Romans Chapter 5, Pt.3: Grace Changes Everything
We'll pick back up in Romans chapter 5, and this week we'll take a look at verses 12-17. This section of the chapter can prove to be quite perplexing, and more than a little difficult to follow. Though it is rather challenging, it is also quite rewarding to study, as it proves to be the most profound part of the chapter. Admittedly, in time past, when reading this section of scripture, I've glossed over it, thinking that I understood it, but never really grasping it completely. So, I hope that this study will help us all to come to a better understanding of what Paul was trying to convey here.
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)"
There are questions which naturally arise when reading these verses, and there has been much dispute through the years concerning this section of scripture. So, we'll take these verses one by one and look at them in depth, making use of various resources and multiple commentaries. Beginning with verse 12...
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:" This refers, of course, to Adam, and the original transgression which changed the course of history. Why do you suppose that Adam is mentioned, and blame placed squarely at his feet, when it was actually Eve who first consented to partake of the forbidden fruit? It comes down to an assignment of responsibility. Eve was made from the rib of Adam, therefore she was a part of him. God could have formed Eve from the dust, just as He did Adam, but He chose to form her from Adam's rib because it is on his side, as Eve was meant to stand by his side. The rib was under his arm, as he was to shield and protect Eve. The rib was close to his heart, as he was to love Eve. There has been much debate as to whether or not Adam was present at the time of Eve's indiscretion, but I don't think it really matters whether he was there or not. If he was there, why did he not step in to shield Eve from the cunning lies of the serpent? If he was not there, why was Eve alone and unprotected? Either way, we know that Adam was a willing participant, as well, and so, the blame ultimately falls upon Adam, and because of his disobedience, death entered into the world. His sin, like a cancer, spread throughout all of humanity, making us all guilty by association, his sin a part of all of us, along with our own sin. In the original Greek text, when we read that death "passed upon all men" the phrase is translated as death "went through all men", which tells us that it pervaded humanity, and came to be attached to the human race, as one transgression which all are held accountable for.
"(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come." Although there was no specific law during this period, death reigned over mankind, even over those who had not blatantly disobeyed God. All were subject to death, the penalty of original sin. This tells us that the law of Moses is not the only rule of life, because there were rules, and they were transgressed, long before the law was given. Likewise, it tells us that we are not justified by our obedience to the law any more than we are condemned by our disregard of it. Our own sins, which are many, are simply a by-product of the rebellion of Adam, which is transferred upon us all. It is original sin, which stems from resistance to the will of God, that we are all guilty of, and it is this inherent disobedience which we all must repent of in order to be saved. Verse 14 closes by referring to Adam as "the figure of him that was to come." Though the interpretation of this phrase has proven to be a source of contention for many, I believe that the simplest explanation is the correct one. Adam bears similarity to Christ in that one, being born in human flesh, brought sin and death upon mankind by his disobedience; while the other, being born in human flesh, brought forgiveness and eternal life by His righteousness to all those who would believe on Him. Thus, Jesus is referred to by many as "the second Adam." Furthermore, we gain insight when we refer back to the original Greek text, as the phrase "the figure of him that was to come" translates directly as "the type of the future one". This lends further credence to our interpretation, and gives evidence that it is indeed Jesus who was referred to here.
"But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many." Further comparing and contrasting the contributions of Adam with those of Jesus, Paul here asserts that, just as Adam's sin has convicted us all, and sentenced us to death, God's grace, through Jesus Christ, has freed us, and brought us life eternal. Furthermore, this shows us that the mercy and grace of God are such that He is much more willing to save us through the righteousness imputed to us through Jesus than He is to condemn us by the guilt imposed upon us through the sin of Adam.
"And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification." The thought is here taken an important step further, as it contrasts that single sin of Adam, by which death entered into the world and infected all of mankind, with the bestowal of the righteous acquittal afforded by the all encompassing gift of grace, by which we are justified from many offences. The scourge of sin held us in captivity, but we are freed from sin by the gift of God's grace.
"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)" The whole of humanity owes its ruin as well as its reconciliation to two men, one whose sin brought condemnation, one whose life brought justification. Although death has reigned over us as a direct result of sin, if we will accept the abundant gift of God's grace, and the righteousness which comes only through Jesus Christ, we will reign in life. We can then look forward with anticipation to an eternity filled with peace, joy, and love. Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift, because grace changes everything.
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
There are questions which naturally arise when reading these verses, and there has been much dispute through the years concerning this section of scripture. So, we'll take these verses one by one and look at them in depth, making use of various resources and multiple commentaries. Beginning with verse 12...
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:" This refers, of course, to Adam, and the original transgression which changed the course of history. Why do you suppose that Adam is mentioned, and blame placed squarely at his feet, when it was actually Eve who first consented to partake of the forbidden fruit? It comes down to an assignment of responsibility. Eve was made from the rib of Adam, therefore she was a part of him. God could have formed Eve from the dust, just as He did Adam, but He chose to form her from Adam's rib because it is on his side, as Eve was meant to stand by his side. The rib was under his arm, as he was to shield and protect Eve. The rib was close to his heart, as he was to love Eve. There has been much debate as to whether or not Adam was present at the time of Eve's indiscretion, but I don't think it really matters whether he was there or not. If he was there, why did he not step in to shield Eve from the cunning lies of the serpent? If he was not there, why was Eve alone and unprotected? Either way, we know that Adam was a willing participant, as well, and so, the blame ultimately falls upon Adam, and because of his disobedience, death entered into the world. His sin, like a cancer, spread throughout all of humanity, making us all guilty by association, his sin a part of all of us, along with our own sin. In the original Greek text, when we read that death "passed upon all men" the phrase is translated as death "went through all men", which tells us that it pervaded humanity, and came to be attached to the human race, as one transgression which all are held accountable for.
"(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come." Although there was no specific law during this period, death reigned over mankind, even over those who had not blatantly disobeyed God. All were subject to death, the penalty of original sin. This tells us that the law of Moses is not the only rule of life, because there were rules, and they were transgressed, long before the law was given. Likewise, it tells us that we are not justified by our obedience to the law any more than we are condemned by our disregard of it. Our own sins, which are many, are simply a by-product of the rebellion of Adam, which is transferred upon us all. It is original sin, which stems from resistance to the will of God, that we are all guilty of, and it is this inherent disobedience which we all must repent of in order to be saved. Verse 14 closes by referring to Adam as "the figure of him that was to come." Though the interpretation of this phrase has proven to be a source of contention for many, I believe that the simplest explanation is the correct one. Adam bears similarity to Christ in that one, being born in human flesh, brought sin and death upon mankind by his disobedience; while the other, being born in human flesh, brought forgiveness and eternal life by His righteousness to all those who would believe on Him. Thus, Jesus is referred to by many as "the second Adam." Furthermore, we gain insight when we refer back to the original Greek text, as the phrase "the figure of him that was to come" translates directly as "the type of the future one". This lends further credence to our interpretation, and gives evidence that it is indeed Jesus who was referred to here.
"But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many." Further comparing and contrasting the contributions of Adam with those of Jesus, Paul here asserts that, just as Adam's sin has convicted us all, and sentenced us to death, God's grace, through Jesus Christ, has freed us, and brought us life eternal. Furthermore, this shows us that the mercy and grace of God are such that He is much more willing to save us through the righteousness imputed to us through Jesus than He is to condemn us by the guilt imposed upon us through the sin of Adam.
"And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification." The thought is here taken an important step further, as it contrasts that single sin of Adam, by which death entered into the world and infected all of mankind, with the bestowal of the righteous acquittal afforded by the all encompassing gift of grace, by which we are justified from many offences. The scourge of sin held us in captivity, but we are freed from sin by the gift of God's grace.
"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)" The whole of humanity owes its ruin as well as its reconciliation to two men, one whose sin brought condemnation, one whose life brought justification. Although death has reigned over us as a direct result of sin, if we will accept the abundant gift of God's grace, and the righteousness which comes only through Jesus Christ, we will reign in life. We can then look forward with anticipation to an eternity filled with peace, joy, and love. Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift, because grace changes everything.
great articles m.o.m.
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