Dead in Adam or Alive in Christ?
Romans 5:12-21; 1 Corinthians 15:22
Turn to Romans 5. I am not sure if you have read Romans 5:12-21 when I sent it out this week, but it is one of the most difficult passages in all of the Bible. In fact, you may have a hard time accepting all that it teaches. We may also have a hard time understanding it. So, I am going to do my best this morning to explain it, and I will continue into next week to try to answer some of the questions it brings up. So, if you leave this morning with some questions, I hope to help you out with that next week. When we open up the pages of our Bibles, we come first to the story of creation, and we read the words, in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And then we read that God looked upon His entire creation and said that it was very good. And the man and woman whom God had made, Adam and Eve, were given charge over creation, and were told that they could eat of anything in the Garden in which God had placed them, except for one tree. And you know the story, Eve ate the fruit of the tree and gave some to Adam, and he ate as well. And immediately Adam and Eve knew their sin and were afraid of God, their Creator. And God pronounced curses on Adam and Eve, and one of them was death.
In Job 18:14, Job calls death the “king of terrors,” as ever since that act of disobedience, death has reigned. I have said before that our society speaks less and less of death all the time. Even our funerals are being delayed and merely celebrated at some later date, as we do not want to have to deal with the reality of death. So, we have labelled funerals now a celebration of life. I have also said before that no one wants to think about the moment after they die, as everything about mankind today will try to extend life, but fail to deal with death. Yet all the while, we do not really know whether we are going to be rich or poor in life. We do not know whether we will be healthy or sick. We do not know what blessings or tragedies may await us in the future. But we do know that at some point we will all die. I suppose that if we were asked, what is the most certain thing in life? We would have to answer death. And we may want to ask the question, why is there death? Well, the Bible will give us a very clear answer, and it is because of the presence of sin. In fact, it is because of the sin of one man, the sin we just addressed, the sin of Adam.
“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.”
Romans 5:12 (LSB)
This takes us back to Romans 3:23, that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. As sin entered the world, death reigns because of the presence of sin. First Corinthians 15:26, describes death as our enemy because it is not part of the natural process in that it was only introduced because of sin. And it was introduced into the world by one man, Adam. This is an enormous truth given to us here by Paul. That because of the sin of the one man, who was the first man; therefore, all men and women have sinned, and therefore all men and women will die. I have said before that we may say that someone died because of a heart attack, because of cancer, or they died in some kind of accident, or even old age. Yet we could really describe this as merely the way in which they died. But the ultimate reason all men and women will die is because of sin, which started with Adam. So, this whole section we are about to study this morning is based upon the fact that we have a connection with Adam, we will sin, and therefore we will die.
“[F]or until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the trespass of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.
Romans 5:13-14 (LSB)
Now, what does Paul mean by saying, until the Law sin was in the world? Well, Paul is referring to the time of the creation of the world, including Adam and Eve and up until the time of Moses, who gave the Law. So, this would include the book of Genesis. People such as Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Enoch, Methuselah, Noah, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Ishmael, Jacob and Rachel, Esau, Joseph and his brothers. And this is confirmed (vs 14), from Adam until Moses. And the reason Paul could say that sin occurred in the world before the Law was that man, prior to the Law rebelled against God. Because before the Law, man murdered, man lied, and God described the world before the flood like this:
“Then Yahweh saw that the evil of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
Genesis 6:5 (LSB)
And we also see the result of sin before the Law, as the genealogies in Genesis 5 and 11 include these words, so-and-so lived so many years, and then he died. The fact that there was death is evidence of the fact of sin. Yet what does Paul mean when he says (vs 13), “but sin is not imputed when there is no law.” In other words, what does it mean to have imputed sin? Well, there are three thoughts I want to share on this topic, and another thought next week. And the first thing I want to say is not number one, as it does not deserve any kind of rating, as many churches today would basically dismiss this whole section of Romans 5. Now, they may not “say” that Romans 5:12-21 is wrong; they will merely choose not to preach it or dwell on it. And therefore, in the minds of the church, as with any truth that is not emphasized, it is soon forgotten and no longer believed. And the result of ignoring this section of Scripture is that man is basically good. And the effect of Adam may indicate some kind of wrong focus for man, or that life has become difficult because of the bad choices of some people. And we might end up believing in the end that man is not all that guilty before God and merely some sort of victim. Yet, I trust, this does not need to be proven wrong here at Elim.
So, I wish to give you three thoughts on this passage to help us understand what it is teaching. And I am going to be frank here, this is not easy, this is not an easy passage. So, you need to listen very carefully so that you do not get lost. The first understanding is that the statement “because all sinned” means that all men and women have sinned in practice, and therefore, all die. Now, there are a few problems with this understanding. First, let me say that some hold that this means that when you and I do something wrong. In other words, when we act out in some kind of sinful way, this is what Paul is referring to here, such as when we might tell a lie or have a wrong thought. Well, this is indeed sin, but I am not sure that this is what Paul is specifically speaking of here. For example, what about infants who die? We might wonder how an infant could sin in practice. I suppose we might say that my two-year-old threw a temper tantrum, but this is not the way we consider sin in our minds, as we may do and act upon it. So, we might conclude that infants, at some age and younger, have not sinned in practise, for some infants even die in the womb and therefore, could not be included in Paul’s statement “because all sinned” if it means that all have sinned in practice.
But this presents another problem as well, because infants die. As Paul has already said, death is a result of sin. So, that leaves a difficulty in saying that the sin that Paul is referring to is speaking about practicing some kind of sin, because infants, at some age, have not sinned in practice, so, then why do they still die? There is another problem with the statement saying that Paul meant “because all sinned” means that all men and women have sinned in practice is when you consider this statement in light of where Paul will go next in his teaching, where he draws a parallel between Adam and Christ.
“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.”
Romans 5:12 (LSB)
We will look at the parallel between Adam and Christ in a few moments, but if we say that all men and women die because they have all actually sinned in practise, then we would have the parallel with Paul’s further teaching, that all men will live in Christ, be saved, why? Because they have actually done good things or that they practised a good life, for that would be the parallel. Do you know what I mean? If the statement “all have sinned” means that all have sinned in practise, this would also mean that the statement of being in Christ becomes a result of some acts of goodness. I not sure Paul will go for that, as Paul has been teaching now for a few chapters that we have been justified by faith apart from works. So, when we consider the infant who has not yet committed any sin, and because Paul will eventually parallel this teaching of Adam with the teaching of Christ, that statement of Paul’s, “because all sinned,” means that all have practically sinned in some way, I believe, is not the direction of Paul’s teaching here.
So, there is another understanding of Paul’s teaching, and it was taught by John Calvin, as Calvin taught that we are all sinful because we have received from Adam a sinful nature. In other words, the nature we are born with is tarnished and polluted, and this would include all men and women. And Calvin taught that God then regards this as sinful, even without the actions of any sin, and therefore, all mankind will die. Now, I would suggest that this is much closer to the truth, but I believe there is still a problem with this understanding. Why? Well, Paul does not merely say that we are all sinful, but what does he say (vs 12), he says “all sinned.” And somehow this must include everyone, including infants. And again, I believe this would throw off Paul’s later parallel with Christ, so that we might think that in Adam we all have received a sinful nature, but then we are justified in Christ because we have a holy nature.
But we have already been here, as Paul has been teaching that God has justified the ungodly. We are not justified because we start doing good things or because we have become sanctified in some way. No, we were justified while we were ungodly. We were justified while we were still enemies of God. We were justified when we still had our old nature. So, I believe that we would not teach that death came because we sinned in some practical way; but secondly, I believe that we would not teach that death came because we all have a sinful nature. Now, there is a third understanding, which I believe is what Paul is teaching here, and I believe that we have this right in our doctrinal statement, as it says this about:
MAN
We believe that Adam and Eve were created perfect in the image of God, but when Adam sinned, it brought both physical and spiritual death to all mankind. Therefore, man is totally depraved and is subject to the wrath of God.
Elim Bible Chapel: What We Believe
Infants have not committed sin themselves; they have not acted in sin. But they would not have died, and they do, if they had not been guilty of some sin, for death means that, in some sense, we are guilty of sin. And some infants die, therefore they are guilty of sin. Why? Well, it tells us in the text that they are guilty of the sin of the one man, Adam. Let me give you a statement by Martyn Lloyd-Jones:
“Adam’s sin is imputed to the whole of mankind.”
Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Adam’s sin is imputed to the whole of mankind. This includes every human being. It doesn’t matter what age, nationality, religion, or intelligence. Adam’s sin is imputed to the whole of mankind.
“But the gracious gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died.”
Romans 5:15a (LSB)
That, because of the transgression of the one man, Adam, the many have died. Now, notice it does not say that because of our fallen nature, many are dead. No, what does it say? That many are dead because of the sin of the one man, Adam. And look how Paul further explains this on the other side when referring to Christ.
“[M]uch more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.”
Romans 5:15b (LSB)
Do you see that? By the action of the one man, Adam, has brought death to everyone. This explains why infants die because of the action of Adam. And the parallel is that through one Man, Christ, we have received the gift. In other words, if we take the focus off Adam regarding our sin and resulting death, we then fail to place the complete focus on Christ regarding our salvation and resulting life. By one man, Adam, has brought death to us all; then, by one Man, Jesus Christ, has brought life to us all. Do you see the importance here?
“And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression [i.e. all it took was the one sin of Adam], resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the gracious gift arose from many transgressions [and the one Man, Christ, has dealt with the many offences] resulting in justification. For if by the transgression of the one [Adam], death reigned through the one [Adam], much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”
Romans 5:16-17 (LSB)
Paul’s emphasis is still, and only, on the one sin and the one man, resulting in sin and death of all mankind.
“So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men.”
Romans 5:18a (LSB)
Do you believe that? Do you believe that verse? That through the one transgression, because of the one sin of Adam, all are condemned. Now, you might want to ask at this point, “How can that be just and fair?” That all men and women are condemned through the sin of one man’s transgression. And it is a great question because it is true that all are condemned because of the one man, Adam. Not that all sinned later on because of what Adam did—though they did—but all sinned when Adam sinned. See the directness. Do you see how connected we are to Adam’s sin? In other words, when Adam sinned, judgment came to all men and women. The whole of humanity was now guilty before God.
“[E]ven so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.”
Romans 5:18b (LSB)
And then Paul will really nail it:
“For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were appointed sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be appointed righteous.”
Romans 5:19 (LSB)
Here is the parallel that cannot be lost in our understanding of this text. We could say here that because of Adam, many were declared unrighteous; and that because of Christ, many were declared righteous. And the truth that we have been appointed sinners by God is proven further by the fact that we all die. Lloyd-Jones wrote this:
“As Adam’s one act of disobedience has made sinners of us all, so the obedience of Christ to all who believe in Him makes them righteous.”
Martyn Lloyd-Jones
As we have been teaching, my sin was imputed to Christ for which He died and paid the penalty. And His righteousness has been imputed to us. And as Adam’s sin has been imputed to us, in other words, counted as ours, so too, Christ’s righteousness has been imputed to all those who would believe, in other words, counted as theirs. And yes, we do inherit a sinful nature from Adam, as it is revealed every day in our lives, but that is not what condemns us in this passage, for what condemns us is the actual sin of Adam because Paul has taught that we all sinned in Adam. And the only way we can explain why infants die is that every human being has sinned in Adam.
“Now the Law came in so that the transgression would increase.”
Romans 5:20a (LSB)
This teaches us that when man was confronted with the Law, he had an even greater knowledge of his sin, but:
“[B]ut where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Romans 5:20b-21 (LSB)
See, this teaching by Paul absolutely eliminates the degree to which we sin regarding death. In fact, this teaching explains why some might sin far more than others and yet all face death, as basically, Paul does this by completely ignoring it. For Paul condemns mankind through Adam. In other words, the problem we have is far greater than the sin someone committed this morning. The problem is far greater than the impure thought you had yesterday. The thing you watched last week, the lie you told at work. The hatred you had toward a brother last month. The thing you stole from your boss last year. The misinformation you gave on your income tax. As those were byproducts of your most major and ultimate problem, that we are all guilty in Adam, and it is proven in your life and in everyone’s by their death.
See, there is no half-death. There is no degrees of dying. For all men and women will completely die. For everyone pays the same price of sin, death. For the wages of sin is death. Now, in eternity, some will be judged to a greater degree, as those who have sinned much will be judged more harshly. But all sin and any sin all received the same wage, death. As the moment you receive life, you already have a death sentence on you. So, we cannot think, boy, I had better be careful about what I do here. I had better try to be good here in this situation, or I had better at least behave while I am in church or be good at least while my Mom and Dad are watching. No, you already have a death sentence placed upon you, and there is nothing you can do about it, as the penalty of sin through Adam has come upon the whole race.
And so, we might wonder, how can it be said that all people born into the world sin in Adam? Why such a strong connection with Adam? Well, Adam was the whole of human nature, as every human nature is part of the nature that was in Adam. And the Bible even says that all humanity acted at the same time as Adam, that we were in him, so that all the parts are guilty. In the book of Hebrews, the writer is speaking about Melchizedek and Abraham. And of course, Abraham was the father of Isaac, and then Jacob, and Jacob had a son named Levi. And in Hebrews 7:9-10, the writer states this: …
“And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.”
Hebrews 7:9-10 (LSB)
See, the Bible speaks of Levi, who was a great-great-grandchild of Abraham, as being in the loins of Abraham when Levi was yet born. And therefore, there is a sense that we were all in the loins of Adam. Not only did the whole human race come out of Adam, but Adam is considered our representative. God considered Adam the representative of the entire human race, not just the head or the beginning. When Adam acted, he was not simply acting for himself. And we see this because when we read the curse placed upon Adam for his sin, we assume, don’t we, that the same curse is transposed to us. Women, you understand this with Eve in the area of childbearing. And we might ask, how can this be fair? Well, this is what God has determined. And Paul will say that all these things we learn from Adam are also true of Christ. Both were appointed by God. Both are the head of a race. Adam, the first man and the head of humanity. Christ, the second man and the last Adam and the Head of His people. And both Adam and Christ passed on the effects and fruits of their life. Adam’s disobedience and sin are passed on to all. Christ’s obedience and righteousness are passed on to all who believe.
And so, all who believe, we are in a sense in the loins of Christ. And we may squawk about the curse of Adam being placed upon us, but we would never complain about the blessing of Christ being placed upon us. If we say that it is not fair that Adam’s sin is imputed to me? Well, is it fair that the righteousness of Christ is imputed to you? Some might ask, why am I accountable for the sin of Adam? But we also need to ask, how can Christ’s perfect life be credited to mine? I don’t understand it. I notice that even in the life of Christ, who never sinned, yet He even submitted to the curses of Adam. For even Christ suffered and was tired and was tormented, and even Christ died for those who would believe. True, we may not understand everything that the Bible teaches, but it is our responsibility to accept it, believe it, and teach it. Someone said that we should never go beyond the Scriptures, but we must always go as far as the Scriptures. The Bible teaches us many things we do not understand. For we accept the Trinity, we believe that Christ was truly human and truly God; we believe that God has always existed from eternity past. And so, we accept that death reigned and all sinned in Adam. John MacArthur wrote that …
“People may hate the doctrine of total depravity, they may resent the claim that they were born sinners, but the protest is useless because they all die.”
John MacArthur
True, we may not understand everything that the Bible teaches, but for those who know and believe in Christ, life reigns, not death, and all live in Christ. So, sin entered the world through one man, Adam. And this explains all of human behaviour. This explains why all men and women sin. And Adam was not the originator of sin, for Satan was the first to sin (1 John 3:8), the devil sins from the beginning. But Adam introduced sin into humanity as he willfully disobeyed God. And the moment he sinned in the Garden, Adam began to die. We do not know how old Adam and Eve were when they sinned, but the moment they sinned, they began to age and get older. And Adam acted for all the rest. Adam took down all of creation, for even all of creation mourns, and we have all inherited the corruption of Adam. And the result is that death entered the human race. First Corinthians 15:22, for as in Adam all die, and the spread of death was then out of control, as there is no separation between sin and death, as they cannot be separated, as death spread to all men because of Adam’s sin, and the corruption of Adam’s sin even abides in infants.
And I suppose that God could have ended humanity at that point and just killed Adam and Eve before they had children and before the curse was attached to anyone else. Or God could have done with mankind as He did with the angels and condemned them to eternal damnation without any hope of salvation. In other words, one sin and all die, but God did not.
So, why is this so important? Well, the importance of this passage is to teach us that our condition is far worse than what we might think. And it is not only that we are responsible for our own sin, but we have also inherited something much worse. And this also confronts us with the false thinking that we might believe that a change in my character, after all, I grew up this nice little church boy, may gain me acceptance before God, which is completely false and massively wrong when we understand the condition we have the moment we are born. But that is not the end of God’s story. I quoted to you 1 Corinthians 15:22:
“For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.”
1 Corinthians 15:22 (LSB)
All who believe in Christ as Saviour and Lord will be made alive. Do you see the transformation that could only be accomplished outside of ourselves? That as we have been born in Adam, condemned to die; we can through faith be born again in Christ, destined to live. Thomas Schneiner wrote that we are all affected by the sins and actions of our ancestors. And we enter the world in a state of spiritual death as a descendant of Adam. But then he writes:
“To those in Christ, God graciously imputes Christ’s righteousness. At precisely this point the contrast between Adam and Christ emerges, and the wonder of grace shines brightly. As sons and daughters of Adam we enter the world spiritually dead and sinners. But God, in His grace, has reversed the baleful [threatening] results of Adam’s sin by imputing the righteousness of Christ to us. Such an imputation is an act of grace; it is totally undeserved.”
Thomas R. Schreiner, Romans 290
You and I were already condemned in Adam. If you thought your condition was bad, if it included your sin, it is much worse than that, for when Adam sinned, you sinned in Adam, as his sin was imputed to you. But in Christ, if we believe by faith, His righteousness is imputed to us, amen? Well, you may have some unanswered questions regarding this passage, so we will address them more next Sunday. Let’s pray. Lord, how can we ever praise You enough, as we have been confronted this morning with our complete lostness, our total insufficiency before You? So, we praise You that You have acted on our behalf. That You have called Your children to Yourself, and we simply believed. To break the curse placed upon Adam and upon all mankind, so that we are no longer “in Adam,” but we are now “in Christ.” For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. And all God’s people said, amen.