Lecture 4. Continued. Romans 5:8-218But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10For 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. 11And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. 12Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: 13(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. 15But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. 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. 16And 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. 17For 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.) 18Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 19For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. 20Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 21That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:8‑21)
WE now come to the break in the epistle.
It has often been pointed out, that up to the eleventh verse, we have the subject of our sins treated, that is to say, the things that we have done; but from the twelfth verse of this chapter on to the end, another subject altogether is taken up. Not “sins” but “sin.” Do you understand the difference? There is only the difference of a letter, but there is all the difference in the world between “sins,” which are the fruit, and “sin,” which is the root. There is a great difference between the fruit and the root of a tree. You might take all the fruit off a tree and yet leave the root. The state in which man was by reason of sin, the evil that is in our nature is taken up at the end of this chapter. Well, here it points out that sin came into the world by one man, and death by sin. Had there been no sin, there would have been no death, but death has passed upon all men, not only because Adam sinned, but because all have sinned―each one has added his own individual sins. Sin came into the world by Adam’s one transgression, and every person since that time has been born into the world with a nature that is sinful, and produces evil things, and so death passed upon all men because that all have sinned.
Now from the thirteenth verse to the end of the seventeenth is a parenthesis, and a very important one. Let us look at what it says― “Until the law sin was in the world.” What does that mean? Ever since the Garden of Eden sin has been in the world; the law was not given until Mount Sinai, but all the time between sin was in the world. How do we know? Because people died during all that time, and they would not have died if there had been no sin; and that is just the meaning of this passage. From the moment that sin came into the world at the Garden of Eden right up to the giving of the law, sin was there, proved by the fact that death was there. And mark what it says, “Even over them that have not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression.” That seems a little difficult perhaps, but it is really very simple.
What is the meaning of sinning after the similitude of Adam’s transgression? Well, Adam had a law given him “You are not to eat of that tree” and Adam disobeyed God; he broke God’s commandment; he transgressed the law under which he had been placed. But there was no law from Adam to Moses; man was not put under any law between Adam and Moses. They had not sinned in the same way as Adam, they had not broken a positive commandment given to them. There was a positive commandment given to Adam; there was a positive commandment given to Moses, but there was no law between Adam and Moses; there was no positive commandment given between Adam and Moses, and yet there was sin there all the while, because death reigned from Adam to Moses. I believe that this refers to a verse we get in the Old Testament. If you will turn back to the prophet Hosea, “But they” ―that is the Jews― “like men have transgressed the covenant” (Hos. 6:77But they like men have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me. (Hosea 6:7)). In our version we have “like men,” but the word used in the Hebrew is “Adam.” Adam had a commandment given, and he transgressed it. “They like Adam have transgressed the covenant.” I believe that that is the verse that is alluded to in the fifth chapter of Romans, “Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of Him that is to come.” Adam was a figure of the Lord Jesus Christ. In what sense? Well, Adam was the head of a race of sinful beings. He became the head of a race, after sin came into the world. But Christ, too, was the head of a race. If Adam was the head of a sinful and fallen race, Christ is the head of a new race, a redeemed and justified race.
In the fifteenth verse we get the two heads, and notice how it is brought in. “But shall not the free gift be as the offense? For if through the offense of one the many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto the many.” If Adam’s one offense brought sin into the world, and all connected with Adam, the head of the sinful family, were involved in the results of his sin, is the grace of God going to be inferior to Adam’s sin? If Adam’s sin involved all those connected with him in the consequence of his sinful act, on the other hand, all those connected with Christ are going to be involved in the blessings resulting from His one act.
Verses 15,16, and 17 present the same truth from different standpoints. The fifteenth verse speaks of the two men―Adam and Christ. The sixteenth verse speaks of the acts― “the judgment came by one to condemnation;” “one,” that is, one sin. You do not need to commit more than one sin to be condemned. But look how the grace of God is superior to this; when justification is spoken of, I get justification from “many offenses.” One sin is enough for condemnation. Adam’s one act of sin closed the Garden of Eden to him, and one act of sin closes heaven to me; but the moment we speak of justification through Christ, all the sins that it is possible for a man to commit can be put away by the one sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is wonderful to see how the grace of God is superior to all that man is or could have been.
Then in the seventeenth verse we get the effects, “If by one man’s offense 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.” Death reigning is the result of Adam’s sin, but there is the “much more” which shows how the grace of God is superior to everything that man’s sin has done. “If by one man’s offense death reigned;” it does not say, much more shall life or righteousness reign, but “we shall reign in life.” God, in the abundance of His grace, has stooped down to us in all our terrible condition, and, having bestowed upon us the gift of righteousness, “we shall reign by one, Jesus Christ.” We were here sinful, and death was reigning all around in this world, and God takes up a poor sinner like I am, justifies me from all my sins, and then He says, I am going to make you reign.
And then it goes on to say in the eighteenth verse, “therefore as by one offense, towards all men to condemnation.” This is a very abstract statement, but it means that Adam’s one act of sin involves the whole human family in the consequences of his sin. God indeed has found a means by which we can get extricated from that, but that is the tendency of Adam’s act. People say sometimes that it is an unrighteous thing for God to condemn them for what Adam did. He is not going to do so, though we get a sinful nature by the Fall. The influence of Adam’s act was world-wide, it extended to all, but what was the influence of Christ’s act? “Even so by one righteousness towards all unto justification of life.” This puts in contrast man’s sin and God’s grace. If man’s sin, Adam’s sin, involved the whole human family in the consequences of that sin, Christ’s act, that is His death, involved all those who are linked with Him.
(To be continued.)