Adam Brought Death, Jesus Brings Life

               "Christ is much more powerful to save than Adam was to destroy."
                                                                                 John Calvin


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                                       "Therefore just as sin came into the world
                                         through one man (Adam), and death through
                                         sin, and so death spread to all men because
                                         all sinned -- for sin indeed was in the world
                                         before the law was given, but sin is not counted
                                         where there is no law.

                                         Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even
                                          over those whose sinning was not like the
                                          transgression of Adam, who was a type of the
                                          one (Jesus) who was to come."
                                                                                Romans 5:12-14


                                                          

          From John MacArthur's (J.M.) ESV Commentary:


                                               EVERYONE HAS A SINFUL NATURE

                            "Adam passed to all his descendants the inherent sinful nature
                              he possessed because of his disobedience.

                              That nature is present from the moment of conception,
                              making it impossible for man to live in a way that pleases God.

                                                     'Behold I was brought forth in iniquity,
                                                      and in sin did my mother conceive me.'
                                                                                  Psalm 51:5


                              When Adam sinned, all mankind sinned in his loins.
                              Since his sin transformed his inner nature and brought
                              spiritual death and depravity, that sinful nature would be
                              passed on seminally to his posterity as well.

                              Adam was not originally subject to death, but through his
                              sin it became a grim certainty for him and his posterity.

                              Death has three distinct manifestations:

                                   1. Spiritual death and separation from God

                                        'And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
                                        in which you once walked ...'
                                                                Ephesians 2:1-2a

                                   2. Physical death

                                        'And just as it is appointed for man to die once ...'
                                                                 Hebrews 9:27

                                   3. Eternal death (also called the second death), which
                                       includes not only eternal separation from God, but
                                       eternal torment in the lake of fire.

                                          'And if anyone's name was not found written
                                          in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.'
                                                                   Revelation 20:15


                               Because all humanity existed in the loins of Adam,
                               and have through procreation inherited his fallenness
                               and depravity, it can be said that all sinned in him.

                               Therefore, humans are not sinners because they sin,
                               but rather they sin because they are sinners.'


                                 SIN WAS NOT COUNTED WHERE THERE WAS NO LAW


                               'Though all were regarded as sinners, because there was no
                                explicit list of commands, there was no strict accounting of
                                their specific points of violation. 

                                The phrase 'where there is no law' refers to the period from
                                Adam to Moses, when God had not yet given the Mosaic law.

                                 But even without the law, death was universal.  All men from
                                 Adam to Moses were subject to death, not because of their
                                 sinful acts against the Mosaic law (which they did not yet have),
                                 but because of their own inherited sinful nature.

                                 Both Adam and Christ were similar in that their acts affected many
                                 others." (J.M.)


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                                         'But the free gift is not like the trespass.
                                           For if many died through one man's
                                           trespass, much more have the grace of
                                           God and the free gift by the grace of that
                                           one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.

                                           And the free gift is not like the result of that
                                           one man's sin.  For the judgment following
                                           one trespass brought condemnation, but the
                                           free gift following many trespasses brought
                                           justification.

                                           For if, because of one man's trespass, death
                                           reigned through that one man, much more
                                           will those who receive the abundance of grace
                                           and the free gift of righteousness reign in life
                                           through the one man Jesus Christ.'
                                                                           Romans 5:15-17


                                        CONDEMNATION AND JUSTIFICATION


                         J.M. continues:

                                  'Paul used the word 'many' with two distinct meanings.
                                  He has already established that all men, without exception,
                                  bear the guilt of sin and are therefore subject to death.

                                  So the 'many' who die must refer to all Adam's descendants.
                                  The words 'much more' refers to the fact that Christ's one act
                                  of redemption was immeasurably greater than Adam's one act
                                  of condemnation.

                                  Adam brought upon all men the condemnation for only one
                                  offense -- his sinful act of disobedience.

                                  Christ, however, delivers the elect from the condemnation of
                                  many offenses.

                                   Adam's sin brought universal death, while Christ's sacrifice
                                   brought salvation to those who believe.

                                   Unlike Adam's act, Christ's act has - and will - accomplish
                                   exactly what He intended, i.e. spiritual life.'

                                              
                                                      'And I am sure of this, that He who began
                                                       a good work in you will bring it to completion
                                                       at the day of Jesus Christ.'
                                                                                       Philippians 1:6

                                                      'But God, being rich in mercy, because of
                                                      the great love with which He loved us,
                                                      even when we were dead in our trespasses,
                                                      made us alive together with Christ - by grace
                                                      you have saved ... through faith, and this is
                                                      not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
                                                      not a result of works, so that no one can boast.
                                                                                         Ephesians 2:4-5,8-9
                                                                                       

                                        RIGHTEOUSNESS ONLY THROUGH JESUS CHRIST


                                                     'Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation
                                                      for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to
                                                      justification and life for all men.

                                                      For as by the one man's disobedience the many
                                                      were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience
                                                      the many will be made righteous.

                                                      Now the law came in to increase the trespass,
                                                      but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,
                                                      so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might
                                                      reign though righteousness leading to eternal life
                                                      through Jesus Christ our Lord.'
                                                                                            Romans 5:18-21


                                  J.M. continues:

                                            'The phrase 'one act of righteousness' is not a reference to a
                                             single event, but generally to Christ's obedience, culminating
                                             in the greatest demonstration of that obedience, death on a cross.

                                                                   'And being found in human form,
                                                                    He humbled Himself by becoming
                                                                    obedient to the point of death,
                                                                    even death on a cross.'
                                                                                               Philippians 2:8

                                              'The phrase, 'justification and life for all men,' cannot mean
                                               that all men will be saved; salvation is only for those who
                                               exercise faith in Jesus Christ.

                                                                    'But now the righteousness of God
                                                                     has been manifested apart from the law,
                                                                     although the Law and Prophets bear
                                                                     witness to it -- the righteousness of God
                                                                     through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.'
                                                                                                    Romans 3:21-22

                                               Rather, like the word 'many' in verse 15, Paul is using 'all'
                                               with two different meanings for the sake of parallelism,
                                               a common practice in the Hebrew Old Testament.'


                             (As in the earlier passage, the word 'many' has two meanings,
                             that Adam's sin brought death for all who aren't in Jesus Christ,
                             and Christ's obedience brought life for all who ARE in Him.

                             So also, the word, 'all' here (Romans 5:18) has two meanings.
                             The one trespass of Adam brought condemnation for all who
                             aren't in Jesus Christ, Christ's act of obedience brings life for
                             all who ARE in Him).

                             'Although the Mosaic law is not flawed,

                                                ('So the law is holy, and the commandment
                                                  is holy and righteous and good.' Romans 7:12),

                              its presence caused man's sin to increase.  Thus it made men more
                              aware of their own sinfulness and inability to keep God's perfect
                              standard, and it served as a tutor to drive them to Christ.'

                                                 'So then, the law was our guardian until Christ
                                                  came, in order that we might be justified by faith.'
                                                                                  Galatians 3:24


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                               Adam's transgression brought condemnation and death for all
          who are not in Christ, while Jesus' act of obedient sacrifice brought justification
          and life for all who believe.


                                        'God the Father entered into an eternal covenant with God
                                         the Son; He made Christ the head, the representative of the
                                         elect, as Adam was the head, the representative of all his seed.

                                         For these, Jesus Christ, died a painful, cursed, ignominious death;
                                         and by His obedience, and by His death, wrought out an ever-
                                         lasting righteousness for them.'
                                                                                             George Whitefield