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From Adam to Christ: From the Cycle of Sin to the Cycle of Grace
Sermon Series on Paul’s Letter to the Romans #10 Romans 5:12-21
Mari Ikeda
(This message borrows heavily from Professor Takeshi Nagata’s final lecture at International Christian University on 2/12/2013 titled, “Adam and Christ in the the Book of Romans: The Arrival of the New Man”)
From Adam to Christ: From the Cycle of Sin to the Cycle of Grace
Today, we will be reading the second half of chapter 5 in the Romans, but let me make a point before we start. As I prepared today’s message, I borrowed heavily from a lecture of a professor whom I was greatly impressed as a seminary student. The professor was Takeshi Nagata, a professor at International Christian University (ICU). Because my seminary is just next to ICU, he came to teach us as a lecturer. I learned from him that we can broaden our understanding of Jesus’ love by understanding the historical and cultural backgrounds of the society in which the Bible was written. Romans 5:12-21, the text we’re going to read today, was the text he picked up in his final lecture at ICU before he retired. But in case of any problem or error in today’s message, I’m responsible of all of them.
Now let’s start reading the text, dividing into three parts. Verse 12-14 first.
A. Adam, a representative of the human race and of sinner (12-14)
12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned — 13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.
This part starts with “therefore” and “in this way.” However, as there seems to be no direct connection between the content of this part and that of the immediately preceding part, we may question, “in what way?” This happens because, I think, Paul is now reflecting back on the whole of his discussion so far, instead of just the immediately preceding part. The whole discussion so far means his discussion from chapter 1, arguing that everyone is sinful, and both the Jew and the Gentile are all equally sinners. Therefore, we can say that today’s text is the summary and conclusion of Paul’s discussion up until this point, and that he has been discussing from chapter 1 just because he wanted to let today’s text make sense. So, the point of verse 12 is simply, “Therefore, death came to all people, because all sinned.”
However, what is more important in today’s text lies in the middle part of verse 12. It says, “sin entered the world through one man.” If we proceed to verse 14, we can tell that this sentence points out Adam’s breaking of a command. It points the sin Adam committed, Adam, the first man God created. Adam’s sin is the sin of denying God and of trying to make himself a god. However, when we hear “sin entered the world through one man, namely Adam,” it doesn’t mean that Adam alone should be blamed for all sins of the human race. The sin of denying God and of trying to make oneself a god is not just Adam’s sin, but rather it is the sinful nature we all as humankind have in common. Adam was just the first one to act on the sinful nature, which makes him a representative of the human race.
Well then, why did Paul bring Adam into the picture here? It was because Adam is not just a representative of the human race, but also of sinner. Especially for the Jews, Adam was the first sinner of the human race, a representative of failure, traitor, and exile. To borrow professor Nagata’s words, the Jews viewed Adam as “the worst of the human race.” On the contrary, as Paul described in chapter 4 of the Romans that Abraham was the father of faith for all people, Abraham was like the exemplary student of faith. But in reality, there are many students who are not exemplary, and many sinners who think themselves they can never become exemplary. There are many of us like that. Paul wanted to make a point that it was exactly for the sake of such sinners like us that Jesus came to this world. Jesus once said, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” In order to teach about this love of Jesus, Paul thought that it was inadequate to speak only of the exemplary Abraham, and that it was necessary to speak of Adam, the worst of humankind.
Moreover, in the end of verse 14, we find a shocking sentence. It says, “Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.” To understand what this truly means, we need to read the verses that follow. Let’s move on to verse 15-19.
B. Adam started a cycle of sin and Christ started a cycle of grace (15-19)
15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! 18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
I think verse 18-19 explains the best what it means by “Adam is a pattern of the one to come.” Just as Adam’s trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also Jesus’ righteous act resulted in justification for all people. While the results brought by Adam and Jesus are completely opposite, both of them are same in that they affect all people by oneself. In other words, we can say that Jesus started a cycle of grace, while Adam started a cycle of sin.
The cycle of sin by Adam is the result of our sinful nature of human beings. Our sinful nature has the nature of causing a vicious cycle by itself. If we deny God and make ourselves our gods, we cannot avoid making other people our victims. Someone who is victimized by someone else will make still others his or her victims, which causes a cycle of hatred. In such a vicious cycle, people will be disconnected from God even further, and forget God. A disconnection in our relationship with God means our spiritual death. That’s way it is said that death reigned all people through sin.
On the contrary, the cycle of grace by Jesus is a miracle by the love of Jesus’ cross. Our sins are forgiven at the cost of Jesus’ life. God wanted us to know that He loves us so much that He gave His own life for us. We can truly love others only when we know we are truly loved, and we can truly forgive others only when we know we are truly forgiven. Therefore, to restore our relationship with God is not just the matter between us and God, but it also enables us to restore our relationship with others. In such a way, the great grace of Jesus’ love on the cross can be transferred through each of us who has received it to others around us.
In addition, these two cycles have already reached a settlement on which cycle is stronger than the other. Let’s read the last verses for today, verse 20-21.
C. The grace of Christ overflows where there is sin (20-21)
20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Let’s look at verse 21 first, which says that Jesus reigns with grace over us who are reigned over by sin and death, and bring eternal life to us. Because the power of Jesus’ love is stronger than the power of our sin, He is able to release us from the cycle of sin. If we compare it with domino, it is as if the grace of Jesus’ love on the cross raises each of fallen pieces of domino up again, while our sinful nature of human beings which is represented by Adam makes pieces of domino fall. Jesus’ love can raise up any fallen domino pieces, however complicated and however heavily piled up they may be. He can raise and lift us up to where and whom we should be as God wanted us to be originally.
Now, finally let’s go back to verse 20, which talks about the law. Actually, the law was mentioned earlier in verse 13 as well. Considering that today’s text focuses on Adam and Christ, we may wonder if it was necessary to refer to the law in today’s text. However, it was indeed necessary and reasonable for Paul to refer to the law. For Paul, it was the most important that Jesus came for sinners including those who had been made sinners in the framework of the Jewish law. They were mainly Gentiles without the law and some Jews who could not keep the law. Jesus came to call, forgive, and heal those who were treated as sinners and failures and socially excluded, those who were seen to have failed to be righteous and dropped out from God’s grace. But in the meantime, forgiveness of sin is needed also for those who think they are righteous and despise others, as they are as sinful as those whom they despise. Jesus is also able to restore the relationship between those who are despised and those who despise. The greater the sin we are forgiven of is, and the deeper the gap that is restored is, the bigger the grace of Jesus becomes. That’s why we can say that Jesus’ love overflows where there is sin.
In conclusion, I’d like to read the Letter to the Ephesians, which is said to be written by someone from Paul’s circle of friends. Ephesians 2:14-16 says,
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.
Jesus is the one who is able to destroy the dividing wall between God and us, and us and others. Sometimes it can cause a dramatic change in our life, but mostly it only appears as small changes in our simple life everyday. Perhaps it is when we can feel certain of God’s presence in us and confident that He hears our cry for sure. Maybe it is when we gradually become able to face someone whom we could not forgive or understand. Jesus’ love works from inside of us and transforms the nature of Adam into the nature of Christ. In this way we can become a new man by Jesus and be connected with each other in Jesus to form one body of Christ.
(Prayer) Dear our Lord Jesus, you reached to those who were hated and despised and forgotten by people in the society, and forgave their sins, healed their wounds, and dined with them. Thank you for having added us also to that circle. Please keep transforming us by your love. Help us love others like you do. Lord Jesus, we pray this in your name, Amen.
Summary
In order to convey the magnitude of the grace of Christ, it is inadequate to speak only of exemplary lives like that of Abraham. It is necessary to speak of Adam, the worst of humankind. Adam denied God, tried to make himself God, and represents the human race well. Jesus died for all the “Adams” of this world who are unable to live as they know they should and cannot maintain a life of faith. The love of Jesus, that invites sinners and offers forgiveness, has the power to set us free from sin, heals our relationship with God and others, and offers us new life.
For Discussion
1. What does Adam’s sin have to do with us?
2. Why does Paul mention Adam in this passage?