Wanted: dead? or alive?
Romans 5.12-21
If, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned ... how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace ... reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!
Prepare
Most of us don’t like to face up to the reality of sin in our lives. Spend a few moments asking God to show you how sin affects you.
Read
Explore
These verses raise deep questions about original sin (Are we born condemned?), evolution (Was there death before the Fall?), Adam and Eve (Did they really exist?) and universalism (Will everyone be saved?). If you feel confused or overwhelmed by what you’ve read, you are not alone.
Let’s ask some questions. How many people sin (v 12)? How do ‘the many’ die (v 15)? What brought judgement and condemnation on humanity (v 16)? Whose sin ushered in the reign of death (v 17)? Paul states simply: human beings are spiritually dead on arrival (v 12). We all belong to Adam’s fallen race, broken and condemned by his sin – and unable to avoid compounding his sin even further with our own.
Now look at the contrast between Adam and Jesus. Look for the ‘how much more’s; look for the ‘overflow’ and ‘abundant’. The original sin is awful – it has condemned billions to death. Yet the free gift is so ‘much more’ powerful, undoing the effect of the sin, removing its condemnation, and bringing a life even Adam did not know!
Respond
Because of what Christ has done, we’re given the gift of abundant life and declared righteous. Let’s give thanks and praise to our God!