5/26/24 “Death in Adam, Life in Christ”

“Death in Adam, Life in Christ”

Romans 5:1-21

This being Memorial Day Weekend, our hearts are directed toward those brave men and women in uniform who have sacrificed their lives in the service of this country.

In case you ever wondered, here are the total number of US military fatalities incurred in some of the major wars involving our country:

American Revolutionary War: 25,000 fatalities

Korean War: 36,516

Vietnam War: 58,209

World War I : 116, 516

World War II : 405, 399

American Civil War: 620,000 (For some context, that’s roughly equivalent to the total number of US fatalities in all of these other wars combined!)

I think we can all agree that war is a horrible reality – It’s very presence in our world is yet another evidence of man’s inability to escape his own evil inclinations when left to our own devices.

Yet within every war, there come incredible stories of self-less acts of bravery  - where the actions of one person ends up saving many lives.

A simple Google search of purple heart recipients yields many stories of bravery and self-sacrifice for others.

One such story of military bravery involves a man by the name of Desmond Doss….is that name familiar to any of you?

Desmond Doss was a US Army Corporal who served as a combat medic in WWII.

Doss served from 1942 – 1946 joining his fellow soldiers in numerous Pacific Theatre battles - but one thing distinguished Doss from every other soldier…. he refused to carry a weapon.

As a person of faith, Doss was committed to non-violence, leading him to make it a personal ambition to save lives on the battlefield rather than taking lives.

Doss saw action in 3 major battles, including the Battle of Okinawa, where it is reported that he single-handedly saved the lives of nearly 100 wounded infantrymen in an area known as Hacksaw Ridge.

That name may sound familiar to some of you as there was a movie back in 2016 with the same name…it was a movie about Doss and his heroic efforts.

Doss was wounded 4 times in Okinawa, at one point, enduring 17 pieces of shrapnel embedded in his body after attempting to kick a grenade away from himself and his fellow soldiers.

Overall, Doss would go on to be awarded the Medal of Honor, two Bronze Star Medals, and three Purple Hearts for his actions of bravery on the battlefield.

The actions of one man had an effect upon many men.

In the second half of our passage of scripture for today, Paul contrasts two men whose actions effected many others – in fact – the individual actions of these two men affected every human being who has ever lived.

These two men were Adam…and Jesus.

The first 11 verses in Romans chapter five summarize much of what we’ve already covered in the first 4 chapters of the book.

Here, Paul mentions themes such as justification, the depravity of man, and salvation by grace through faith….

With the second half of chapter five (Verses 12-21) dealing with the theological ramifications of the sin of Adam…as well as the atoning work of Jesus on the cross.

This is what we will spend a few moments looking at this morning.

Look with me at verse 12 (Romans 5:12) “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.”

This is one of the most theologically important verses in the Bible…

This single verse answers two of the most important questions ever asked:

1)     Where did man’s sinfulness come from? 

2)     Why is there death and suffering in our world?

You’ve most likely heard people ask these questions…maybe you’ve asked them yourself…

Let’s take a look at the first question: ‘Where did man’s sinfulness come from?’

According to verse 12, we are told that sin entered the world through one man….that man was Adam.

You all remember the story of Adam & Eve from the Garden of Eden…right?

Adam & Eve are given only one restriction while living in the Garden – to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil….that’s it….just one rule…

How difficult could that be to follow, right?

Well…there’s something diabolically interesting about humanity – even within Adam & Eve…It’s the fact that human beings do not like being told what to do!

…And when an authority of some kind gives us a rule to follow – our human nature naturally wants to violate that rule.

Don’t believe me?

How many of you drive faster than the posted speed limit?

Or when you go to the zoo and you see the sign that says “Do not feed the prairie dogs”…

you now suddenly have the urge to see what will happen if you toss the last bite of your hot dog into the prairie dog pen…right?

Why do we want to touch the wall after reading the sign that says, “Don’t Touch - Wet Paint”?

Why do infants go all nuclear when they don’t get what they want?

(Did you know that – according to psychologists – if an angry baby was 6’5” and weighed 300 pounds, it would kill you and not even feel bad about it!!)

…makes you scared to hold a baby now doesn’t it?....little savage beast!....

I’ve heard the same thing about cats…Now, THAT I tend to believe! 😊  I’m sure my mom’s cat would definitely eat me if she could.

We instinctively crave disobedience…and that desire – Paul tells us – comes from a decision (And subsequent action) that was made thousands of years ago by a man named Adam….the very first human being.

It was a decision to sin by disobeying God’s law to not eat from a specific tree in the Garden.

Now, I can already read the minds of some of you fellas here this morning…you’re thinking “But it was EVE!!!

EVE was the one who was deceived by the serpent and took the first bite of the apple!...It’s all Eve’s fault!

That may be true on a physical level – but on a spiritual level, it was Adam’s fault.

You see, as the man of the house (Or, ‘man of the Garden’, as it were) it was Adam’s responsibility to protect his wife from danger, including spiritual deception.

Adam shirked his responsibility – he dropped the ball…big time.

Adam could have – and should have – told the serpent to leave his wife alone, but he didn’t.

…and it’s not like Adam was off doing something on the other side of the garden.

Genesis 3:6 tells us that Adam was right there alongside of Eve while the serpent was spewing his lies of deception.

Adam apparently did nothing about it – he took no action to put an end to the conversation – and when his wife offered him a bite of the forbidden fruit, he ate it along with her.

On a physical level, Adam had become just as guilty as Eve…and on a spiritual level, Adam had become more guilty than Eve – because it was Adam’s specific job to protect his family from any kind of evil influence.

…which, by the way, if you are a man here today – that’s your job as well.

God has instituted you to be the protector of your household – not only in a physical way – but in a spiritual way as well.

It’s your job to shield your wife & children against the deceptive influence of Satan and his demonic forces…

…Not taking responsibility in this area of your life is essentially doing the same thing as Adam did – disobediently sinning against God.

Adam and Eve were created innocent…without sin – but not without the capacity to sin – In other words, they had free will.

Just as the mighty angel Lucifer was also created without sin, yet he was also granted the capacity to sin…which he did…becoming Satan, the spiritual enemy of God…and of all mankind.

Likewise, Adam used his free will to disobey God, resulting in a cascading effect of spiritual depravity extending to every single one of his offspring – including you and me!

All human beings would now be born into sin, and consequently, enter this world under God’s wrath.

Have you ever seen videos of large-scale domino toppling – where thousands of dominos are all set up on end next to each other.

When the first domino is knocked over, it results in a chain reaction of domino after domino falling into the next.

If each of us is a domino in the chain – Adam was the first domino to topple over.

It was his sin that caused all of us to be born under the curse of depravity.

This is what theologians refer to as original sin.

Because God considered Adam to be the head of the human race, all of us – because we are all human – share in his sinfulness.

One act, by one individual, has affected – and continues to affect – every other human being who has ever lived.

This is the bad news…but now – beginning in verse 15 – Paul pivots and he begins to give us the good news….

Verse 15 (Romans 5:15) reads: “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!

Here, Paul begins the contrast between Adam and Jesus.

The disobedient action of one man brought condemnation to humanity…

…While the obedient action of the other man brought the opportunity for justification and righteousness to humanity.

Someone once put it this way “One man’s failure brought mankind’s fall, while one man’s fix brought mankind’s favor.”

Comparisons are a great teaching tool because they leave a lasting visual image.

I still remember as a kid watching those Bounty paper towel commercials where they would place the Bounty brand side-by-side with another brand of paper towel to see which one would perform better.

Of course, Bounty always won because it was, indeed, the ‘Quicker-Picker-Upper!”

Tide Laundry detergent did the same thing in their ads when they would display a white sock cleaned with Tide compared to a sock cleaned using the “Other leading Detergent” ….And of course the Tide sock was much cleaner.

We remember these ads because they provide contrast – and our brains tend to remember contrast more so than similarity.

Paul understood this, so by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he chooses to teach us spiritual truths by contrasting two people who each made a decision…two very different decisions.

It’s a contrast that shows us just how much more powerful and affective the obedience of Jesus was compared to that of the disobedience of Adam.

Adam’s action brought death to mankind, but Jesus’ action of going to the cross provided for mankind to not only be restored to innocence, but to share in the full righteousness and glory of God!

Paul also refers to this contrast in 1 Corinthians 15:21-22 when he says: “For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.”

The LIFE that Jesus provides to those who come to Him far outweighs the death that all of us have inherited through Adam.

Through the atonement of Christ, man can now receive the very life of God.

John Calvin said it this way: “Christ is much more powerful to save, than Adam was to destroy.”

Another way to state the difference is that the power of sin, which is death, can be broken…but the power of Christ, which is salvation, cannot be broken!

2 Timothy 1:10 tells us that “It has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”

This, folks, is the good news of the Gospel – that Jesus Christ atoned for our sins on the cross…and that by His shed blood, man is now able to stand before a Holy God as righteous and blameless!!... (Can I get an ‘Amen’ here?)

 Look at verse 18 (Romans 5:18) with me if you would.

Paul says “….Just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.”

I want you to take note of the word “all” here.

Some have confused what Paul is saying in this passage and have claimed that the atonement of Christ means that all people will inherit salvation in the same way that all people have inherited condemnation.

This is called the doctrine of Universalism – this is NOT what Paul is saying here.

Universalism is a heresy that goes against countless passages of scripture that speak to the prerequisite of faith in Jesus in order for one to be saved.

We see many such passages in the first few chapters of the book of Romans alone.

Romans 1:16 says that the gospel is “The power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes…”

Romans 3:22 says “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe…”

In Romans 4:13, Paul reminds us once again that righteousness “Comes by faith.”

So, we know that Paul is obviously not saying in verse 18 that all people will be saved.

Rather, Paul is using the word ‘all’ here for the sake of parallelism…just as he does in the next verse (Romans 5:19) when he uses the word ‘many’ to describe those affected by the sin of Adam - as well as those who have received righteousness through faith in Christ.

When it comes to being infected with original sin, we know that ‘many’ really means ‘all men’…Paul is just using the words ‘all’ and ‘many’ in a way that fits the parallelism being utilized in this contextual atmosphere.

When it comes to wrapping my head around the way in which the atonement affects all people, I liken it to a scene that I once saw in a Star Wars movie.

In the Movie “The Force Awakens”, the evil Kylo Ren murders his father, Han Solo.

After Han solo dies, the droid R2D2 suddenly wakes up from a state of technological dormancy that he had been in for years.

The death of one man caused the droid to regain a level of functionality that had been lost for a long time.

Now, functional again, R2D2 could use his ‘free will’ to help the resistance find Luke Skywalker by providing a map of his whereabouts….

But the thing is, R2D2 had to make the decision to divulge the information he had about Luke – he didn’t have to assist anybody if he didn’t want to.

It’s my belief that the atonement through Jesus Christ countered the effects of our sinful depravity to the extent that all men (Throughout all time periods) are  granted a spiritual functionality to the point where they could now choose to respond to God’s calling upon their lives.

The atonement brought mankind out of a spiritual dormancy to the point where he is now able to make a decision to follow Jesus – or a decision to reject Jesus.

Now, If you’re a strong 5-point Calvinist who believes that man really has nothing to contribute to his salvation, you may disagree with this viewpoint….and that’s ok – you were predestined to feel that way 😊

…Sorry, that’s a joke for all of my reformed friends out there.

To the extreme Calvinists watching on Facebook, I love you…please don’t send me hate mail…

Unless, of course,  you have no choice in the matter…then, go ahead I guess….

Address all complaints to Marlene Sloniker, Bundy Holler, WI 😊

You’ve maybe heard me say on occasion that on a good day when I’m really standing my spiritual ground…I’m an Arminian (In other words, I have complete free will)

…But on a bad day when I realize that I’ve sinned, I’m a Calvinist (In other words, I had no choice but to sin)

Ok…enough of the lame theology jokes.

No matter how you interpret the impact of the Atonement here in Romans chapter 5, we should all be able to agree that God’s grace is far more powerful than our sin.

Paul says as much in the final two verses of today’s passage.

In verse 20 (Romans 5:20) we read that “…Where sin increased, grace increased all the more.”

And in verse 21 (Romans 5:21) “So that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

In other words, no matter what you may have done in your life…no matter how heinous the sin in your past may be…God’s grace can – and will – cover it when you truly come to Him in repentance and faith.

Has anyone here ever been to the Hoover Dam?

Amazing, isn’t it?....Lisa especially likes the view from the O’Callaghan-Tillman Memorial Bridge overlooking the Dam…when standing on the bridge,  you can gaze 900’ straight down to the Colorado River below.

The Hoover Dam itself is 726’ tall – a very impressive height.

Sometimes we believe that our sin can build a dam high enough to keep God’s grace from flowing over and washing the dam away….

We begin to believe the lies of Satan when he whispers into our ear that we are just too far gone for God to love us….

DO NOT BELIEVE THOSE LIES OF THE DEVIL!!!

If you have been deceived into thinking that you’ve committed some unpardonable sin….that you are too far gone for God to save you….

Well… I am here today to tell you that that is completely untrue.

God’s grace has the power to easily wash over your dam of sin.

God loves you so much that He sacrificed His only Son that you can have the ability to live forever in Heaven with Him.

He has provided you with the opportunity to choose your eternal destiny…

Either with your Savior forever in Heaven…or away from your Savior forever in a place called Hell.

If you haven’t already, give your life to Jesus!

Don’t Delay!

Then watch how He will transform you into the person of faith you’ve always truly wanted to be!

Let’s Pray.