THE firsT adam v.s. THE sEcond adam By pasTor dEan
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TABLE OF CONTENT INTORDUCTION
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PURPOSE OF THE CHAPTER
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AN EXEGESIS OF ROMANS 5:1-21
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DO HUMANS INHERIT GUILT FROM ADAM?
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THE MEANING OF AN ORIGINAL SIN
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ADAM VS JESUS
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
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INTRODUCTION In this book we will discuss on the original sin, the first Adam and the second Adam, Jesus Christ. We will also discuss on being justified by faith. We know that we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We all have sinned and we all fall short in God. By Jesus Christ we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. This book will give us more understanding in the love of God through Jesus Christ, because the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us, sheds the love of God abroad in our hearts. God has showed His love to us while we were sinner. He sent his only son, Jesus Christ to die for us on the cross. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. The first Adam brought sin to this world. The word has nothing accept death. Jesus brought life back this world. It’s an eternal for everyone who believes and trusts in Him. Jesus is the bridge to God. Before then we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, Jesus Christ. Much more than that, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
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I. Purpose of the Chapter. “The clearest and most detailed account of the Divine logic concerning the universal consequences of Christ's Sacrifice is in Romans 5 - the chapter of abundant Grace. In this chapter, the apostle Paul clearly reveals his Spirit-inspired thinking as to what has actually been achieved in Christ's death and resurrection.”1 The Apostle Paul explains in Romans 5:1-21 that as by one man, Adam sin entered into the world, and death come through sin of the first Adam to the world. He said that death passed upon all men. All men have sinned, and no one is righteous: “For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 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 was to come. But 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. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation through Adam, but the free gift through Jesus Christ is of many offences unto justification. Paul states in the Chapter that if by one man's offence death reigned by one. "Paul here proves that the guilt,--legal obligation to suffer the penaltyof Adam's sin is imputed to us, by the unquestionable fact that the penalty of the law which Adam broke has been inflicted upon all." 2 There are much more they, which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness, shall reign in life
1 2
Gerry Watts, The first Adam. G Watts 2004; 2007, http://www.purposeoflife.org.uk/second_adam.htm A. A. Hodge, Outlines of Theology,. Banner of Truth, October 1, 1972; pp.330
5 by one, Jesus Christ. In this passage the Apostle Paul shows us that by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation, and by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. In this passage focuses on the first Adam and the second Adam which is Jesus Christ. For one’s man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. That as sin has reigned unto death to the world, grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ as He died on the cross. “Christ's victory was as complete as had been Adam's failure. So we may resist temptation, and force Satan to depart from us.”3
II. An Exegesis of Romans 5:1-21 “The classical text is Romans 5:12. In the preceding part the apostle treats of Justification by Jesus Christ, and to put in evidence the fact of His being the one Savior, he contrasts with this Divine Head of mankind the human head who caused its ruin. The question of original sin, therefore, comes in only incidentally. Paul supposes the idea that the faithful have of it from his oral instructions, and he speaks of it to make them
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Ellen G. White, God's Amazing Grace, Ellen G. White Estate Publisher; 1974, pp. 42
6 understand the work of Redemption.” 4The first half of Chapter 5:1-11 The Apostle Paul start with the transitional as it focuses on a life characterized by peace with God. Verse 1 begins "Therefore …" and connects Paul’s arguments from the first major section of the letter Romans 1:18-4:25 to the next section of the letter chapters 5-8. Paul explained that we are saved by faith and by our trust Jesus in Romans 1:18-4:25. In chapter 5 Paul explain about the righteous behavior entails. Paul begin with “wherefore,” in verse 12. The second half of Chapter 5 Paul makes a comparison between Adam and Jesus. Paul uses the word "one" as well as, "all" and "many" in these verses. The theme of obedience versus disobedience is once more seen. In Chapter 5 Paul focuses on the benefits of justification. It based on Christ’s death on the cross. The death of the cross of Jesus Christ is a bridge to God through reconciliation. Paul shows that the love of God has been poured out to all mankind by the blood of Jesus, and the benefits of justification include peace and hope with God. The believer has been declared righteous by faith through Jesus Christ. And by Jesus Christ who died for us on the cross we have access to his grace of peace and justification. We were a sinner and hopeless. Christ died for our sins. The reconciliation is the key that would deliver us from the wrath of God. "The 'law' given to the first Adam, the first son of God, was broken, and mankind was thrown out of the garden into the wilderness. The law given to Israel, the son of God, was broken, and the nation was thrown out of its promised land into the wilderness exile. A last Adam came as the truly obedient covenant partner of God, signifying his identification with a people that desperately needed his help. We can almost hear heaven's sigh of relief, 'At last! A true Son of God.' 'You are my beloved son in whom I 4
Harent, S. (1911), Original Sin. In The Catholic Encyclopedia, New York: Robert Appleton Company, Retrieved July 23, 2010 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11312a.htm
7 am well pleased' is God's word of approval. Then this true Adam, this true Israel, goes into our wilderness to be tempted and to be victorious, so that he might make for us a way back into the garden of God." 5The passage of Chapter 5 is most likely to summarize and conclude in chapters 1:18-4:25 and it has been developed in Chapter 5:12-8:39. Apostle Paul has joins these chapters together with justification and sanctification. In Chapter 5:1 Paul said “Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith.” The word “declared righteous” is an aorist and passive in the Greek text. This is to express the once-for-all nature of justification. This is for the entire sinner who has faith in Jesus Christ. The idea of Paul is that we are no longer at war with God but by the blood of Jesus brought us together. Paul talks about peace between God and the believer in Chapter 25. After all he goes on reconciliation between God and the believer with peace through Jesus Christ in Romans 5:10-11. Even though believers are in a battle, struggle and suffering (5:3-5). We hope that we will be delivered from God’s wrath through Jesus Christ. In Chapter 5:6-8 Paul talks about the gift of the Holy Spirit and the objective foundation for justification. This is how God shows His love to mankind by the work of Christ on the cross. This is to show the amazing love of God to the love of man who has the conditional and impotent love. God has demonstrates His love to us while we were still sinners. He has sent his only Son, and He has poured out His love to us all. His love resulted in the ultimate sacrifice of His believed only Son. In Chapter 5:10 Paul talks again about justification and peace with God. He mentions about reconciliation with God, which bring back into relationship of mankind with God and is intimately related to the idea of peace in Chapter 5:1. In v. 12 Paul starts to compare between the effects of
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Graeme Goldsworthy , Preaching the Whole Bible As Christian Scripture. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000, pp. 159
8 Adam’s sin and the effect of Christ’s obedience. Paul says in this verse that sin entered the world through one man, Adam. This sin leads to death of all mankind. In Genesis 4-5 told us about the consequence of sin. This sin of Adam separates all men from God. Paul focuses on how sin can cause death and how it came to captured the entire world. In verse 15 “the many died through the transgression of the one man.” Death from Adam spread to all men. “Condemnation for all people came through one transgression.” (5:18).
III. Do Humans inherit any guilt from Adam’s sin? I believe that we all inherited the guilt from Adam’s sin. The apostle Paul explains in verse 17-19, which Paul uses the preposition “through” in regard to: 1. Through the disobedience of the one man the many were mad sinners. He explains that one man, Adam who disobedience God in the Garden of Eden has brought sin to the world. All mankind were mad sinners when they are borne. 2. Death reigns through Adam. The Apostle Paul explains the spiritual and physical death to all mankind.
9 3. Through the one transgression, condemnation came to all mankind. Paul says in verse 18 that a legal verdict of “condemnation” was passed on all mankind through one transgression, Adam’s transgression. The relationship between Adam and men is like a headship. Adam position is the head of men. So, when Adam makes bad choice it affects the entire all men. In Romans 5:14 says that the relationship is spelled out in verse 18, a sentence of condemnation was passed on to all mankind because of Adam’s sin. In Romans 5:13 Paul explains that universal death is due to Adam’s transgression. Paul shows us in verse 12 the relationship between Adam and mankind, which will be compared to the relationship between Christ and His new humanity in verse 15-19. In Romans 5:14 Paul explain that even though many mankind did not sin by breaking the laws as Adam did, but we all inherited the sins from Adam. He again talks about the universal death through Adam; death reigned still reigned over all mankind. In verse 18-19 “who is a type of the coming one” is refer to Adam as a type of Christ. In Romans 5:14 Adam is a type of Christ in the sense that the act of one man’s disobedience parallels by way of contrast the act of Christ’s obedience. In verse 15, 17 show us that the grace, gift of righteousness surpasses the results of Adam’s sin, death and condemnation. When Adam brought death to the world, the one man Jesus Christ brought the grace of God to the world. Adam’s sin led to judgment and condemnation, but by the grace of God that Christ’s sacrifice act on the cross save us from death. Death reigned as a result of Adam’s sin, but much more those who receive the grace and the gift of righteousness will reign through Jesus Christ (verse 17). We can see the result of Adam’s transgression to the results of Christ’s grace in verse 15-19.
10 Paul has shows us very clearly about all human inherited sins from Adam as below: 1. Paul indicated that the entire human race is under sin in 3:9-20. 2. Paul indicated that only those who believe in Jesus Christ benefit from his grace through his blood (3:22, 5:17) 3. Paul is using universalism in 5:18 to compare the universal effects of Adam’s’ sin with the effect of Christ’s righteous act. In 5:19 Paul takes about “made” in “made sinners” and “made righteous”. God has called us all as sinners 5:12. We were connected to Adam. So, when Christ died for our sins we are connected to Christ through faith. God has declared us righteous. Verse 5:20 Paul takes about the purpose of the law and the nature of God’s grace. He indicates that it is not the law, which bring righteousness. The law is only reveals sin of men. But by the grace of Christ, which brings righteousness to the world and the righteousness, lead to the eternal life. Paul says that the law came in so that transgressions may increase. In Romans 7:13 the law “came in,” not to deliver Adam’s posterity from sin but to reveal their desperate and rebellious condition. 5:21 “grace will reign through righteousness.” Ezekiel 18:19-32: The original sin states that all of us are born sinners. Our ancestors pass the guilt of Adam’s original transgression to us. John Calvin said, "Again, I ask: whence does it happen that Adam's fall irremediably involved so many peoples, together with their infant offspring, in eternal death unless because it so pleased God?" He concluded by saying, "The decree is dreadful, I confess." (Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Vol. 2, page 955).
11 “Thus to account for the universality of sin or ‘race-sin’, reference is made to the concept of generic human nature. Then sin itself is defined as not only an act of rebellion or rejection of God’s will, but as a ‘disposition or state’ which ‘lacks conformity to the moral will of God.”6 In 1 John 3:4 “Everyone who practices sin practice lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness.” Sin passed from one generation to another. Passes from one culture down within the culture. The bible said for all have sinned and fall short from God. No one not right, no not one. The Bible said man inherited weakened. We inherited the weakened for our forefather. We all inherited the sin of Adam. We now, take on the sin, curse that Adam had. And his curse is to work the ground; Eve’s curse is child bearing. Through Adam’s sin even though men has not sin like Adam’s sin. He is still under the transgression of Adam’s sin. But before the law was in place. Man does not know it was sin because there was no law. So, the question is from the time of Adam to the time of Moses was sinned to sinned because there was no law in place. But because there were no laws in place it doesn’t mean that there is no sin. So, death reigned from the time of Adam to Moses. Death was on the earth. There was nothing but death on the earth. The laws weren’t established for people but death from Adam still reigned on people. Once the laws was in place now those that follow the laws. They were condemned according to the laws and the transgression of Adam. "the Lord from heaven:" else neither could have been said of Him. And in this too is another element of our joy and glory, that He who as the glorified Man is the object of heaven's delight and praise, is the mighty God Himself — the only-begotten Son. Hence man's blessing is secured for ever in His one divided person. We are bound up with Him with an indissoluble bond that has already passed through death. But He is risen from the dead; and we stand in His own resurrection-life, 6
A. H. Strong, Systematic Theology, Valley Forge, Judson, 1907, pp. 549
12 and wait for the day when "we shall wear the image of the heavenly."7 Any one who sinned at the time of Adam and Moses was now subject under those laws. If we just born we inherited the sin, but if we turned away from sin. We are righteous in the eye of God. Everything in Adam is the ground of sin and death; “everything in the Lord Jesus is the ground of growth and life. Our responsibility is to keep off the old ground, and to live on the new ground--our position in Christ.”8
IV. The meaning of an original sin. E. J. Bicknell states that original sin is “at bottom the attempt to express the fact that all men fall into sin.” 9We found the first mention about the original sin in Romans. The 7
STEM Publishing, Magazines : The Bible Treasury : Volume 4 : Christ - the Last Adam and Second
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Miles J. Stanford, Our history in the first Adam, Living Springs Press, l971. http://withchrist.org/our1.htm 9
E. J. Bicknell, A Theological Introduction to the Thirty Nine Articles. London, Longmans, Green, 1955, pp. 177
13 apostle Paul brought this matter up to people about the original sin. But the action of the original sin was from Genesis, where the fatal event was to happen by the first Adam. According to Paul, all mankind was cursed because Adam sinned when he ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of God. God told them not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of God, but they disobedience to God’s command. This action brought the sin and death to the world by one man, Adam. Paul mention in Romans 5:12 “Wherefore, 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.” This explained us a lot that the original Sin was to be handed down to all of Adam’s descendants. “Because Adam’s original sin is charged to us, we inherit a corrupt nature... From Adam we received sin and guilt... sin is our corrupt nature.”10 “To overcome this weakness, some theologians go further and speak of original sin and also of original guilt. The latter is defined as our judicial involvement with Adam’s sin.”11 .Sin is an act of unrighteousness. "Death" refers to spiritual separation from God in verse 11-13. As the body is dead when the spirit separates from it in James 2:26, so our sins separate us from God in Isaiah. 59:2, and we become spiritually dead in sin. It’s in contrary to God’s law. Genesis 3:17 “Then to Adam He said, “Because you…..have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying. “You shall not eat from it..” This passage shows us about the original sin in the account of one man’s fall, Adam. It shows us that Genesis has recorded a lot of consequence from the first fall in sin of Adam. The curse is on the world. There are a lot of curses that we can see now such as the pain in childbirth, the ground is cursed and it’s hard to bear fruits, all of us need to face physical death and sickness. Psalm 51:5 “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, 10
Paul Little, Know What You Believe (Homebush West: Anzea Books, 1973), 59f. See also Robert P. Lightner, Evangelical Theology, Grand Rapids, Baker, 1986, pp.174. 11 J. Oliver Buswell, A Systematic Theology of the Christian Religion (Grand Rapids, Zondelvan, 1962-3), II, 285.
14 and sin my mother conceived me.” In this passage says that David mentions that he was born a sinner. He means that his mother brought him forth in sin. The sin is around us since we were in the womb. The doctrine is the sin is a “morally vitiated condition in which we find ourselves at birth as members of a sinful race.”12 V. Adam VS Jesus.
“The wonderful provision made for man in Eden was made by a God who loved him. Everything in nature was pure and undefiled. Fruits, flowers and beautiful, lofty trees flourished in the Garden of Eden. With every needed blessing, Adam and Eve were abundantly supplied. Not a shadow interposed between them and their Creator. They knew God as their beneficent Father, and in all things their will was conformed to the Will of God. God's character was reflected in the character of Adam. His glory was revealed in every object of Nature. The invisible things of God were clearly seen, being 12
E. L. Mascall, ‘Sin’, Encyclopaedia Britannica (1968), pp. 20
15 understood by the things that were made, even his eternal power and Godhead.”13 We can see that God loves Adam so much. He wants Adam to govern over Garden of Eden and all the creations. It was not by an accident that He created Adam. “Rather God created Adam as an immediate act, by His word (i.e. by commanding or willing this to happen), at some time on the sixth day of Creation week.”14 Jesus was born without inhering Adam’s sin through a virgin, Mary. Hebrew 2:14-18; 4:15 “flesh and blood” as we are because he had to be made like His brethren in all things” Jesus is born without sin. He is not inheriting sin from Adam. Wherefore, 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” This verse is the key for the doctrine of original sin. “Like the First Adam, the Last Adam would have to be, first of all, genetically flawless and without a sin nature.”15 As Paul said at the end of this verse “all have sinned” Paul continues his passage “For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 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 was to come.” Adam’s transgression leads to the punishment of spiritual and physical death. It established and set the legal precedent for death. Death is the penalty of sins. Yet Jesus knew no sin. In Him is no sin, because He did no sin (Heb. 4:15; 7:26). God has mad salvation available to all mankind through Jesus Christ. 1 Timothy 2:6 Jesus gave Himself a ransom for all. Hebrew 2:9 Jesus tasted death for everyone. 1 John 2:2 - Jesus is the propitiation, not for our sins
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282-286
Ellen G. White, Article: The Second Adam, June 2, 1898.
Russell Grigg, Creation: How did God do it?, March 1991:Creation 13 (2), pp. 36 Arthur Custance. The Seed of the Woman. Brockville, Ontario, Doorway Publications, 1980. pp.
16 only, but also for the whole world. 1. 1 Corinthian. 15:22 is discussing physical death, which all men do suffer unconditionally. When we look at Adam compared with Christ in verse 14. We can see that they are alike and different in some ways. We can see that people lost through Adam and people gain through their lives back through Jesus Christ. In verse 14: Adam is one man’s offense; Jesus is the gift by grace from God. Verse 15: many people died through Adam; Through Jesus Christ much more the grace to many people. Verse 16: The sin of Adam resulted in condemnation; the death on the cross of Jesus Christ resulted in justification. Verse 17: The sin of Adam death reigned; the death of Jesus righteousness will rein in life. Verse 18: Adam is one man’s offense, which brought judgment came to all men resulting in condemnation; Through Jesus one’s Man’s righteous act, which brought the free gift to the world resulting in justification of life to all men. Verse 19: One-man’s disobedience brought death to the world and made all sinners. One Man’s obedience brought righteousness to the world and eternal life back to the world. Psalm 58:1-6 the wicked are estranged from the womb (verse 3). “The tree from which Adam and Eve took the forbidden fruit was given a story. Through the centuries it came to be identified with the tree of Calvary on which Christ died to save the world.”16
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Gerald O’Collins, S.J., Article, The Second Adam. America Press Inc., April 12, 2004
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
A. A. Hodge. Outlines of Theology. Banner of Truth, October 1, 1972. Pp.330 Arthur Custance. The Seed of the Woman. Brockville, Ontario, Doorway Publications, 1980. Pp. 282 AH. Strong, Systematic Theology . Valley Forge, Judson, 1907. Pp. 549 E. J. Bicknell, A Theological Introduction to the Thirty Nine Articles. London, Longmans, Green, 1955, Pp. 177 Ellen G. White. God's Amazing Grace. Ellen G. White Estate Publisher, 1974. Pp. 42 E. L. Mascall, ‘Sin’, Encyclopaedia Britannica (1968), 20, Pp. 556 Ellen G. White. Article: The Second Adam. June 2, 1898. Gerry Watts. The first Adam. G Watts 2004; 2007. http://www.purposeoflife.org.uk/second_adam.htm Gerald O’Collins, S.J., Article: The Second Adam. America Press Inc. April 12, 2004 Goldsworthy, Graeme. Preaching the Whole Bible As Christian Scripture. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000). Pp.159 Harent, S. (1911). Original Sin. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved July 23, 2010 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11312a.htm J. Oliver Buswell . A Systematic Theology of the Christian Religion .Grand Rapids, Zondelvan, 1962-3, II, Pp. 285 Miles J. Stanford. Our history in the first Adam. Living Springs Press, l971. http://withchrist.org/our1.htm
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Paul Little, Know What You Believe. Homebush West: Anzea Books, 1973, 59f. See also Robert P. Lightner, Evangelical Theology (Grand Rapids, Baker, 1986), Pp.174 Russell Grigg. Creation: How did God do it?, Creation 13 (2) March 199, Pp. 36 STEM Publishing : Magazines : The Bible Treasury : Volume 4 : Christ - the Last Adam and Second Man
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Author: Pastor Dean. AA. BA. MDIV. DMIN
Bachelor’s in Liberal Arts of Biblical Studies Southern Christian University Awarded the “ West Creek Award In memory of W.B and Velma West, excellent teachers of the Bible and Biblical Languages Founder and CEO of FLYHIGH MINISTRIES . Masters in Divinity at Southern Christian University Iraq Combat Veteran, OIF III, Calvary Scout Recon.