Romans 5:12-21

Lesson Romans 5:12-21 Adam’s Mistake - Jesus’ Remedy

This week, we observe the stark contrast between the awfulness of Adam’s disobedience and the greatness of Christ’s obedience. Adam’s fall brought condemnation to all men. Christ’s sacrifice, on the other hand, offers reconciliation to all men. This section also provides a deeper revelation of the word “sin.” Note: All that is included in association with Romans 5:12-21in The Foundational Truths of Romans 1-8 (the introductory course associated with this series) is presented here along with additional input. The review, coupled with the new input, should enhance our understanding of this vital portion of God’s letter to man. Before going further in today’s lesson, turn to the Reference Section located in the back of your workbook. Nine circle diagrams that will be consulted frequently over the next few weeks are provided. If you want, you can make copies for easy reference. Whatever makes you comfortable is the main issue, for you MUST use them. The written material will be impossible to comprehend otherwise. The content of the next few paragraphs may be somewhat confusing, but it will become an easy read as we progress. In Romans 5:12, we find: Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned — (Romans 5:12) To properly interpret the phrase, “…through one man sin entered into the world...,” we must take into account that Satan was present in “the world” prior to Adam’s sin, Satan being the personification of sin. Consequently, the phrase “…through one man sin entered into the world…” must mean, “…through one man sin entered into man….” Adam was the “man,” for God instructed him to abstain from partaking of “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” in Genesis 2:17. Should he partake of it, he would “die” instantly in the spiritual sense (Genesis 2:17) and later in the physical sense—it was as simple as that. He ate of the tree in Genesis 3:6 and experienced immediate spiritual death, a death that points to separation rather than extinction. Why separation rather than extinction? “God is Spirit” (John 4:24), and Adam’s sin separated him from God in the spiritual sense. His physical death came much later, for a son was born to Adam in Genesis 4 after his sinning in Genesis 3, meaning that he remained very much alive physically after his disobedience. Thus, “sin entered into the world,” that is, “entered into” man, resulting in spiritual separation from God. Note: Genesis 3:7 verifies that this spiritual death did not prevent Adam from recognizing his spiritual nakedness, confirming that the depraved can comprehend their need for a Savior, exercise personal repentance and faith, and experience God’s salvation. Adam and Eve’s one act of disobedience caused them to lose their dominion over the earth, a dominion granted by God in Genesis 1:24-31: Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind"; and it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every

102

Romans 5:12-21

Lesson

plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food "; and it was so. And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. (Genesis 1:24-31—emphasis mine) Satan ruled over the earth once Adam and Eve disobeyed. Thus, Paul refers to Satan as the small “g” “god of this world” (2Corinthians 4:4): in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2Corinthians 4:4) Don’t misunderstand. Satan is a defeated foe due to Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. He remains, however, our enemy and “accuser” based on Revelation 12:10: "Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them before our God day and night. (Revelation 12:10) Because Satan despises all believers (all mankind, in fact), he seeks “someone to devour”: Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (1Peter 5:8) We as believers are to “resist him, firm in” our “faith”: But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. (1Peter 5:9) In Romans 5:12-8:39, Paul describes vividly how Satan can be resisted. Expect our “adversary” (Satan—1Peter 5:8), therefore, to unleash his arsenal of weaponry against us as God’s Word exposes him and his schemes. Remember: Our enemy is nothing more than “a roaring lion” (1Peter 5:8) that has lost his bite, for the cross, resurrection, and ascension defanged him. With the above in mind, let’s take a moment to discuss the ramifications of being born into a world controlled by Satan’s system—the world system. Terms are introduced here that will be discussed in greater detail later, so don’t become discouraged should understanding be lacking. It will all come together as we progress. We will soon discover that when Adam sinned, his spiritual death brought about a change of nature. In fact, his nature became such that sin became natural. Stated differently, Adam’s sin and change of nature made him love sin. Prior to his sin, disobedience would have been unnatural. After his sin, for him, sin was as natural as breathing. You and I (all mankind) are born in the condition that existed within Adam after Adam sinned. We were born with a bent to sin. We loved sin due to our sinful nature inherited from Adam. Therefore, we, having lacked wisdom (Proverbs 9:10), listened to Satan’s lies and obeyed Satan’s promptings— naturally. As a result, we were programmed for failure, and this programming occurred in our brains. Yes, we, like a computer, were programmed by our enemy—an enemy that desires to destroy us. The fact that this programming was not erased when we met Jesus makes the remainder of this study amazingly

103

Romans 5:12-21

T

he word “sin” can point to something other than man’s acts of sin.

Lesson captivating. Hold on as we allow God’s Word to expose our enemy and set us free from his ever-present schemes. Romans 5:12 will be our beginning point. Obviously, the word “sin” in Romans 5:12, being a noun, can point to something other than man’s acts of sin. In fact, it refers to a power called “sin.” :

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned — (Romans 5:12) To make certain that Romans 5:12 is covered thoroughly, the passage is divided into phrases and discussed in as much detail as possible. You will notice that I sometimes repeat myself by stating the same truth in different ways, for you must begin to grasp the principles taught in this verse if the remainder of the study is to be meaningful. Observe Circle Diagram 1 in the Reference Section titled, Man is a Three Part Being. Read all information. When you finish, continue with the lesson. Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, (Romans 5:12a) 1. As has already been discussed, the presence of sin was already on earth, but not in man, before Adam sinned. After all, the serpent (evil) was present in the garden before Adam ate of the forbidden fruit. However, when Adam sinned (Genesis 3:6-7), “sin entered into” man through Adam’s disobedience (Romans 5:12). It is clear that Adam committed an act of sin. But the word “sin” in some cases, especially in portions of Romans 5-8, refers to a power called “sin” which entered into Adam and dwells in man. This power is referred to in Scripture as “the law of sin” in passages such as Romans 7:23, 25 and 8:2. It is called “sin” in verses such as Romans 7:17 and 20. We will refer to this power in most instances as the power of sin, but in some cases simply as sin. 2. The contextual view of the word “sin” is critical, for it can refer to: (1) An act of sin or (2) The power of sin. The power of sin will be discussed on numerous occasions over the next few weeks. You have ample time, therefore, to comprehend its meaning, even if initially it should seem somewhat confusing. 3. The power of sin “entered” into Adam’s spirit, soul, and body when Adam disobeyed. As a result, Adam’s soul was inundated with messages from this power called “sin.” Refer to Circle Diagram 2 titled, Sin (the Power of Sin) Entered into Man, located in the he power of sin is not a demon. Reference Section, and read all information. The power It is an organized power that of sin is not a demon. It is an organized power that has has Satan as its master. Satan as its master. If it will help, the power of sin can be viewed as the opposite of the Holy Spirit. When God speaks to the soul of man, He speaks through the avenue of the Holy Spirit. When Satan speaks to the soul of man, he speaks through the avenue of the power of sin. Thus, the power of sin is Satan’s messenger, or agent. We will study this subject in more detail as the course progresses.

T

and death through sin, 1. Adam’s act of disobedience brought “death,” for the Lord had warned Adam in Genesis 2:17 that he would die if he ate of the forbidden fruit. We must remember, however, that the word “death” in Scripture can mean “separation” as well as “extinction.”

104

Romans 5:12-21

Lesson

2. When Adam sinned, his spirit and soul died (they were “separated” from God), at which time the sin nature (Adamic nature, or old man, or old self, etc.) was born. Instantly, it was natural for Adam to sin, because his very nature was sinful, his nature being both soul and spirit. Refer to Circle Diagram 3 titled Man without Christ, and notice that the terms dead spirit, sin nature, Adamic nature, old man, and old self are synonymous—expressions that consist of different words but possess the same meaning. When you see one of these terms, either in the course or in Scripture, know that it refers to the nature that Adam possessed after he sinned—the same nature that you and I possessed until we were made new in Christ. Circle Diagram 9 should be referenced as well. We will study Circle Diagrams 1 through 3, along with Circle Diagram 9, in greater detail later in the study. 3. The sin nature (or old man, dead spirit, old self, Adamic nature) enjoys rebelling against God. This does not mean that the depraved (the spiritually unregenerated) are incapable of exercising repentance and faith prior to spiritual regeneration, as was verified earlier (this subject is covered extensively in the God’s Heart series distributed by this ministry). 4. Because the nature of man is who man is, Adam was the sin nature (the old man, etc.) after he sinned. For more input, refer to Circle Diagrams 1 and 9 and read about the spirit and soul of man. 5. As was mentioned above, “death” in Scripture can mean separation. Because “God is spirit” (John 4:24), and since the part of Adam that could communicate with God was separated from God subsequent to his disobedience, Adam was dead to God. Thus, when a man’s spirit and soul are separated from God, the man is dead, even if he continues to live physically. Obviously, the word “death” in Scripture does not always point to physical extinction. It can also point to spiritual separation. 6. When Adam sinned, his spirit and soul died (were separated from God). After all, the power of sin entered Adam's spirit and soul—thereby bringing to life the sin nature (old man, old self, Adamic nature, dead spirit). The power of sin also moved into Adam’s body. Adam’s soul was then inundated with the power of sin’s lies. Refer to Circle Diagrams 2 and 3. 7. Adam’s act of disobedience resulted not only in the immediate death of his spirit and soul, but his physical body eventually died as well. We know that Adam died a physical death several years after he sinned, an event that would not have occurred had he obeyed. so death spread to all men, 1. Because we are descendants of Adam, we are born with the nature that Adam possessed after he sinned. Consequently, we are born with a dead (separated from God) soul and spirit because “death spread to all men.” Note: The word “all” is all inclusive—pointing to every person who has lived or will live. 2. Physical death also spread to all men, for Adam eventually died physically, as do his descendants. because all sinned. 1. To understand this phrase, we must tie it in with what is previously stated. “And so death spread to all men, because all sinned” simply means that our acts of sin confirm that spiritual death spread to all men. Have you noticed the selfishness of a baby? Cute as they are, babies possess Adam’s nature from conception, and as a result, are concerned with one thing only: Getting their needs met. Adults who do not know Christ also exhibit selfish tendencies. Why so? They have the nature of Adam—a nature that is

105

Romans 5:12-21

Lesson

out of touch with God so long as rebellion is chosen over submission to Christ. This nature is determined to have its way, thinking of self above all else. Wasn’t this Adam’s problem in the garden? 2. Do you realize that the lost will not be condemned to hell because of their acts of sin? It is the nature they inherited from Adam that will condemn them (Ephesians 2:3—“…were by nature children of wrath…”). We will study more about this nature, and what happens to it once a person receives Christ, later in the course.

T

he lost will not be condemned to hell because of their acts of sin.

3. Review all of what has been stated regarding Romans 5:12. Refer to Circle Diagrams 1 through 3, and 9, as you do so.

106

Romans 5:12-21

Lesson

107

Romans 5:12-21

Lesson

108

Romans 5:12-21

Lesson

109

Romans 5:12-21

Lesson

110

Romans 5:12-21

Lesson

We provide these downloadable notes on the honor system. This product is for the use of you and your immediate family and may not be sold. You are not authorized to modify the file, or send it to anyone outside your immediate family. © Copyright, The Hill, B.A.S.I.C. Training, Inc., 2012

111