THE DOCTRINE OF ORIGINAL SIN - ROMANS 5:12-21

Death In Adam v. Life in Christ

5:12-17

In this passage, Paul develops a parallel between Adam (the first man) and Christ. Paul’s basing his theological point on Adam shows he believes in the historicity of the Genesis account. He does not treat it as a metaphor. 

The parallel is this: Adam is considered the head of the human race. Jesus is considered the head of a new humanity. The parallel is full of contrasts, though. The end result for Adam’s race is different from the end result of Christ’s.

The connection between the two parallels is the way in which God governs humanity. God deals one way with all humanity with regard to sin and its consequences. Likewise, he deals in one way, with grace, toward all of those who are in Christ, the new humanity. 

The beginning of the passage in verse 12 can be difficult to understand because Paul begins a comparison between Adam and Christ, but does not finish it. This is probably because he thought the beginning thought needed further explanation.

First we see that sin came into the world through one man. (12) That man is Adam. That event is told to us in Genesis 3. God told Adam he could not eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But Adam disobeyed God and ate. He sinned and sin became part of human existence.

The phrase “entered the world” means the beginning of sin in the human race. 

Death entered the world through this sin. God had told Adam that he would die if he ate of the forbidden fruit. He did. Death then spread to all men and women, the whole human race. It is the separation of the body from the spirit along with the decay and destruction of the body. (Ecclesiastes 12:7) 

Death entered through the sin of one man. It permeated the human race because all sinned in Adam. (12b) He was our representative. His sin was imputed to all of his descendants and brought us under condemnation. It made us all sinners and we all sin and need justification. The fact that we all sin is proof that we inherited a corrupt nature from Adam. 

In response, the Jew might say: I understand that would be true after the law was given through Moses, but what about those who lived before the law? How could they be called sinners?” 

Paul explained that sin was in the world before the law was given, since it came from Adam, so all those from Adam to Moses were under the curse of death, even if they did not sin the way Adam did. (14) Because of Adam’s trespass, death came to all men. (17)

In this way, Adam is a type of the one who was to come, Jesus. (14) In typology, you have a type and an anti-type. Typology is a kind of symbolism. A symbol is something that represents something else. 

A type represents something in the future. For example, the Old Testament sacrifices were types of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. The shedding of blood was required to bring atonement for sin. It was animals in the Old Testament. It was Christ in the New Testament. 

In our context, a type is a person or thing in the Old Testament that foreshadows a person or thing in the New Testament. It does not mean that the type and anti-type are the same in all respects. They may only share one trait. 

Adam is a type of Jesus in this way: they are the head of a people; all who are in Adam inherit death; all who are in Jesus inherit eternal life. Verse 15 tells us that. Death came to humanity through the trespass (sin) of one man (Adam). Salvation by grace came by the one man Jesus Christ. 

That salvation is an abundance of grace, a free gift, that allow us to reign in life through the one man, Jesus. (17)

A Summary Of Comparisons

5:18-21

 In these verses, Paul summarized the comparisons between Adam, the type, and Jesus, the anti-type.

First, one trespass (sin) by Adam led to condemnation, one act of righteousness by Jesus leads to justification and life. (18)

Second, one man’s disobedience made many sinners, one man’s obedience made many righteous. (19) Although the law increases trespass by enumerating the requirements of God, grace abounded even more. Grace is greater than sin.

Finally, sin reigns in death, but grace reigns through righteousness that leads to eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. (21)

 

PEACE AT CHRISTMAS

 Having taught about peace with God from Romans 5 on Sunday, that topic has been on my mind. 

That made me think of the hymn “Hark The Herald Angels Sing” written by Charles Wesley and modified by George Whitefield. The first stanza is: 

“Hark the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn king.

Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.”

Wesley had to have had in mind the words of the angels speaking to the shepherds in Luke 2:14. They said “Glory to God in the highest (in Latin, it is “gloria in excelsis Deo”) and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased”. 

Many people who sing or hear this Christmas carol think it means peace between nations. But, it actually refers to peace with God, as shown by the mention of reconciliation. 

Peace is needed, and may occur, on three different levels. First, there is peace with God. Then, there is peace of mind for the individual. Finally, there is peace between different people, groups, and nations.

But, if there is no peace with God, there can be no peace at all. Without it, all a person has is self interest, which causes conflict, and fear of death. 

The Stoic philosopher Epictetus was a contemporary of Luke. He was a Roman and experienced the Pax Romana under Augustus. That peace came from wars which subjected other nations to Rome. Epictetus said:

“while the emperor may give peace from war on land and sea, he is unable to give peace from passion, grief, and envy. He cannot give peace of heart, for which many yearn, more than even for outward peace” 

In contrast, peace with God changes men and women. That leads to the second level of peace, peace of mind and heart for the believer. We no longer need to fear death. We no longer have to fear the world or our circumstances. Instead, We can rely of God. He tells us not to be anxious, but to tell him what we need. In response, he gives us the peace which passes understanding and which guards our hearts and minds in Christ. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Having this peace, we can be at peace with others. Love, joy, peace,  patience, kindness, gentleness and self control are fruits of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22) Only those who have peace with God through justification by faith have the Spirit and the fruits of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit leads them away from self interest to the interest of others.

That is why Christians can get along with each other. As they have these fruits of the Spirit, they do not compete with each other for benefits or recognition. They put others before themselves. That is what God wants. Jesus said: “blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall become sons of God. (Matthew 5:9)

The tragedy of a church whose members are fighting with each other is that they do not show evidence of the fruits of the Spirit. Instead, they evidence of the works of the flesh, which include enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, and envy. (Galatians 5:19) Those are the things that destroy churches.

So, Christmas is a celebration of peace. It is a celebration of Christ coming to give believers peace with God. It is also a time when we can focus on being peacemakers. 

 

Let me leave you with a blessing from the book of Numbers: 

“The Lord bless you and keep you; 

the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;

the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”

THE BENEFITS OF BEING JUSTIFIED - ROMANS 5:1-11

Peace With God

5:1-2

Having established that we can only be justified by faith, Paul tells us some of the benefits of our justification. You can see the transition better if you start reading in 4:24. 

First, we have peace with God. This is about the status of your relationship with God, not your feelings. Before we came to Christ, we did not have peace with God. We were at enmity (opposed or hostile) with him. We followed the “prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience”. (Ephesians 2:2) This prince is the devil, God’s adversary. (1Timothy 5:14-15) We were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds. (Colossians 1:21) 

But, having been justified, we are no longer at enmity with God. We are at peace with him. This peace only comes through Jesus Christ. (1) By his death, Christ has reconciled us to God. God, through Christ, reconciled us to himself. (2 Corinthians 5:18

By faith in Christ we have access to God’s grace. We stand in his grace. (2) Grace is God’s undeserved favor toward us. God saves us by his grace. But, we also continue our lives in grace. We continue to live in his favor. 

Jesus himself proclaimed this message of favor. At the beginning of his ministry, after his temptation, he read scripture in the synagogue at Nazareth. (Luke 4:16-19) The passage he read was Isaiah 61:2-3, which says:

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,

because the LORD has anointed me

to bring good news to the poor;

he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim liberty to the captives,

and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor…”

“The former rebels (non-believers) are not merely forgiven by having their due punishment remitted; they are brought into a place of high favour with God – this grace in which we stand.” (Bruce)

Some people see God as someone who is always ready to pounce and punish us every time we mess up. But, we live in favor. He certainly hates sin and desires holiness, but confession and repentance always leads to forgiveness and restoration.

Standing in grace also refutes the idea that we are saved by grace but only keep our salvation by works, the idea that we can lose our salvation. The Baptists have a short hand expression for this, saying “once saved always saved”. Once we are justified by grace, we stay in a state of grace with God, reconciled to him permanently. 

This state of grace causes us to rejoice in hope of the glory of God. This means both the inward feeling of joy and the outward expression of it. I would love to see more rejoicing among Christians! 

We rejoice in hope. The word “hope” in our times usually means to wish for something. But, in the Bible, it means a confident expectation or anticipation. 

Our hope is of the glory of God. It is the confident anticipation of our final glorification, when God shares his glory with believers by glorifying our bodies, our minds, and our spirits. 1 Corinthians 15:42-43 says:

So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body…we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.”

Hope In Suffering

5:3-5

Not only to we rejoice in the future hope of the glory of God, we rejoice in present suffering. That sounds counter intuitive, doesn’t it? But, Paul gives us a chain of character traits that result from the experience of suffering.

First, suffering produces endurance. Second, endurance produces character and, third, character produces hope. Those who keep a strong faith while suffering learn to endure. They do not give up. They keep pressing on.

Endurance produces character that reflects the character of Christ, having the fruits of the Spirit set out in Galatians 5:22. That character produces hope. As the Spirit works in us, maturing us, strengthening us, and encouraging us, we look forward to the return of Jesus in confident anticipation. 

Final Salvation

5:6-11

These verses expand on the hope mentioned in verses 4 and 5. Paul wanted to give us assurance of that hope. It is hope of resurrection to eternal life, escaping the wrathful judgment of God on sinners. 

Paul stressed God’s love for believers. That love is shown in Christ’s death for us. He died for us while we were still sinners in rebellion against him. He argued from the greater to the lesser: if we are justified by the blood (death) of Christ, we will certainly be saved from God’s wrath at the final judgment. Present justification leads to future and final salvation. Now that we are reconciled by his death, we will certainly be saved by his life in us.

All of this again leads us to rejoice through Christ! 

 “I am delighted to find that sin stings you, and that you hate it. The more hatred of sin the better. A sin-hating soul is a God-loving soul. If sin never distresses you, then God has never favored you.” (Charles Spurgeon)

ABRAHAM OUR EXAMPLE OF FAITH - ROMANS 4

 

The Example of Abraham

4:1-12

Having asserted that both Jews and Gentiles are sinners and only justified by faith, not works, Paul again provides an Old Testament example. He picked the ultimate example: Abraham. He is the ultimate example because he is the father of the Jewish race. They consider themselves Abraham’s children. Matthew, whose gospel seems to be directed toward the Jews, begins with the genealogy of Jesus, beginning with Abraham. (Matthew 1:1)

So, Paul rhetorically raised the question: was Abraham justified by faith or works? For the answer, Paul quoted scripture: “Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness”. That is from Genesis 15:6.

In Genesis 15, God made a covenant with Abraham (then called Abram). Abraham had just defeated several kings and rescued Lot and his family. He refused to take any reward from the kings he assisted, though it would likely have gained him many riches.

In response, God promised him great reward and many descendants. Abraham asked God how he could know this would happen. God “cut a covenant with him, causing a flame and smoke, representing his presence, to pass between rows of cut up animals. That would symbolize swearing on one’s life to uphold the covenant. Later, as a sign of the covenant, God required that Abraham and all of his male descendants be circumcised when they were 8 days old. 

That is the context for Paul’s argument. 

First, Paul asserts that wages are given as what is due to one who works. (4) But, the one who does not rely on his or her works, but believes God (him who justifies the ungodly), has his faith counted as righteousness by God. That means God justifies the one who believes.

Paul also quoted David’s Psalm 32 as support. (6-8) David said a man is blessed if God does not count his sin against him. He was describing justification. If your sin is not counted against you. You are justified. 

The second question Paul raised is: “Who gets this blessing David declares? Is it for Jews only (the circumcised), or also for Gentiles? (the uncircumcised)” (9) The Jews maintained that Abraham was only the father of the Jews, not the Gentiles. 

Paul again referred to Abraham’s example to answer the question. Was Abraham justified before or after circumcision? The answer, of course, is that it was before he was circumcised.

Circumcision was the sign and seal of his justification. (11) Since Abraham was justified before circumcision. He is that father of all who believe, not just the Jews. He is the father of believing Gentiles. He is the father of believing Jews. 

This comports with God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 22:18, “in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed”. Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise. Through Jesus salvation is offered to all, not just the Jews. That is also the basis for the “Great Commission” in Matthew 28:20 to “make disciples of all nations”. 

The result is that all who believe are the children of Abraham. This is the another hint that Paul will maintain that those who believe in Christ are the true Israel because they are in Christ, who is the true Israel. 

Faith And Fulfillment

4:13-17

Here Paul continues to develop his argument for faith over works in the example of Abraham. The Jews of Paul’s time held that Abraham was justified by works because he obeyed the law in anticipation of its coming. 

But, Paul shows that the promise God made to Abraham that he and his descendants  was based on faith, not law. If it had been based on law, the promise would be voided because no one, including Abraham, could keep the law. Transgressions of the law only bring the wrath of God. But a promise based on faith does not count transgressions because the believer, such as Abraham, is justified by faith (there is no transgression). 

Notice here that there is no specific promise in Genesis that Abraham would be the “heir of the world”. However, this might be another way of saying that Abraham would be the father of many nations. (13)

A second reason for the promise to be based on faith is that it rests on God’s grace. Thus the result of the promise is guaranteed. It rests on the grace of a faithful God, not on the works of a sinful man. (16)

Since the promise to Abraham to be the father of many nations is based on grace and not law, another result is that Abraham becomes the father of all who believe, not just the Jewish nation.

The Character of Abraham’s Faith

4:18-22

Abraham’s faith was in God’s faithfulness. It was not based on his circumstances, which would not lead to hope. He was too old to father children. Paul says he was as good as dead at about 100 years old. Sarah was also old (99) and had been unable to have children her whole life. Yet he believed that God was able to do what he promised. (21) He grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God. And God counted it to him as righteousness; he justified Abraham.

It Is The Same For Us

4:23-25

It is the same for us. When we believe, God counts us as righteous. Jesus, the Son of God, died for our sins\trespasses. The Father vindicated him and accepted his sacrifice for us, providing for our justification. 

THE SAVING RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD (PART 1) - ROMANS3:21-30

 

Righteousness Of God Revealed: Our Justification 

3:21-25a

If you stopped reading Romans at verse 20, you might come to despair. It leaves us with the knowledge that all of us are unrighteous and under condemnation. Verse 21, however, offers us a glorious hope. It begins with the word “but”, signaling better news ahead. 

So, the word “but” marks a transition from the revelation of the wrath of God to the manifestation (bringing to light) of the righteousness of God. This also picks up the thought of 1:17, where Paul wrote that the gospel reveals the righteousness of God from faith. 

The good news is that now the righteousness of God is manifested not by keeping the law, which we cannot do, but by faith in Jesus Christ. If you take out the parenthetical clauses, the verse reads “But now the righteous ness of God has been manifested through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe”. (22)

This is the doctrine of justification. Justification is the way in which we are declared righteous by God. Romans 4:24 says it is “counted” to us who believe. 

Paul gives us several characteristics of this declaration of righteousness.

First, it is apart from the law. It is completely different and distinct from obedience to the law. You do not and cannot earn your salvation through your works. (21)

Second, it is only received by faith in Jesus, who died for us.(22, 24) It is “for all who believe” in Jesus. It is not a generalized belief in a higher being or the universe. It is not one of many ways to be justified. It is the only way, as Jesus taught in John 14:6. 

“Redemption” is only in Jesus. (24) Redemption is the release from the guilt of our sins by the payment of the price paid by Jesus (his death). 

God gave Jesus as a propitiation by his blood. (25) Propitiation means the turning away of God’s wrath. Jesus, by his death (his blood), satisfied God’s wrath and turned it away from us (believers). 

“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:10)

Third, it may be received by both Jews and Gentiles (“all who believe”), just as both Jew and Gentile are condemned as sinners who fall short of the glory of God (23)

Fourth, justification is given to us as a matter of grace. (24) It is given freely, meaning we cannot earn it or buy it. Paul stated this succinctly in Ephesians 2:8-9:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing: it is the gift of God, not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Chris Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

Fifth, the law and the prophets (the Old Testament scriptures) testified to this in Christ. (21) Remember risen Jesus teaching the two disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:13-35? Jesus referred to what the prophets had spoken. Then, “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets,, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself”. Wouldn’t you like to hear that Bible study?

Jesus also said to the Jews: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me.” (John 5:39) 

God’s Righteousness Revealed

3:25b-26

In the past, God did not impose the full measure of his wrath against the sins of the world before Christ. He passed over them in forbearance, suspending punishment. 

That raises the question, how can God be just and righteous if he did not fully punish these sins? The answer is God showed his righteousness by pouring out the full measure of his wrath upon Christ for these sins. 

That means also that punishment will no longer be suspended for those who do not believe in Jesus. The will suffer the full punishment of sin in the wrath of God. 

Therefore, God showed that he is both just (in punishing sins) and the justifier of believers (by giving Christ as our propitiation). (26)

The Results of Justification

3:27-30

Since we are justified through the grace of God, not works, we cannot boast about it. The credit goes to God, not us. 

Since justification is through faith, not law, all are justified in the same way, both Jew and Gentile.  This upholds the law, since the law showed us we cannot meet its standards on our won. And it means that those moral standards still apply. 

Takeaways

We see three theological terms to remember: justification, propitiation, and redemption.

Justification is the way we are declared righteous by God.

Propitiation is the turning away of God’s wrath from us by the death of Christ.

Redemption is the deliverance from the guilt of sin because of the payment by Jesus. (Hebrews 9:15)

Salvation comes to us through God’s grace. He gives it freely to those who believe in Jesus because the price has been paid by him.