1/17/99

OBC

Romans 5:12-19

Kingdoms in Conflict

Intro.

                This passage has a very large influence on theology as a whole.  It is very difficult for us with our modern minds to understand.  Because we have been brought up in a world that has taught us a very distorted view of independence.  What is independence?       An independence without interdependence

Simon and Garfunkel  (reflected on a ‘self sufficient’ independence).

“A winter’s day, in a deep and dark December

I am alone,

Gazing from my window to the streets below,

I touch no one and no one touches me!

I am a rock, I am an island.”

“And a rock feels no pain and an island never cries.”

                As if to say, ‘If this is independence why am I so lonely?!’

Our independence develops like this:

We are part of a nation that is independent.

· -national independence-

we’re an American            different and superior  

there is no solidarity between us and the  (German, French, Italian, Brazilians, Chinese)

(draw the circle) of solidarity; we are not one with other nations.

· -racial independence-

Most of us are white. Sadly, we tend to think that we have little in common with blacks, native Americans, Spanish descent, (draw the circle)

·-regionally-

     learn to exclude those with an accent different from ours

     (‘hillbillies’, ‘city-slickers’,  suburbanites, Yanks, Rebs)  -draw the circle of solidarity tight

· -politically independent-

     democrat, Republican, Independent

     different ideologies

· -religiously independent –

    disagree in details of God’s revelation (no way can fellowship)

    disagree in practice with some in your church (draw the circle)

just my family, (and we disagree sometimes) - so the only one that I feel a deep, unmovable solidarity with is myself.

This lack of solidarity with mankind we call “independence!”

   This is all part of our make-up, that makes it very difficult for us to grasp the portion of Scripture we want to look at today.

(Romans 5:12-19)

      difficult passage 

Paul has said we’re condemned; yet we can be justified.  In these verses he gives us the link between the two.

The very same path down which death, sin and condemnation traveled into humanity became the path that would make it possible for life, grace and justification to travel.

(Read 5:12-19)

   As we read notice how many times the word  ‘one’ occurs (13 times) - emphasizing solidarity of all men.

-Analyze passage

v. 12  just as…

v. 18, 19   even so…

vss. 13-17  parenthesis between death (12) and life (18,19)

   a bridge … as with death,  condemnation came - so also with life  comes justification.

Paul is contrasting two kingdoms

Kingdom of Death/ Kingdom of Life - and these are connected by a principle in the economy of God known as imputation.

I. The Reign of sin and death

v. 12

 I haven’t liked this – being raised on Independence

I have difficulty getting hold of this solidarity  ‘ Why should Adam’s blunder be allowed to adversely affect my life?’  Is it fair?  Yes!  Fair, wise, and gracious

The Jews would have had no trouble with this solidarity

-they grew up never really thinking of themselves as individuals

-he would think of himself as part of a clan, a family, a nation; and apart from that society he had no existence, his existence was wrapped up in the nation.

Ex. Today, if an Australian aborigine is asked his name he will give the name of his tribe or clan. He thinks of himself as a member of a clan.

Ill.)  tribal wars – a man is murdered, not a war between individual persons but 2 tribes.

O.T. examples

Josh 7 – Achan sinned, the whole nation suffered.  Achan’s sin was not one man’s sin, it was the nation’s sin.

The nation was not a collection of individuals it was a solid mass. What the individual did the nation did.
7:1  “The sons of Israel were unfaithful in that Achan sinned.

7:11  “Israel has sinned”

This is how Paul says we’re to see Adam

  He was not an individual, He was part of mankind

Because of the solidarity of the first kingdom (Adam’s race) all mankind actually sinned in Adam.

The kingdom that fell under the reign of death.

Paul shows that this must be true in v. 13,14…\in that those who lived before the law also died without breaking a commandment

Ill.)  the genealogy of Genesis 5 - Adam’s descendants “…and they died…”

Still Death reigns!  (

Death is not a natural part of God’s created order. It is an enemy.  The last enemy to be destroyed.

-          still- nuclear build-ups, disease, holocaust, abortion, fighting, misery, murder, divorce – it’s always been like this in this kingdom of death.

Again – Is it fair that you and I should suffer so as a result of the solidarity of the human race?

       Yes!  And it is very wise and gracious

An example of Isaiah’s statement “God’s ways are high above our ways.

Follow this

God has chosen to subject all his rational creatures to a probation

-Angels-

     We don’t know what

     Faced individually  (some fell, some didn’t) they are not a race, they are individuals

-Man-

    We know a great deal about it

    Very fair, only a slight prohibition with great freedom

    He knew the outcome would affect his descendents

    His communion with God had been intimate and delightful

    He possessed knowledge, righteousness, true holiness

    All kinds of inducements to do right were given

    Adam fell, humanity fell with him

In the wisdom of god, since He was operating on the principle of imputation (one man’s sin imputed to many) he could provide redemption for the many (one man’s righteousness imputed to many)

Justification follows the same path that condemnation had walked.

Ill.) be thankful you're not a fallen angel, they have no opportunity for redemption

(Peter said that they bend their necks to get a look at this amazing thing called redemption)

II.  The reign of grace and life (vv17-21)

Thus we enter the Kingdom of life

As Paul says in 1 Cor. 15:45

    "The first man, Adam, became a living soul, The last Adam became a life-giving spirit."

      ill. When Albert Einstein published his theory of relativity, it is said that there were only twelve men who were intelligent enough to understand its implications.  Forty years later the number had risen to millions as the horror of Hiroshima unfolded.  Relatively few could see great significance in E=mc2, but even fewer failed to understand that through one man the race had been ushered into the atomic age.  There was no going back and there were no exceptions.  Because of Einstein, atomic reality had come upon all men.

      ill. At the same time, Alexander Fleming was growing up.  He was on his way to becoming a famous microbiologist. He would achieve greatness in the discovery of penicilin.

We now are given the power of a new man - Christ

Ill.)  As a result of Adam's disobedience, did it make any practical difference in your life?

You didn't know him, you've never seen him, yet your thinking, desires, physical body, everything has been adversely affected.

 As a result of Christ's obedience did it make any practical difference in your life?

We now have the same relationship to Christ as we had before our salvation to Adam

There is a true change.

the reign of grace and life

"Though the outward man perish, the inner man is renewed day by day."

"But Paul says that all is not bleak, that grace is equally as real, just as powerful and pervasive, For every sin that robs and destroys another particle  of human experience, there is grace to build and restore. For every grave opened by sin and death, there is a door opened in heaven by grace.  While mourners mourn over loved ones laid to rest, angels rejoice over sinners coming to repentance." -

As we abide in Him our spiritual solidarity grows

Ill.)  close letters "In Him"

Because I didn't know the depth of that phrase

-not only toward God but also our fellow Christians

Jesus prayed, "That they may be one even as we are one."

May 1983 Moody Monthly    ill.)  Brother Andrew

          "Many of us are praying for revival, but I believe God will not grant our request if we neglect the suffering church.  He will not do so because He is evenhanded in His dealings. And whatever God does here in the free world, He will do in those countries suffering religious persecution.

       This is my concern- that we stop our factionalism, the walls that we build.  We talk about the Iron Curtain, yet we have walls, too - walls that protect our affluence, our privileges. But those walls kill us."

-ill.) Mark

As we abide in Him, the curse of death is reversed and the crown of death is replaced by a crown of life. There is spiritual vitality where there was spiritual death.

Thus we enter the Kingdom of life

As Paul says in 1 Cor. 15:45

    “The first man, Adam, became a living soul, The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.”

We now are given the power of a new man – Christ

Ill.)  As a result of Adam’s sin, did it make any practical difference in your life?

-          You didn’t know him, never seen him, yet your thinking, desires, physical body, everything has been adversely affected.

-           As a result of Christ’s obedience did it make any practical difference in your life?

We now have the same relationship to Christ as we had before our salvation to Adam

There is a true change.

“Though the outward man perish, the inner man is renewed day by day.”

As we abide in Him our spiritual solidarity grows

Ill.)  close letters “In Him”

Because I didn’t know the depth of that phrase

-not only toward God but also our fellow Christians

Jesus prayed, … “That they may be one even as we are one.”

May 1983 Moody Monthly    ill.)  Brother Andrew

          “Many of us are praying for revival, but I believe God will not grant our request if we neglect the suffering church.  He will not do so because He is evenhanded in His dealings. And whatever God does here in the free world, He will do in those countries suffering religious persecution.

       This is my concern- that we stop our factionalism, the walls that we build.  We talk about the Iron Curtain, yet we have walls, too – walls that protect our affluence, our privileges. But those walls kill us.”

-ill.) Mark

As we abide in Him, the curse of death is reversed and the crown of death is replaced by a crown of life. There is spiritual vitality where there was spiritual death.