle. Here’s what I want you to see - “One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him (Heb.7:9,10).” Levi, Abraham’s great grandson, was present in Abraham’s ‘loins’, at the time he gave a tithe to Melchizedek. In a sense then Levi also gave a tithe to Melchizedek. This is the incorporating nature of ‘corporate personality’. This concept is used by Paul in Romans 5 to make the point that the whole of humanity sinned and died spiritually in Adam. Perhaps this will help clarify: if your grandfather had died at age 3, where would you be? You would have died in him.
The result, then, of this corporate fall is that sin and death now dominate human experience. Sin, understood as a condition of hostility, estrangement, and rebellion against God, is the root cause of human selfishness and expresses itself in a variety of sinful behaviors. Perhaps you’ve noticed that in secular circles sin is no longer considered a legitimate category of human behavior, and sins (immoral behaviors) are thought to be expressions of mental or medical illness. But sin, in fact, describes a very real human condition and its companion is death which speaks of separation, alienation, and estrangement from God. This is the most profound manifestation of death. We need to understand that sin and death are inseparably connected and their existence is visible everywhere, in human hostilities, in our inability to achieve intimacy with others, through our longing for the transcendent, and in our need for awe and wonder. This is a universal human reality that has to be acknowledged and addressed, and it has been.
Look again at verses 15-17 of the cited text; here’s the gospel - “But the free gift is not like the trespass. 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 many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.” There’s a sense of resolution in this passage, our sin has been dealt with! The adequacy of this resolution is underscored by the words ‘much more’ and ‘abounded’ in verse 15. In verse 17 the word is ‘abundance’, meaning ‘to overflow’. The contrast is clear; through Adam’s trespass came condemnation and a death sentence. But through Christ’s free gift of righteousness comes justification and life. There’s an important notation to be made here. Verse 17, “....much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.” What’s put in bold print is that the ‘abundance of grace’ and the ‘free gift of righteousness’ are received, not merited. They’re grace gifts, not rewards for living a moral life. Grace isn’t earned, by definition it’s freely given.
Adequate Grace
The final paragraph emphasizes the adequacy of grace. There are contrasts drawn in verses 18 and 19 - “....as one trespass led to condemnation for all men…”....”so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.” “As by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners,”...”so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” Then in verses 20 and 21 Paul focuses on grace - “....where sin increased; grace abounded (overflowed) all the more.”....”so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Salvation comes through the Lordship of Christ.
Here’s what I want you to take away from this: God’s grace is greater than your sin, God’s grace is sufficient. No sin is so great that it can’t be cleansed and covered by the redeeming blood of Christ. What’s your need? What’s your sin? A misspent life pursuing sensual pleasures, seeking happiness in sinful relationships, compromising your virtue? Neglecting the spiritual life to acquire more material things? God’s grace is sufficient to cover your sin and quiet your unsettled soul.
What we have then in this text is God’s explanation and response to the human condition. Because of our humanity we share in the sin of Adam, but in Christ God’s grace overwhelms us, covers our sin, and brings us into the liberty of Christ’s life.