Sunday School Notes - Romans 5:12-21

“Peace Lost and Regained”

By Pastor Rich Paradis

Romans 5:12-21

 

As we continue our study of Romans 5, we cannot take on this portion without consideration of the previous. The point of the chapter is: peace with God, both positionally and experientially, is the result of justification by faith. That peace is lived out in access to God and even a rejoicing in tribulation as growth occurs in the life of the believer instead of the despair of those without Christ. So how did this peace get lost to mankind in the first place? And how was it regained? That’s the subject of our passage today.

 

I.                    How was peace with God lost in the first place?    Romans 5:12-17

a.       As this portion opens, we are introduced to the cause of our “lost peace”. The theologians over the ages have discussed and argued over the “how” of this truth, but the truth itself is not in question for the one who believes that the words of Scripture are true.

b.      It is interesting to note that the identity of this “man” is not given until Vs. 14, where that “man” is named as Adam. The Scripture tells us that Adam’s sin had an effect on not just him, but also on all of us. This “original sin” had an effect on all generations to follow and will provide a powerful “comparison by contrast” to the “One” who will provide an opportunity for regained peace.

c.       There are 3 basic options for understanding the “how” this original sin of Adam (the head) affected us:

                                                               i.      Adam as the “example” of sin – This understanding would have Adam sinning and us simply following his bad example later on, thus losing peace positionally with God and deserving death. The problem with this view is that the passage itself seems to connect the sin of Adam with us much more dramatically than just “example”.

                                                             ii.      Adam as the “federal head” of the human race – In this understanding, Adam is appointed by God as the “federal head” of the entire human race and through a “covenant of works” with God he acted on behalf of all humankind. The conditions of this would be: Adam’s obedience would equal eternal life and Adam’s disobedience would equal corruption and death. Among other things, the problem with this view is that the Bible doesn’t discuss either the appointing of Adam to this position or the covenant in its pages.

                                                            iii.      Adam as the “seminal head” of the human race – This view seems to reflect the passage before us the best. In this understanding, all of us sinned with Adam in that when he sinned all of sinned because we were in him. We will all come from him and we inherit this sinful nature because of who we are connected to.

d.      While all of this is probably as “clear as mud”, it becomes incredibly important to not only understanding sin, but ultimately understanding the work of Christ. Part of our difficulty in understanding is our individualistic western mindset that makes all of this “unfair” in some sense. The mindset of the one reading this in the ancient world would not struggle with it nearly as much because of their understanding of the solidarity of the race.

e.       For our understanding, let’s say it this way: when Adam sinned, the race sinned because the race was in him. What Adam did, the whole race did, because the whole race was in him. If you are troubled by the “unfairness” of all of this, you will have to reconcile also the “unfairness” of all being potentially reconciled by the “One” who makes regained peace a possibility.

f.        Let’s see if we can move forward. A discussion of the Law follows in Vs. 13 that even makes the passage seem that much more difficult. In the period between this original sin and the Law there was clearly a penalty for sin: death. But until the Mosaic Law came along, the understanding of this in the individual was not there. In Romans 7:7-12, we have Paul discussing this in some detail as it relates to his own life.

g.       With all of this “mud” before us, let’s see what Paul is trying to say in overview. He is saying that when Adam, the head of the human race sinned, the whole human race sinned because it was in him and is therefore guilty before God. On the other hand, Jesus is the spiritual head of a new race, those that trust in Him, and in Him is regained peace apart from our actions or inactions beyond belief in Him.

h.       We are introduced to the word “type” in Vs. 14. Adam is a type, or picture, of the One who was to come: Christ. How is he a picture in that what he brought to mankind was the opposite of what Christ will bring? He is a type in that Adam will communicate to those he represents what belongs to him (sin and death). Jesus Christ will also communicate to those He represents what belongs to Him (grace and peace regained)

i.         Beginning in Vs. 15-17, we have some comparisons by contrast being made regarding Adam and then Jesus Christ. It is important to remember that in Christ we are not just simply brought back to a neutral position. Instead we are actually gaining much more than neutrality before God. Let’s look at each of these in more detail:

                                                               i.      The sin of Adam is contrasted with the gift of Christ – Paul’s focus on Adam’s sin is that it brought death to all men. Therefore, if Christ’s obedience only reversed what Adam had lost than all men would simply live forever and not die. But much more than that happened: peace, access to God, hope in the future, and eternal life all delivered through the gift that Christ gave us at the Cross.

                                                             ii.      The timing of Adam’s condemnation with the timing of the gift of Christ’s righteousness – God’s judgment of Adam followed only one sin and brought condemnation. But after thousands of years and millions of sins, God still by His grace gave the human race the gift of justification through the death and resurrection of Christ.

                                                            iii.      The  reign of death is contrasted with the reign of life – Adam’s reign of life only lasted until his sin in the garden. After his sin, death reigned in that all of his descendants died. But in Christ, death has been swallowed up! Death does not have to frighten the believer, for it has been handled by Christ once for all.

 

II.                 How was peace with God regained?    Romans 5:18-19

a.       In Vs. 18, we have the answer to the “peace lost” of Vs. 12. As much as the sin of one man (Adam) resulted in loss of peace for all mankind, one act of righteousness resulted in the potential justification of all mankind.

b.      The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ made justification by faith a possibility. Once we were at war with our Maker, but now we can be reconciled to Him because of the work of Christ at the Cross.

c.       When looking at Vs. 19, we have to be careful to not end up with a “universalist” approach to all of this. One might be led to believe that since the sin of one man put all in condemnation, than the “righteous act” of Christ would make all men to be in right standing again with God. But Vs. 17 offers the answer to a “universalist” approach when it says that those that “receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness” are the ones that have the peace that was lost restored.

d.      In a very real sense, the thoughts of Vs. 12 and 18 are a culmination of the entire book of Romans thus far. Chapters 1:18 – 3:20 told us that man is sinful and separated from God. Chapter 3:21 – 5:11 tell us that this “lost peace” can be regained in the person of Jesus Christ through justification by faith.

 

III.               But what about the Law?    Romans 5:20-21

a.       Thus far, we have heard Paul say that those from Adam to Moses are just as guilty as those living after Moses. But the Jew saw the giving of the Law and it impact on the people as the most important distinctive of their nation. So what did the giving of the Law do that wasn’t already done before? Verse 20 tells us that the giving of the Law brought attention and recognition to the sins that were committed against God and their ramifications.

b.      But Verses 20-21 go on to share an incredible thought. With this knowledge of sin and it ramifications, grace is abounding even more. Sin and its knowledge increased, but grace increased even more! That point will be critical as we move on into Chapter 6.

 

IV.              An Application For All Of Us

a.       Through Adam’s sin all mankind was affected and infected with death and separation. (Loss of peace with God)

b.      In Christ and His death and resurrection, the answer to “peace lost” was given.

c.       Knowledge of sin and its ramifications are only part of the story; grace has been made available to all who receive Him with all of the benefits of “peace regained”!!!!