“CERTAINTY OF SALVATION” (Romans 5:1-11) One of the greatest tactics of the devil has been to get believers to doubt their salvation. Over the centuries even sincere believers have bought into the idea that a Christian can lose his or her salvation. Men like John Wesley popularized the view that a person can be genuinely born again yet ultimately perish in hell. However, a salvation you can lose is not much of a salvation. We are thankful that the Bible teaches no such thing! Salvation begins and ends with God from election to eventual glorification in heaven. It is not a co-operative joint venture between God and you. If it were, it would produce a rollercoaster ride of emotions as anything that depends upon us can be lost by us. But because salvation depends on God then what He does is perfect and settled forever. That is why Job could say with such confidence,

For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body , yet in my flesh shall I see God (Job 19:25-26)

That is why David could also say of his departed son, “But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me” (2 Sam. 12:23). He was also confident that he would, “dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psa. 23:6).

The Apostle Paul was equally as certain, “for me to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philp. 1:21). He wrote also to the Philippian saints one of the clearest statements on this, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philp. 1:6). His emphasis should be noted – it is God who began this good work and it is God who “will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

Job, David, Paul, the Philippian saints were sure. You too today, who are justified by faith alone, can be sure of heaven, as if you have been there already ten thousands years!

Let us briefly review what we have studied so far in this epistle. The Apostle Paul has demonstrated to his readers that every man is universally guilty under the Law of God (1:18-3:20). He then unfolds God’s remedy for the universal disease of sin is the righteousness of Jesus Christ received by faith alone (3:21-31). In chapter 4, Paul anticipates and answers every major conceivable argument to this doctrine of justification by faith alone. He selects the illustration of Abraham and David to prove his case from Scripture. He closes out chapter 4 by applying the need of every man to be justified by faith without works like Abraham (4:23-25).

Up to this point, his readers will be sure that they need to be saved and how they are to be saved. However, there still remain unresolved questions: How can we be sure that our justification is a lasting thing? On what basis can we be certain? Can the trials and sufferings of life destroy the certainty of our salvation? Paul is not just a great theologian but a great pastor also. He knows that the devil is always trying to rob the saints of God of their assurance of salvation. No doubt we have people here today who may be assailed by the same doubts.

In v1-11 of chapter five, Paul will answer these questions and shows how the justified believer stands secure in the assurance of final salvation. As Paul does so, he will demonstrate some of the blessings to a Christian from his justification. His argument can be understood under three main headings: (1) Principle of Eternal Salvation (v1-2) (2) Stability of Eternal Salvation (v3-5)

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(3) Reasons for Eternal Salvation (v6-11)

(1) PRINCIPLE OF ETERNAL SALVATION (v1-2)

Paul uses “therefore” in v1 to show that what he is about to say is a deduction based on the arguments he made in Chapter 3 and 4. In those chapters he established that we are justified by faith alone through grace alone. The verb “being” here is literally “having been” and the verb tense translated “justified” is in the passive mood and refers to a completed action in the past from an independent force. So if we put it all together grammatically and theologically, Paul is showing that God justifies us in a singular act in the past and presently we are still justified. Justification is not a process but a forensic legal act whereby God declares us righteous in His sight. This is not done repeatedly but is eternally and equally complete from the moment God declares it. A similar analogy from the Criminal Court may help illustrate this. When the judge declares a defendant on trial “not guilty of all charges” the vindicated defendant does not come back week after week to hear the same verdict. It is declared once and for all. Now Paul tells us there are three consequences of this wonderful eternal justification: (a) We who are justified “have peace with God.” Before we were justified we were as Romans 1:18 tells us under “the wrath of God.” We were “enemies” of God (v10) until this wrath of God was appeased through Christ’s death. This is an objective “peace with God” and not merely a subjective “peace of God” feeling.

However it should be noted that it is, “through our Lord Jesus Christ.” The verb here is in the present continuous tense as our “peace with God” is eternal because we are positionally united in Christ. The primary purpose of justification is not to make us feel happy, but to reconcile us to God. The war is over. Hostility is replaced with friendship and fellowship eternally. As someone put it, “No God, No peace - Know God, Know peace.” (b) A second consequence is that we have, “access by faith into this grace wherein we stand.” This word translated “access” is in the perfect tense indicating that we have obtained this right in the past with the effect continuing into the present. It is used in the context of granting someone the right to enter into a king’s presence. Through the grace provided in Christ we are introduced into a new relationship with God. This grace has the power to save and allow us to stand in that state of justification permanently. (c) A final consequence is that we can “rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” This word translated “rejoice” has the idea of great jubilation or exultation. It is in the present tense implying that this should be every believer’s continual state. Every Christian should be rejoicing over the access in the present through Christ and the hope of the glorious future. It should be carefully noted how Paul links all of this together in the single act of justification – peace, access to God, and hope of future glory. This is presented even more fully in the golden chain of redemption in Romans 8:29-30,

For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and

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whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified.

The pronouns are not without significance. It is all tied up in God. He foreknew, He predestinated, He called, He justified, and He will glorify. If God calls 100 people – 100 are justified and 100 are glorified!

(2) STABILITY OF ETERNAL SALVATION (v3-5) In v3, the Apostle then demonstrates that even sufferings and trials strengthen the surety of our faith. Because it is certain our faith can remain stable throughout the worst of circumstances. Instead of being overcome, Paul tells us, “we glory in tribulations.” This Greek word translated “tribulations” is one that means, “to crush, press together.” It was used to describe the squeezing of grapes to extract juice.

This glorying in our trials is more than mere stoicism of enduring them with the proverbial stiff upper lip. Hodge also cautions that this does, “not mean that we rejoice in the midst of sufferings, but because of them. They are themselves a reason for rejoicing.” Sadly, too many of us growl rather than glory in our tribulations!

Paul then, by way of explanation, gives us a list of benefits that flow from these tribulations. Suffering produces something worthwhile in us such as, (a) PATIENCE – This word literally means, “to remain under.” Spiritually it is, “subjecting one’s self to something which demands the acquiescence of the will to something against which one naturally would rebel.” Trials test our faith’s ability to persevere on. As we spiritually mature we see that our faith can overcome the worst of circumstances. (b) EXPERIENCE – This word has the idea of “proven character.” The problems in our life are not intended by God to make us bitter, but to make us better. They are to produce character in us. Trials are to change the immature, inexperienced recruit into a tested and spiritual veteran. Many of the greatest lessons in life are learned in the schoolroom of affliction. God uses tribulation in a most wonderful way in our lives. It allows us to see that God is everything and we are nothing. (c) HOPE MAKETH NOT ASHAMED – This “hope” is not simply optimism, but means an assurance of what one day will be ours though we do not yet possess it. The more we are tested, the more proven character will be seen in us, and the greater will then be our hope or confidence of glory. As MacArthur points out, “The more a believer pursues holiness, the more he is persecuted and troubled and the greater will be his hope as he is sustained through it all by God’s powerful grace.”So the testings and sufferings of life far from invalidating our faith or destroying it serve to evidence how secure and stable our faith actually is. That is why James wrote, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations” (James 1:2). We have a classic illustration of this in Acts 5:40-42 seen in the lives of the early Christians who were:

(i) Threatened and beaten for Christ’s sake (v40) (ii) Rejoiced or gloried in their tribulations (v41) (iii) Persevered on in preaching and teaching the gospel (v42)

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Another great example is the reaction of Paul and Silas in Acts 16 when they were beaten and imprisoned at Philippi. Rather than complain, doubt God, we are explicitly told, “at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them” (Acts 16:25). The verb translated “sang” is in the imperfect tense indicating they did this continually.

Professor E. C. Caldwell was a professor of NT at a Presbyterian Seminary at the early part of the 20th century. He was teaching through the book of Romans. As he finished the lecture at the end of Romans 7, he said, “Tomorrow, I will be teaching on Romans 8. So tonight, as you study, pay special attention to verse 28. Notice what this verse truly says, and what it doesn’t say.” Then he added, “One final word before I dismiss you - whatever happens in all the years to come, remember: Romans 8:28 will always hold true.”

Later that day, Professor Caldwell and his wife were involved in a fatal accident. His wife was killed instantly and he was crippled permanently. Many months later, Professor Caldwell returned to the seminary. His students remembered his previous words. They wondered in silence how this now broken man would respond. Looking carefully into the eyes of his students he began by saying, “Romans 8:28 still holds true. One day we shall see God’s good, even in this.”

(3) REASONS FOR ETERNAL SALVATION (v6-11) In this final section, Paul follows his thinking logically from the previous statements with the linking word, “for” in v6. He explains now the reasons we can be so sure of our salvation. This is because it is rooted in God’s love, God’s power, God’s grace, and God’s faithfulness. In v6-8, Paul demonstrates that our hope in heaven is secure because it is based upon God’s love. This love was so great that God sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for us when we were still sinners. Indeed, Paul emphasizes this by his description as “ungodly” (v6), “sinners” (v8), and “enemies” (v10). In v6, Paul sums up the depth of God’s great love, “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” Some have called it one of the greatest verses in the Bible. This expression “without strength” indicates powerlessness or helplessness. Paul has already made clear that man has no ability to save himself; he does not understand God, and is not even seeking God. Paul also makes clear that this occurred “in due time.” He emphasizes that salvation is secure because it is part of the eternal plan and decree of God. Paul also points out that Christ died for us when we were “ungodly.” As one writer said, “The whole Pauline gospel could be summed up in this one word— God who justifies the ungodly.”

Now, Paul is not trying to be depressing here but he want his readers to see that their salvation depends wholly on the decree and love of God. For our hope and assurance of heaven can only be certain if it is not based upon anything in us. If our salvation is conditional upon what we did or are doing, then it is only as secure as our own faithfulness. And we all know sadly how weak that is! The question at the heart of this exposition is not have we done enough (as evidently we never could) but rather has Christ done enough? If He has done enough then we can be secure in our hope of glorification. Because He alone has done enough, Paul can confidently declare in v9, “being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.”

Now, we need to carefully note that it is certain, “we shall be saved.” But this certainty is based upon Christ’s work, “we shall be saved from wrath through Him” (v9).

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This is where Arminians, like John Wesley, got it wrong. Salvation from foreknowledge to glorification in heaven never was nor ever will be about what man has done, but about what Christ has done.

In v10, Paul continues his argument from v9, but with a further elaboration. No doubt he is emphasizing this repeatedly and carefully because he knows the seeds of doubt that are sown by the devil. He says, “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”

Now, Paul’s argument and logic here is simple yet profound. He argues from the greater to the lesser on the basis that if God justified us when we were enemies and haters of Him, then “much more” can we conclude that He will keep us redeemed and secure. If He saved us when we were His implacable rebellious foes, then it is certain that He will hold us all the way, as we are now adopted into His family and granted the privileged status of friendship. God’s character in the past is the surest indication of His attitude to us in the future. As Hodge says, “If the greater benefit has been bestowed, the less will not be withheld. If Christ has died for His enemies, He will surely save His friends.” In light of these great truths, it is little wonder that Paul urged his readers that we should, “joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

One interesting point to note that is very significant is the emphasis of the work of Christ in this theological discourse. In v1 peace is obtained, “through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul points out that Christ draws into fellowship with the Father as, “by whom also we have access by faith.” He points out in v6 that, “Christ died for the ungodly” and in v8 that “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” In v9, he goes on to say we are, “being now justified by His blood” and as a consequence, “we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” Finally, Paul points out, we have “joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” as “by whom we have now received the atonement.”

This Christological focus demonstrates perfectly why Paul can link in v1-2 our justification by faith alone, our reconciliation to God, our access to God, and our confident hope of eventual glorification in one triumphal paragraph. Our assurance of salvation is not tied to our past tears of repentance or our sincerity (although both these things may be present in our conversion), but our assurance is resting alone on the perfect and finished Work of Christ as revealed in the objective and perfect promises of Scripture. Now, what should our response be to these truths? (1) If you are today trusting on the perfect righteousness of Christ alone to save you from your sin, then don’t let the devil rob you of assurance of salvation. It was never about whether you had done enough to justify yourself and it will never be about whether you had done enough to keep yourself. Christ has done enough to keep you and save you.

I know the perverted heart of some men can abuse every doctrine of Scripture. This truth can never be used to mean we have a license to sin as John explains that a true believer will never have this attitude, “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (1 John 3:3). A man once confronted Martin Luther on this very point, with the remark, “If this is true, a person could simply live as he pleased!” Luther wisely replied, “Indeed! Now, what pleases you?” (2) Believers should be rejoicing in the fact that our salvation is secure in Christ from the beginning to the end. If you don’t take my word for it, then take the Apostle Paul’s in v2 and v11. Even better, take the advice of Jesus Christ who told His disciples, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.”(Luke 10:19-20)

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“DEATH THROUGH ADAM” (Romans 5:12-14)

As we survey the world today, there are two general truths evident to any objective observer of humanity:

(1) Universal i ty o f Sin . (2) Universal i ty o f Death . Apart from Enoch and Elijah who bypassed the latter, no one is an exception to these two principles at work in each of our lives. Both these truths are self-evident and easily illustrated. The universality of sin can be seen by simply opening a newspaper, looking at a news broadcast, observing the so-called the great and the good in the office or parliament, and even watching small children interact in a playground. Observe the selfishness of motive and action; see the malice, envy, anger, covetousness exhibited in these lives. Note the unhappiness, misery, crime, moral breakdown over this planet today. Indeed, just watch the little infant in the home. Take note of his selfishness and anger when he doesn’t get his way. There are many things that you have to teach your children growing up e.g. how to eat, bathe, clothe etc., but you never have to teach them how to sin! It is one of the surest proofs of a universal fallen state. Now any student of history will attest that the sin that is prevalent today is equally true in every century, in every continent, and in every culture. No one evolves from it or escapes its pervasive power. Man may travel at 500 mph today instead of 5 mph to get from one point to another, but man still does the same things as before when he gets to his destination. No matter how nice or kind a person seems to be, just observe their life long enough and sin will be seen. There is always a fly in the ointment - an imperfection in the model. No one is immune to the disease of sin. We all sin deliberately, repeatedly, and defiantly. Even as you listen to the conversation of people they confess such truth when they say, “nobody’s perfect.” The universality of death is equally easy to illustrate. Every continent on this planet is marked with the graves of those who once walked this planet. Statistics demonstrate that 10/10 persons die! That is taken from a 6,000 year survey! Death is no respecter of wealth, education, race, sex, and nationality. It is no respecter of age – it strikes the elderly, middle aged, teenagers, and even infants. The date of our birth and the date of our death are out of our control. God sovereignly determines it as the Bible tells us, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” (Heb. 9:27) Death may seem unexpected – even accidental to many but it is never accidental to God. No one lives a moment longer on this planet than God ordains. Equally, no one dies a moment sooner than God ordains. There are two certainties in life that you can count on – you are a sinner and you will die one day! As we have been studying Romans 5 we have noted that Paul proves the certainty of our salvation. In this next section (v12-21), the apostle develops this thought in a more detailed argument. Paul explains that our reconciliation to God is not merely a matter of God declaring us justified. It is much more radical than that, as it is the union of the believer with Christ. The nature of this union is further evidence on his overarching theme in chapter 5 of showing the certainty of our salvation so he uses the term “wherefore” in v12. It also will serve to introduce his next thoughts as to the nature of sanctification in chapter 6.

Paul explains this union with Christ in justification in terms of the relationship every believer has had with Adam (v12-14) and now then with Christ (v15-21). As he does so Paul will answer a number of questions: Why is there sin? Why do I sin

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deliberately and repeatedly? Am I a sinner because I sin or do I sin because I am a sinner? What are the consequences of sin? In v12-14, here the Apostle Paul gives clear and unambiguous answers to these questions. His argument can be understood under three main headings: (1) Entrance of Sin (v12a) (2) Effects of Sin (v12b) (3) Evidence of Sin (v13-14)

(1) ENTRANCE OF SIN (v12a)

The first question Paul will answer is: Where did s in come from? He tells us in v12, “as by one man sin entered into the world.” Sin had an entrance into the world at a point in time. It came into humanity through one man – Adam. So, it is impossible to understand the world nowadays without understanding the history of this man. Adam is the key to understanding everything about fallen man. I know that it is popular today in much of Christendom to deny the literal historical account of Genesis 1-3. However, the Bible does not present Adam as a mythical character or a generic term representing the human race, but as a real person in time.

Jesus Christ testified to the historical fact of Adam’s existence in Matthew 19:4. So to deny the reality of Adam, you must deny the infallibility and wisdom of Jesus Christ. If He was wrong on this, what else was He wrong on? To deny the literal history of Genesis to win the applause of the so-called scholarly crowd, will eventually compromise and unwind the truths of the Gospel.

If I was to ask: who has had the greatest influence on your life? I am sure I would get many different answers. However, the truth of the matter that Adam has influenced all of our lives more than anyone else. How can we explain the misery and unhappiness of this world? How to explain the murder, theft, family breakdown? How to explain why you and I sin so deliberately, repeatedly, and defiantly? How to explain the terrible stories in the Straits Times this week? The answer to all this is found in one word – ADAM! For, “by one man sin entered into the world.”

I am sure we are all familiar with the historical account of Adam’s life. He was placed in the perfect environment in Eden. God provided for his every need – there was nothing lacking in his peace, prosperity or happiness. God entered into a covenant with him and instructed him in Genesis 2:16-17, “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” This covenant carried with it a penalty if it was broken, “thou shalt surely die.”1 Sadly and tragically, we know

                                                                                                               1MacArthur makes an interesting observation, “God only gave Adam one command, just one.

And that is the only thing that kept Adam in a point of submission to God. I mean, that’s the only thing that differentiated between Adam and God. I mean, if there were no commands and no prohibitions, then Adam would have had the same right to rule as God had. But by giving him just one prohibition, He put him at that one point under Him, didn’t He? And He said you’re man and I’m God. And I’m only going to give you one little thing to show that it’s so. But there's something about man that can’t stand to be ruled, even at that one small point. And he wants to be like God and that was the temptation, wasn’t it? Satan knew that one well, by the way, because that’s why he fell. He said, ‘I will exalt myself, I will be like the Most High God,’ that’s always where man is, competing to be like God. And so Satan who wanted to be like God came and tempted Eve to want to be like God and Adam to want to be like God and to not be under anything, not even that one prohibition that was the only thing that separated Adam, as it were, from God, or made him distinct from God in terms of authority and

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that Adam of his own free volitional will broke this commandment. Eve his wife was deceived, but Adam made a deliberate choice to eat the fruit (1 Tim. 2:13-14).

(2) EFFECTS OF SIN (v12b) You may say, but how does this historical fact relate to me? I understand why Adam sinned, but why do I sin? The first effect or consequence of Adam’s disobedience was, “death by sin.” Adam died spiritually immediately as his sin separated him from God. He began also to die physically, and death began to reign on this earth. This affected us all because Paul tells us, “and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Adam’s disobedience had distinct federal or representative consequences. He did not sin alone, as he was sovereignly selected by God to be the federal head or representative of all of humanity. When he sinned, we sinned with him. This idea should be somewhat familiar to us as, for instance, nations appoint ambassadors to sign international documents on behalf of the whole nation. But the doctrine here goes further than mere representation as Adam was not just the representative, but also the root of all of humanity. When he sinned, we also sinned because we are rooted in him. That is why 1 Corinthians 15:22 says, “as in Adam all die.” The principle is illustrated in Hebrews 7:9-10, “And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham. For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.”Likewise, what Paul is saying in Romans 5;12 is that when Adam sinned we were all in the loins of Adam. So we sinned with him. Yes, Adam was an individual, but he was not a private individual. All of humanity was rooted and represented in this unique man. So everyone born from Adam’s loins enters this world spiritually dead which invariably leads to physical death, and if the grace of God does not intervene will inevitably finally result in eternal death.

Now some people object to this and argue that this was unfair, as it was Adam who sinned not us. So, how do we respond? (1) God is sovereign as the Creator and He can choose who He wants to represent us. (2) More critically, because God condemned the whole human race through one man, then God is able to save the world through one man – Jesus Christ. Lloyd Jones adds to the critic, “is it fair that the righteousness of Christ is imputed to you?” John MacArthur puts it well also,

Some object to the idea that they sinned in Adam, arguing that they not only were not there but did not even exist when he sinned. But by the same token, we were not physically at the crucifixion when Christ died, but as believers we willingly accept the truth that, by faith, we died with Him. We did not literally enter the grave with Christ and were not literally resurrected with Him, but by faith we are accounted to have been buried and raised with Him. If the principle were not true that all sinned in Adam, it would be impossible to make the point that all can be made righteous in Christ.......Others argue that it is not fair to be born guilty of Adam’s sin. “We did not asked to be born,” they argue, “nor did our parents or their parents or grandparents before them.” But neither was it “fair” that the sinless Son of God suffered the penalty of sin on behalf of all mankind. If God were only fair, Adam and Eve

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             dominion.”

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would have been destroyed immediately for their disobedience, and that would have been the end of the human race. It is only because God is gracious and forgiving, and not merely just, that men can be saved. The magnitude of Paul’s analogy is mind-boggling, and its significance cannot be fully comprehended but only accepted by faith.

(3) EVIDENCE OF SIN (v13-14) The Apostle Paul now enters a parenthetical section beginning at v13, where he evidences his doctrine in v12 that we have all sinned in Adam. This resulted in the situation that “death passed upon all men.” Paul proves his point by selecting a period of time between Adam and the giving of the Law to Moses of around 2,500 years. Death reigned throughout, as can be seen clearly in passage like Genesis 5 where the constant refrain is “and he died.” Verses 13-14 are very difficult to interpret and have been the subject of much conjecture. Now, whenever you approach a passage like this you need to:

(a) First, look at in the overall context first in a general sense. (b) Then, study and interpret it through the clear unambiguous passages of Scripture.

This us known as the analogy of Scripture.2 Whatever, these two verses mean, it cannot contradict these clear passages.

From a general perspective, it is evident that Paul is seeking in this parenthetical section to evidence his propositions of v12 that all of humanity sinned in Adam and suffered death as a consequence. So v12 should control the interpretation of v13-14.

Now, most of the commentators (including some Reformed writers like Barnhouse, Boice etc.) argue that the category of people Paul is referring to here are those who lived between Adam and Moses without the written Law. Because of this, when they sinned God does not impute or credit their personal sins as v13 says, “sin is not imputed when there is no law.” However, these people still died which is evidence that all of these people sinned in Adam. A typical advocate of this viewpoint is John MacArthur who argues, “So this period of history from Adam to Moses verifies that men die not because they do acts of sin, but because they bear a sin corrupting principle within them.”

Such a position, however, is inconsistent with clear teaching of the Scriptures. A number of examples should suffice, (a) It is inconsistent with Paul’s teaching in this epistle of Romans. In Chapter 2:14-15, he makes clear that every man whether he has a copy of the written law has the moral sense of it engraved on his heart and a conscience accusing him of the breaches of it,

For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves. Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and the ir thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another; (Rom. 2:14-15)

                                                                                                               2As the Westminster Confession states it, “The infallible rule of interpretation of scripture is

the scripture itself; and therefore, when there is a question about the true and full sense of any scripture, it must be searched and known by other places that speak more clearly.”

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(b) It is also inconsistent with God’s view of the actions of those who lived between Adam and Moses. In Genesis 6 we have God’s view of the lives of those who lived before the Flood,

And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5)

Note how God reacted in judgment to their sinful lifestyles,

And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. (Genesis 6:6-7)

We see another example of God’s view of the sinful actions of other men at this time in Genesis 13, “But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly” (Genesis 13:13). The Holy Spirit also inspired two contrasting views of how those living in this period were subject to the Law of God in Genesis 18:19-20,

For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;

Peter gives further testimony and tells us that, “And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked; for that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds.” (2 Peter 2:7-8) How can the men of Sodom do “unlawful deeds” if there was no moral law? Why does the Bible say of Abraham, “Because that Abraham obeyed My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes and My law” (Gen. 26:5) if there was no law?

In all of these examples from the inspired Scripture, there is not a hint that God did not impute nor hold accountable the people between Adam to Moses for their sinful actions. Indeed, sin is defined by the Holy Spirit as a transgression of God’s law, “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). It is clear that from Adam to Moses, people were judged for their actual sins and as “sin is not imputed when there is no law” (v13b) we have to conclude that there was Law!3 So what do these verses mean? It is clear that that in v13 the apostle is teaching that before the written Law was given to Moses, sin existed in the world and death was the consequence. As sin is correlative of law for, “sin is not imputed when there is no law” then the fact that there was death upon all men between Adam to Moses evidences the fact

                                                                                                               3 The Law did not begin to exist in Exodus 20. As the Westminster Confession of Faith makes

clear all of mankind were subject to it from creation: “This law, after his fall, continued to be a perfect rule of righteousness; and, as such, was delivered by God upon Mount Sinai, in ten commandments, and written in two tables: the first four commandments containing our duty towards God; and the other six, our duty to man: (Chapter XIX).  

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that there must have been Law in existence. In v14 Paul then further bolsters his argument by selecting a category of persons who had not sinned, “after the similitude of Adam’s transgression.” Now, who are these persons? Martyn Lloyd Jones, citing Charles Hodge and Robert Haldane, give two possible explanations for this category of persons mentioned in v14. The first explanation is that they are persons who did not transgress or violate a known stated law, as Adam did in Genesis 2:16-17. Now, they still sinned and God regarded it as sin, but not as a transgression of a known stated law. This is a plausible explanation, as the apostle does distinguish between such in Romans 2:12-15. However, such persons would still be sinning against the Law that they know in their hearts (Rom. 2:15) and therefore merit the judgment of death for these actual sins. This would not be compelling evidence that all of humanity sinned in Adam and suffered death as a consequence. The second explanation is, I feel, somewhat more plausible. It argues that this category of persons are infants who died at or soon after birth before they sinned volitionally against the Law in their hearts and the revealed written Law. As these infants still died without committing antecedent acts of sin, then the only answer for their death is that they sinned in Adam, which Paul posited in v12. This inherited sinfulness of infants through sinning in Adam is wholly consistent with the teachings of Scripture elsewhere, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psa. 51:5) and “The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies” (Psa. 58:3).

So our deliberate acts of sinning do not make us a sinner, but the fact that we are born sinners in Adam is the cause of our acts of sin. Our sinfulness is derived from our first father Adam and is not the result of environment or imitation.4

                                                                                                               4 This distinction is vital as Alan Cairns points out, “If man’s problem is volitional, not rooted

in his very being, it follows that his salvation may be volitional as well. Any theories that lessen the depth and character of his sin lessen the difficulty God addressed in saving him from his sin.”  

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“LIFE THROUGH CHRIST” (Romans 5:15-21) This is a profound passage of Scripture. Some say the most difficult of all, as it is laden with theological truths. In Romans 5:12-21, Paul shows that God’s plan for humanity rests on His covenants with the two covenantal heads of the two races. As he does so, Paul draws the similarities and contrasts of the work of sin through the first Adam and the gift of grace through the last Adam, Jesus Christ.

In v12, he shows how sin made an entrance into the world its through Adam and the effects of sin. Paul then began a parenthetical section in v13-17 to evidence the fact that all of humanity sinned in Adam (v13-14a), to show that Adam is a type of Christ (v14b), and to draw the contrasts between Adam and Christ (v15-17). Probably, he sensed his readers needed a more detailed explanation of how we all sinned in Adam. In v18, Paul then returns to finish the thought he began in v12 by showing the fundamental difference between Adam “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men” and Christ “even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.”

In v20 Paul deals with the relationship between Law, Sin, and Grace. He comes to the classic text, “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” Or where sin was great, grace even more overflowed. This is Paul’s whole message in this section v12-21 in a nutshell – to demonstrate what Christ did by the gift of grace is infinitely greater than what Adam did by his sin. Yes, what Adam did had great consequences, but it pales into insignificance in comparison to what the grace of Christ did.

Finally, in v21 Paul comes to the great purpose of God through Jesus Christ in humanity. God did not send Jesus Christ to be a good example or to help us to patch ourselves up and try our best to be righteous. No, God’s Sovereignly purposed to replace the reign of sin unto death with the reign of grace through righteousness unto life eternal by Jesus Christ.

There is no greater, no more necessary, no more wonderful message than this in the world today! We live in a world that people are dying in sins and on the way to hell forever more. We need to be able to tell them that God’s grace is real, that God’s grace if available, and God’s grace is greater than all your sin! POWER OF SIN Sin is a small word but it is the most powerful influence on this planet. One offence brought damnation to a whole race and destruction to this planet. It has brought death, destruction, and misery to all. Sin separates man from man, family from family, nation from nation! Each day we all experience the damage caused by sin entering our world.

Sin is the mother and promoter of all evil! It pervades the whole of man including the heart, mind, will, and conscience. It depraves the remarkable faculties humans possess to think, plan, and even persuade others. Sin keeps us from knowing the true nature of sin. Even when we attempt to do good, we still sin. When we are not actively sinning, our mind is meditating on sin. Daily we all feel and see its power!

Every descendant of Adam is born into a race marked by sin, condemnation, and death. Every man sinned in Adam so is spiritually dead; which has the consequence that he begins to physically die; which leads, unchecked by saving grace, to eternal death in hell!

Mankind has tried everything to stem the flow of sin yet all he can do is restrict its effects through instruments such as the criminal law and imprisonment. 6,000 years have gone by and man cannot eradicate this pervasive disease that has infected us all. At the heart of sin is ultimately a direct confrontation between obedience and rebellion. As

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John succinctly put it, “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4).

This contrast of acts in respect of the Law is seem in the two Federal or Covenantal Heads of the two races – the first Adam and the Last Adam, Jesus Christ. These are the two most influential men to ever walk this planet. One plunged every human descendant into the curse of sin and death, whereas the other transformed every spiritual descendant by grace into eternal life and glory.

Now, there are many people in the Bible that it is useful to know about. But there are only two persons that it is vital to understand: who they are and what they did – Adam and Jesus Christ. Now, every one of the 6 billion persons on this planet is either still in Adam or is now in Christ. As 1 Corinthians 15:22 says, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” There is no third man! There is no other possibility.

Your eternal destiny hangs upon your knowledge and relationship to these two men. Either the last Adam will redeem you from your sins or He will damn you in hell forever more in judgment for rejecting Him.

(1) SIMILARITIES BETWEEN ADAM AND CHRIST (v14b) In v14b, Paul tells us that Adam is a figure or type of Christ, “is the figure of him that was to come.” There are some important parallels between them. (1) Both Adam and Christ were appointed sovereignly by God to be federal head and representative for other men. (2) Both Adam and Christ had covenants made with them by God (3) Both Adam and Christ became heads of particular groups or races of people. Adam is the head of the fallen race, whereas Christ is the head of the race of those under the covenant of grace. (4) Both Adam and Christ act of disobedience or obedience affected the destinies of their descendants. Adam’s disobedience and consequences passed onto all his descendants and Christ’s obedience passed on to all His spiritual seed under the covenant of grace.

(2) CONTRASTS BETWEEN ADAM AND CHRIST (v15-19) However, there are vital contrasts between Adam and Christ. These contrasts are in the area of the essence, effects, and extent of the acts of these two covenantal heads. It is vital to note how much greater is the union with Christ in essence, effects, and extent than our union with Adam. This will buttress Paul’s overarching theme of highlighting the security of the believer in Christ. ESSENCE (v15) – There is a fundamental contrast or difference between the acts of Adam and the acts of Christ, “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.” Adam’s action or offence was a deliberate action of disobedience against God’s holy Law, Christ’s actions in His active and passive obedience was a lifetime of perfect obedience to God’s holy Law. Adam’s act of disobedience or offence brought death and this was justifiably imputed to all of us who sinned in him with “death” (v15) as a consequence. By contrast,

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Christ’s obedience brought the undeserved imputation of “gift by grace” (v15). When you read the Gospels, remember Christ is not just setting an example of holy living but providing the perfect grounds for yours and mine justification. Paul deliberately chooses the words “offence” and “gift” to highlight this fundamental difference. In essence, one is deserved the other is undeserved!

The nature of the “gift by grace” contrasted with the “offence” is also interesting to note. By this “gift by grace” believers Paul says we have “much more” in Christ than we lost in Adam. Grace not only cancelled the effect of the Fall, but also brought further blessings to the whole race. Adam brought death but Christ brought abundant life. We gained something infinitely more wonderful in Christ now and hereafter in glory rather than simply living in the Garden of Eden. We have the life of God living in us - we are partakers of the divine nature by grace! We can experience the grace and glory of God in a greater way than if we were just restored to Eden. EFFECTS (v16-17) - There is also a fundamental contrast or difference between the effects or consequences of Adam’s disobedience and Christ’s obedience. Adam’s act of disobedience also brought “judgment” unto “condemnation.” (v16) By contrast, Christ’s obedience brought “justification.” So the contrast then is condemnation in Adam and justification in Christ.

In v17 we are told that Adam’s disobedience resulted in “death reigned” whereas Christ’s obedience allowed His descendants to “reign in life.” We enter the reign of death by birth, but we enter the “reign in life” by the new birth. But notice something wonderful in this verse, “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.”

Paul points out that we who have experienced this “gift of righteousness shal l re ign in life.” Our salvation is certain because of Christ! But carefully note his argument, that if death reigned surely because of Adam’s offence then “much more” can we be sure that we will “reign in life” because of Christ! The “much more” expresses a higher degree of certainty. Christ’s perfect righteousness is not on probation like Adam’s righteousness was. Adam was not in Christ’s righteousness before he fell but we are! EXTENT (v16) –Not only is God’s grace greater than the one sinful act of Adam, but is greater than all of the sins ever committed. Adam’s sin produced billions of sins of billions of descendants, but God’s gift of grace has the power to pardon all of these. Notice how Paul puts it, “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.”

Jesus Christ does not redeem us from a few sins and leave us to deal with the rest. We are just as hopeless and helpless as Adam in trying to deal with our sins! I love the way Paul presented this truth when he preached about Christ to those in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia recorded in Acts 13,

Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by Him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. (Acts 13:38-39)

God’s grace justifies us from “all things” – This means all my past, present, and future sins. This includes all the dark thoughts and acts that I have done that only God knows about! Christ has redeemed me now and forever. It also means that it does not matter here today what sins you have committed – Jesus Christ can justify all.

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In v18, Paul completes the thought of contrast between Adam and Christ that he began in v12. Adam brought sin and death to his race but Christ brought the gift of grace to His race. So what Jesus did is far greater than what Adam did. Greater in its essence! Greater in its effect! Greater in its extent! Christ imputes or credits by grace His righteousness to those who trust Him alone in faith. Now, you can see why this has been called the greatest “gift exchange” in all of history!

(3) RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LAW, SIN, AND GRACE (V20) Now, Paul has proven in his writings to this point that the written law was not given to justify us from sin. He has also shown that the written law was not necessary to condemn us as we all sinned in Adam. Now Paul anticipates a question: What purpose has the law in the plan of sa lvat ion? Paul explains in v20 that the law “entered” or literally came in “beside the sin” not to deliver from the sin. Indeed, it didn’t stop Israel or even Moses himself from sinning after they received it! Rather the law is like a mirror as it increases our understanding of sin, it reveals the true nature of sin, it convicts us of our sin, and it exposes the true power of sin. Martin Luther once quipped that the function of Law was not to justify but to terrify! It should be the schoolmaster to drive us to Christ. In that sense, the law is grace from God. However, one of the byproducts of the Fall was that the sin nature is so perverted that it is increasingly drawn to sin when the law exposes and reveals the true nature of it. Paul makes this very same point in Romans 7,

What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. (Romans 7:7-9)

It is like when we see a sign saying, “don’t walk on the grass” that we then knowingly react and do just that! As Spurgeon put it,

So, the more God says to a man, “Thou shalt,” the more the man says, “I will not;” and the more God says to him, “Thou shalt not,” the more doth the man resolve that he will.”

Now, please note, the law did not cause sin. It is the sinful nature of the lawless man that perverts its affects to promote sin. GRACE The second part of this verse 20 is one of the greatest verses in the Bible. It is true that sin rapidly multiplied in this planet from the Fall. It manifested very quickly in the rebellion and murder of Abel in Genesis 4. We then enter the period of great darkness before the flood when, “the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” The Greek word translated “sin abounded” in v20b means “to increase or to overflow.” However, God is not idle to the threat of the multiplication of sin. His response to increased sin is “grace did much more abound.” This second abounding is a stronger word

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and has the idea of an overflowing or engulfing in grace. As Barnhouse paraphrased it, “Where sin reached a high-water mark, grace completely flooded the world.”

Adam had not gone far from where he had sinned before God’s grace was extended to him. When man was running from God to hide from Him, God stepped in with grace. Even in the deep darkness of the pre-Flood era, we find “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” Where sin abounded, grace did completely overflow! My friend, you will run out of time and energy to sin but you can never exhaust God’s supply of grace to save you. The depth of our sinfulness does not inhibit God’s dealing with men. No matter how much sin you have piled up, no matter if the thought of its greatness makes you shudder and tremble - God’s free gift of abounding grace is greater! There is probably no better example of this in Scripture than the writer of Romans 5. He testified to Timothy, “that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” (1 Timothy 1:12-15)

Here was the man who hated Christ and those who represented Him with a devilish zeal. Yet, he found grace. Many years after his conversion, Paul preached the same gospel of grace in the sin that had flooded the city of Corinth. He writes of the past lives of the Corinthians church members before they were saved,

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Cor. 6:9-11)

Sin was abounding in the past lives of the members of Corinth, but there was hope when grace came in. Yes, they partook of abominable sins, but grace was greater.

Now that does not mean God condones sin. He hates it so much that He poured out His wrath on His beloved Son. Nor should this verse be understood that God is giving us a license or immunity to sin. Anyone who perverts the doctrine here to argue for that only proves they have never been justified in the first place. How to I know? Because the Scriptures make clear, “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” (1 John 3:3) But it teaches this glorious truth - where sin blights, grace blesses – where sin destroys – grace delivers. Verse 21 puts it so well, “sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Grace takes us further than simply restoring us to where Adam was before the fall. It keeps flowing and flowing to us unto “eternal life.” Adam did not have this, but we do! We have it because unlike Adam we have the perfect righteousness of Christ imputed or credited to us. That is why we can live as Romans 5:2 tells us, “by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Adam could not rejoice in the hope that he had eternal life, but we can because of Christ!