Title: Romans 5:12-14, through one man
Contents
by one person
“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in the same way death spread to all men, because all sinned. But from Adam to Moses, death also reigned over those who had not sinned as in the transgression of Adam, and Adam was the symbol of the one who was to come” (5:12-14).
From verse 12 onwards we are dealing with a new topic. That doesn't mean it's not related to what I've said so far. Because verse 12 begins with the conjunction “therefore”. This “for this reason” is connected with the two things mentioned earlier.
㉠ First, how did mankind come to be in a state of “weakness, sinners, and enemies” (6-10);
㉡ Second, how did those in this state become “justified and reconciled” to God.
㉢ The apostle said, “Now the righteousness of God has been revealed” (3:21);
㉣ “All have sinned” (3:23), and he has been talking about two themes of one “sin”, that is, “sin and grace” (恩惠). Then, I am trying to contrast with who came from whom the “sin, death, and enmity” through which mankind fell, and from whom “grace, justification, and salvation” came. Therefore, verses 12-21 are another pivotal paragraph in Romans.
① “Therefore, it is said that sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin” (12a).
㉠ It is important to understand the overall structure of this paragraph (12-21) first. It is helpful for understanding by dividing it into three units as shown in the diagram.
㉮ In the first unit, “sin entered the world” (12) and “sin” (罪) entered the world through one man.
㉯ In the second unit, “more through the grace of God and the grace of Jesus Christ” (15), and “grace” (恩惠) enters. It is saying that God has blocked “sin” that has penetrated into the world with “grace”.
㉰ By the way, in the third unit, “what the law joined (加入)” (20), and “the law” (律法) comes in. This is because without the law, we cannot understand sin, and if we do not know sin, we will eventually become unaware of the “grace” that God has given us. This is the overall structure of verses 12-21.
② The important point in this regard is that “sin enters” (phase 12), and “sin” is personified.
㉠ Therefore, it should be kept in mind that “sin” in this paragraph refers to Satan (21) who has authority in mind. Therefore, it is not that sin first “existed” at this time, but that the existing power of sin invaded. In other words, Adam opened the door to sin (罪) like a robber who was peering through the gap.
㉡ Therefore, the “grace” that God brought in against “sin” also refers to Christ, who “grace and truth come through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). However, the power of sin “spreads”, but the power of grace “overruns”.
③ In this context, the word “one person” (including synonyms) appears 12 times in verses 12-21. This is a word representing representation, and I want to contrast the sin of Adam, the first representative, and the grace of Christ, the new representative.
㉠ Look at verse 15. “The transgression of one man and the grace of one man Jesus Christ” are contrasted. Here, we can clearly see the meaning of the apostle, who is expressing “one person, another person”. What is the purpose of saying “one man, Jesus Christ” instead of just saying Jesus Christ?
㉡ Just as sin entered the world and death through sin through the one man who was the ancestor of mankind and our first representative, so Jesus Christ, who came as “one man,” By becoming a representative and atoning for our sins, we want to make you realize that you have become the new ancestor of those who have been born again.
④ At the end of verse 14, there is a saying, “Adam is a symbol of the one who is to come”, which means “a type”. “He who is to come” refers to Christ the Messiah. Adam and Christ are in polar opposites, so how is it to be a model?
㉠ It is to be a model in representativeness. Adam became the first representative in the first creation, and Christ became the new representative in the re-creation. Therefore, all people, whether they know it or not, whether they admit it or not, belong to one of the two representative camps.
⑤ Therefore, the next most important thing is the word “because of” which indicates the cause. Because there are two aspects of the text “by way” (12, 15).
㉠ It is either connected to the camp of sin “because of Adam” or connected to the camp of grace “through Jesus Christ”. We have already emphasized in 3:24 that all the gospels are connected “through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus”.
㉡ First, let’s look at “because of” in verses 5:1-11.
㉮ “Through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1), it says that we have had peace with God,
㉯ “Through him,” he says, he has gained access to the grace that stands in faith (2),
㉰ “Through him,” he said, he was saved from the wrath (9),
㉱ He said that he was reconciled to God “through the death of his Son” (10),
㉲ We rejoice in God “through our Lord Jesus Christ” (11).
㉢ Did you notice to whom all of the above “by” are connected? We should not be connected “because of anyone”. This is because salvation can only be obtained through a connection “through” Jesus Christ. When you are cut off “by the way” with the Lord, you are “cut off from Christ and fallen from grace” (Galatians 5:4).
⑥ Next, we will look at “because of” in verses 12-21, and we will see that they are connected in two directions. Everyone is connected to one of two “by”.
㉠ 12, “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin”. That's right. The fall of mankind was due to this one man. Just as salvation came through Jesus Christ, so sin and death came through this one man. Who is this one person? “Adam”.
⑦ Because the apostle is trying to emphasize the two representatives of mankind now. It is to show that as we were previously under sin and death through Adam, now we are under grace through Jesus Christ.
㉠ If the Apostle said, “Sin entered the world through Adam,” some might think that it was Adam who sinned and it has nothing to do with me. However, when Adam was given representativeness as “one man,” no one could avoid it.
㉡ Brother, to which “by” are you connected? To what “by” are family members, relatives, friends and neighbors connected? If you think about it, you will be thankful, but like Paul, you will mourn. If a brother is connected “through Jesus Christ,” salvation is guaranteed, and he will be glorified in the image of Christ, to be with him forever. This is what it means to say “by one man”.