A lesson by Pastor John Skaggs

Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

Date: 11-1-98

Sermon Number: Romans #29

Text: Romans 5:12-21

Our Two Representatives

In the first eleven verses of Romans chapter five Paul describes the blessings that are ours by faith in Christ. Through faith in Jesus Christ we have peace with God. We have access to Him day and night forever. By faith we enjoy the reality of eternal life. By faith we are able to rejoice in the midst of suffering and hardship. We do so not because suffering is pleasing to the senses but because we know that it is God working in us to will and to do of His good pleasure. The hard things that we endure in this life are designed by God to make us a patient people. They are designed to increase our hope and dependance on God.

In verses six through eight Paul describes the love of God for his helpless sheep. The proof or demonstration of that love was the sending of His Son to die for the ungodly. Verses nine through eleven assure us that the God who saved us in the past will also keep us safe in the future. We have received the reconciliation through our Lord Jesus Christ and nothing can separate us from the love of God.

The group of verses we deal with today is one of the most important in the Bible. Some believe it is the very heart and center of Paul's letter to the Romans. It is not an easy passage to unravel but we will try. Follow with me as I read Romans 5:12-21 NASB. "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--(missed the mark, committed offense) {13} for until the Law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law. {14} Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, WHO IS A TYPE OF HIM WHO WAS TO COME. {15} But the free gift is NOT like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. {16} 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 RESULTING IN CONDEMNATION, but on the other hand THE FREE GIFT AROSE FROM MANY TRANSGRESSIONS RESULTING IN JUSTIFICATION. {17} For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. {18} So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. {19} For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. {20} And the Law came in that the transgression might increase; (abound) but where sin increased, grace abounded (super-abounded) all the more, {21} that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Here we have the doctrine of original sin. It is a statement of unarguable fact. By Adam's transgression sin entered the world. With sin came spiritual death, physical death, disease, and enmity against God. These terrible things have become an integral part of every human being ever born to women. But why? Because all men sinned in Adam. When he sinned we all sinned. When He fell we all fell headlong into death and bondage to sin. This is the inheritance we have received from our father Adam. His sin has been credited to our account. His one act of sin was entered into the books under our name. But that's not all. Adam's sin nature was also passed on to us. So that we are not only guilty because of Adam's sin we are guilty because we are sinners in our own right. King David knew this when he penned the words of Psalm fifty-one verse five. (Psalms 51:5 NASB) "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me." David was not speaking of the sin of conceiving a child out of wedlock. He was describing the condition humans are in even at conception. We are sinners. We are all brought forth in iniquity.

Not only is a child fully human when conceived he is a being with a sin nature. Why? Because he or she is a son or daughter of Adam. Look with me at Psalms 58:3 NASB. "The wicked (which word describes all humans before they are born again) are estranged (separate from God, enemies of God) from the womb; These who speak lies go astray from birth." (Psalms 58:3 KJV) "The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies." From birth the human being goes astray. We all miss the mark from the very beginning of our lives. Why? Because we are born with the sin nature we inherited from our father Adam. Think about it. No one teaches a child to be selfish, to hurt other kids, to cheat, steal, or lie. We don't have to teach them these things. Sin flows quite naturally from their hearts which the Bible declares are deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Why are they like this? Because they are the offspring of sinners. Each and every creature produces after its own kind. When rabbits reproduce they bear rabbits likewise when sinners reproduce they bear sinners. It is just that simple.

The proof that all humans, regardless of age, are sinners is found in the fact that they all die. Ask yourself this question. What are the wages of sin? The answer is death. Now ask another question. Who on this earth does not die? Well, the wicked die, and the cruel die, and surely they deserve to die. But we must also acknowledge that the good among us die also. The mentally irresponsible die and even babies die. Babies who have had no opportunity to hear the law or to disobey it. Babies who are innocent of any personal crime, die. Why? Paul gives us the answer in verse twelve. (Romans 5:12 NASB) "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." All sinned in this one man Adam. That is why all die. The wages paid to every sinner is death. If, as many believe and teach, children were innocent until the so called age of accountability then they would not experience the wages of sin until they were ten or twelve. In other words children would not die at all, ever, for any reason, until that certain age was reached. But they do die. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Death has spread to all men because all sinned in Adam! There are no exceptions.

We have before us the doctrine of original sin. We are also looking at the doctrine of representation. Adam was the representative head of the whole human race. Therefore, when he sinned we all sinned. This concept of one representative speaking and acting on behalf of all men really shouldn't seem strange to us. Our President speaks and acts on behalf of a whole nation. He can take us all to war and we must fight. He can commit our money to a bankrupt nation and we must pay the debt as if it were our own. A Senator or a Congressman acts for us in the same way. The priest of the Old Testament is perhaps the best example, apart from Christ, of this idea of representation. You might remember that the priest wore on his breast plate twelve stones and twelve names. These were the twelve names of the tribes of Israel. Although there were millions of other people on the earth these twelve tribes were the priest's only concern. He ministered in the temple as their representative. He sacrificed for them. He entered into the Holy of Holies for them. And though the tribes were not personally sacrificing or entering the Holy of Holies they all reaped the benefits of the priest's work. For he represented them all before God. When he sacrificed it was as though each individual offered the sacrifice personally. The priest represented the people before God. He stood in their place and stead. If God accepted him He accepted the people. If God rejected him He rejected the people. This is representation. Whenever that priest went before God all Israel went before God. When, as our representative, Adam sinned we all sinned.

There is a short passage in Hebrews chapter seven that will help us understand this concept. (Hebrews 7:4-10 NASB) "Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the choicest spoils. {5} And those indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest's office have commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their brethren, although these are descended from Abraham. {6} But the one whose genealogy is not traced from them collected a tenth from Abraham, and blessed the one who had the promises. {7} But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater. {8} And in this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives on. {9} And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes, {10} for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him."

Let me describe the part of this that is relevant to our study today. When returning from a battle Abraham met Melchizedek, the great priest. Abraham, as an act of worship to God, gave this priest a tithe or one tenth of the spoils he had taken in battle. But the thing I want you to see is that Abraham was not alone in giving these offerings to God. Verse nine tells us that a man not yet born was present on that day participating with Abraham in giving these offerings. Levi, a priest who would one day receive tithes himself, paid tithes to Melchizedek even though he had not yet been conceived. He was not born but his seed was present in Abraham. He was there with Abraham paying tithes to Melchizedek. In the same way we were present and participating when our oldest ancestor and representative, Adam, sinned and died. Death, dear Christian, has come upon us all because all have sinned in and through Adam. This is the doctrine of representation.

Lets continue with Romans 5:13-14 NASB. ". .for until the Law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law. {14} Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come." With these words Paul speaks to those who might object saying, "Where there is no law there can be no sin. The law did not come till Moses so how can those from Adam to Moses be called sinners? Why were they subject to the wages of sin when there was no law?"

Paul answers and says that even before the law was given men were sinners and died because of that sin. They died because they sinned in Adam. They died because they broke the law written on the heart of every man. Their death was proof that they were sinners. They may not have sinned exactly like Adam did but they were sinners nonetheless. I'm going to leave the answer to this unspoken question as brief as Paul did and concentrate on this question. Why is Adam here described as a type of Christ? Well he was a type of Christ in that he was a representative head of a group of people like Jesus was. But that is where the similarities end. Paul now contrasts the two representatives.

(Romans 5:15-17 NASB) "But the free gift (of salvation) is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. {16} 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 resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. {17} For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ."

This is a precisely written and complicated statement. But it all of this boils down to one thing. The sin that came through Adam and the resulting condemnation is not worthy to be compared to the grace of God and the free gift of life which we have in Jesus. For in Adam we lost all things, in Christ we have gained all things and eternal life to boot. Christ pardons and forgives all our sin. He justifies us. He gives us the gift of righteousness. Jesus showers us with an abundance of grace to the extent we are made right with God which makes it impossible for us to die spiritually, (See John 10:27-28). The free gift is not at all like that which came through the one who sinned for by our new representative we have been saved not condemned.

Verse seventeen tells us that we will reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ. This, I believe, is a promise concerning the Christian's day to day walk in life. I believe it says that though we were slaves of sin and Satan we have been set free. By grace we now have the power to live a life of increasing holiness before God and man to the glory of our Creator. Righteousness will reign in the believers life! To God and to His Christ be all the glory. For all that salvation is belongs to us because of what Christ did as our representative. Lets continue with today's text.

(Romans 5:18 NASB) "So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men."

Represented by one we are condemned, by the other, Jesus, we are justified. It seems that Paul is intent on saying this in as many ways as possible. This same truth is set before us in yet another place. 1 Corinthians 15:21-22 NASB. "For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. {22} For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive."

Take careful note of the wording here. "In Adam ALL die." The "all" in this phrase refers to every person that has ever been or ever will be born. All die. For Adam represented every man. The second phrase, however, "In Christ ALL shall be made alive," must be qualified. It must be qualified because the scripture does not support the idea of universal salvation. Without a doubt the Bible teaches universal guilt and damnation. But it never speaks of a universal salvation. All men without exception die but not all without exception are saved from the wrath to come. So who are the "all" who shall be made alive by Christ. They are those He represented in His death. A brief look at the context in which these words are found will give us the answer. In verse one he speaks of the "brethren." In verse two he speaks of the "saved." In verse six it is the "brethren" once again. In other words, he is writing about Christians. He speaks of every single person given to Christ by the Father for redemption, (See John 6:34-65, John 10, and John 17 all). He speaks of all who have or ever will believe. In verse three we find the word "our." "Christ died for "our" sins." Paul includes himself in this word, "our." He speaks of himself and the brethren. In verse nineteen we read, "If WE have hoped in Christ in this life only, WE are of all men most to be pitied." He includes himself in the word "we" which refers to believers only. For these alone hope in Christ. These are the elect from every nation under the sun. These are the given ones, the lost and found sheep of God. These are the people Christ represented in His death. All of these shall be made alive by His work on the cross. All of the elect, without one exception, will be saved! This is the meaning we must attach to the words of Romans 5:18 NASB. "So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, (every single human) even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men, (the elect from every nation under the sun.)."

As we move on to verse nineteen take note of the certain and unalterable results of both Adam's sin and Christ's righteousness. (Romans 5:19 NASB) "For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous." Adams sin does not have the potential of causing us to sin and, therefore, to die. Rather, by his sin we were MADE sinners in both our nature and practice and we will most certainly die. Likewise, Christ's obedience before God did not make those He represented potentially righteous before God. Rather, through the obedience of Jesus the many, that is, all for whom Christ shed His blood, were MADE righteous in the eyes of God. Adam's work made sinners out of every single human. Christ's work made elect sinners, righteous. (2 Corinthians 5:21 NASB) "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might BECOME THE RIGHTEOUSNESS of God in Him." This is the doctrine of representation or federal headship as some have named it.

In the presence of this doctrine the unbeliever cries foul. "I wasn't there when Adam sinned. Its not my fault, Its not fair, I don't like this representative stuff." The Christian cries, "I wasn't there when Jesus lived and died, I did not pay the price for my sin. Yet I have been made spotless and acceptable with God in Christ. I like this representative stuff. It all depends on what side of grace you find yourself whether or not you like the doctrine of representation.

As we look at our concluding verses lets remember that Paul has already shown that sin and death were present before the law was given at Mr. Sinai. Now he reminds his readers of why the law was given and then he brings his argument to a close. Romans 5:20-21 NASB. "And the Law came in that the transgression might increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, {21} that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

The law, says Paul, was given to revel or magnify the sin that was already in man by nature. It was given to make sin's vileness, intensity, and power, more evident and clear. The law was meant to prove that sin had invaded every faculty of our being. It was intended to drive us to absolute despair and hopelessness, and then to Christ. The law lets us see clearly our slavery to sin and the devil. But Paul also declares that where sin abounded the grace of God in Christ super-abounded. God's grace is greater and more powerful than sin's dominion, death, or the devil!. God's grace has, therefore, conquered death and now reigns in the lives of the redeemed. Where sin once reigned over us unto death. Grace now reigns and brings with it eternal life. And how does grace reign in a person's life? Through righteousness. In other words, where grace is doing its work in a person's life there will be the visible fruit of righteousness. Grace reigns through righteousness or by causing and enabling us to obey our Father in thought, word, and deed. And what is the end of it all? The end of it all for those whose representative is Christ is eternal life. It doesn't matter how powerful sin, death or devil are. For where sin increased grace has abounded all the more. By His grace God saves the vilest or sinners. By His grace He sends the devil packing. By His grace, His super-abounding, all powerful grace, God saves His people from their sin. Then He enables them to live like children of the King ought to live. All glory be to the Lamb who was slain in our place, and has risen, and is ascended to the right hand of the Father. Praise be to our gracious God for sending the Second Adam, Jesus, to be our representative.