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romans Chapters 1 - 5.

1. THE COURT HOUSE OF GOD …….
 Here we see GOD’S WRATH, 
His condemnation and the miracle of Justification is explained.

romans CHAPTER FIVE.

PART TWO….

  AN ASTONISHING SUMMARY – DO NOT MISS THIS!

  Now Romans 5 takes us into a summary of condemnation –

 Verses 12-21

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:”

13 “(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.”

14 “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.”

15 “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.”

16 “And not as [it was] by one that sinned, [so is] the gift: for the judgment [was] by one to condemnation, but the free gift [is] of many offences unto justification.”

17 “For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ)”

18 “Therefore as by the offence of one [judgment came] upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one [the free gift came] upon all men unto justification of life.’

19 “For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”

20 “Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:”

21 “That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.”

.This is a passage, which is often used to show how Christ saved us, and why.

Theologians have pondered over its significance for long centuries. 

Verse 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:”

The federal head of the human race, Adam, brought sin into the world.

Now what does this mean to you and me?

There are a number of false doctrines taught about this verse and the ones that follow. We could spend some time here just comparing these, and arriving at the Truth by simply looking carefully at God’s Word itself.

1. Some wrongly teach that Adam’s sin was NOT imputed to us,

verse 13“ For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.”

Only in the way that a banker writes down and credits to our account funds. “Imputation” is a banking term, and means to credit to our account, true, but in Adam’s case and the Fall of man something terrible happened, which we read of in verse 12 (read).

“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:”

 Let us read some of the details, which I wrote to a lecturer who was teaching about the difference between the Catholic doctrine of Justification and the Protestant, Biblical, doctrine of Justification.

 (Letter to lecturer)….see Appendix  1.

 2. Some wrongly teach that Adam’s sin only affected himself, and he merely set a bad example.

This is the PELAGIAN VIEW.

 3. Some teach that Adam’s sin just weakened our will, and so we no longer fight against sin.

This is called the SEMI-PELAGIAN VIEW.

 4. The FEDERAL or AUGUSTINIAN VIEW...See also Appendix 3
This presents the Truth as shown by God’s Word itself, and that is all that matters, as follows:

Adam’s sin, because of the unity of the human race, was indeed imputed to posterity. But, this sin and the Fall brought about a corrupt nature in all who followed Adam, because HE had fallen in sin and has a corrupt nature. We were lost because we had fallen in Adam, and because his fall has made us SINNERS who also deserve separation from God.

See

Romans 3:23.

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” 

Here we should consult Wilmington about this vital distinction.

Quite a brain-teaser, but worth the mental effort to understand:

“For all have sinned [aorist tense, a once-for-all act in history]
and come short [imperfect tense, repeatedly coming short]
of the glory of God.”

 Here is quick run-down on the Truth of  Romans 5:12-21: [see above] 

The Bible always has a distinction between the ROOT of my problem, which is ADAM’S SIN and the Fall, and the FRUIT of my problem, which is SINS caused by myself. I am not a sinner because I sin; 
I sin because I am sinner who became that way in Adam!

  
ADAM BROUGHT DEATH INTO THE WORLD. 

• He brought physical death –
  
  Gen. 3:19;
  “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou [art], and unto dust shalt thou return.”
  Gen. 5:5;
  “And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.”
  Psalm 90:10;

“The days of our years [are] threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength
[they be] fourscore years, yet [is] their strength labour and sorrow;
for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.”

·        He brought spiritual death as well –

Matt. 7:23;
“And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you:
depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
Matt. 25:41;
“Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:”
Rev. 2:11;
“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches;
He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.” 
Rev. 20:6;
“Blessed and holy [is] he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” 
Rev. 20:14;
“And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.”
 Rev. 21:8.
“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

·        Because of Adam we were all made sinners,
and were condemned for his sin and OUR OWN sin! 

CHRIST WAS THE SECOND FEDERAL HEAD. 

Christ Jesus became the second head of state.

• He brought LIFE into the world and perfect righteousness;
• He brought ABUNDANT LIFE to the world.

This word “abundance” is an old Latin word which means “to rise in waves.”

The “much mores” of Romans chapter five show us that if we lost so much in Adam, 
we gain MUCH MORE in Christ than what we lost in Adam!
                                             We “rise in the waves” of sin and loss. 
See again

Romans 5:15;
 “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.”
Romans 5:17;
 “For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ)”

Romans 5:20.
“Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:” 

In Adam his sin was imputed to our account, and we became sinners.
In Christ He died for us all, He became sin for us, and His righteousness is now imputed to us.

( Romans 4:24,25

24 “But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;” 

25 “Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.”).

GOD’S WONDERFUL WAY OF SANCTIFICATION.

Up to Romans 5, Paul does not discuss SANCTIFICATION, he only discusses JUSTIFICATION. 
As we head on into Romans chapters 6-8 we see Paul only talking about SANTIFICATION.

We need to understand these different words clearly: 

JUSTIFICATION: is an act,
SANCTIFICATION is a work ( it means to “set apart” for holy purposes only);

JUSTIFICATION is the means by which God brings salvation,
SANCTIFICATION is the end result of God’s grace; 

The first removes the punishment, the penalty, and the guilt of sin;
The second removes the power of sin, and  stops the growth of sin in us. 

The former works for us,
The latter works in us; 

This quote is great, from Willmington: 

“Justification furnishes the track which leads to heaven,

while Sanctification furnishes the train.”

Page 237 of Bancroft. 

Important:-  Paul antidates the physical headship of Adam (Eph.1: 4;  Col.1: 15-17) by the Spiritual headship of Christ!  Humanity  had no choice to commission its representative.  There is a solidarity of the race.  Like the oak in the acorn, so all humanity resides in Adam and, by grace through faith, also in Christ.  We must choose to reside in Christ, or we reImages in Adam.

More next time on this SANCTIFICATION as we move into Romans chapter six.

APPENDIX 1….

Correspondence with Rob Zins re Apostate Catholic Doctrine  used at Protestant Conference held by John Macarthur in USA to Reach Catholics in 2001.

Monday, 2 July 2001 

Dear Rob,

 We were very interested in a video given to us recently, from a  Christian  Conference, an Ex-Nun, Ex-Priests & John Macarthur et al ] with you as one of the speakers. Let me say immediately that we see you as one of our own "troops" and our magazine, Despatch, stands against Ecumenism, the One World church and the demolition of the Protestant Reformation. We are Biblical Christians. I have been a Christian some 43 years and support what the video cited above, in general, is presenting. I myself write against these matters on an international level, and have spoken on Christian radio a number of times throughout the world. 

I want to discuss with you, your doctrinal stand on Justification by Faiths because it seemed to me that you have over-balanced on the point of the imputation of Adam's sin being the sole reason why Christ Jesus died on the Cross. It certainly appeared that you have done this in your video, and if you do not believe in this presentation entirely but have simply taught a simplified view in order to clarify the errors of the Vatican, then you must, I believe, be careful to present the whole of the reason why Christ died in future seminars. Can we briefly look at my concerns here? Remember I realize you could have simplified and time was short or you could have been looking at the trees and not seen the wood - either way I am not trying to discourage or criticize your stand, not at all. 

1. You seem to me to be saying that Christ died only to pay the price due to Adam's sin, which was imputed to the whole human race. Therefore, because Christ Jesus was the second Man and the last Adam the sole need was for the sin of Adam, as federal head of the human race, to be dealt with by sacrifice Yes or no? 

2 it appears to me that you are saying that the Catholic error about Justification is that they believe in the infused sin of Adam within being the problem of mankind, and not the fall of humanity in Adam. Therefore the Catholic concept of infused righteousness is seen as the answer to the dilemma of sin something that happens within a sinner. We agree here, that is surely part of the apostasy of Rome. 

3. But, it appears that you may have forgotten to mention that Jesus Christ did not just die for the imputed sin of Adam, He died for the sin of the whole world! He paid out what you and I owed to the Law, in that we have sinned against God as well as Adam. This is quite clear in Scripture, and certainly the book of Romans tells us that. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, see Galatians 3.The whole world is guilty before God, in their own sin see Romans 3:g20. Yes, Christ did die for the results of the fall which came upon the whole world in Adam, but that does not stand alone, we have been made sinners in Adam, and have committed high treason against the Almighty Creator ourselves. That is what the first chapters of Romans are all about, we ourselves being found guilty, not just imputed sin from Adam 

Just looking at two covenants - the Edenic Covenant and the Mosaic Covenant: 

Edenic Covenant: Christ, as the "second Man" and "LAST Adam" (there will be no more "Adams" Christ took back all that Adam lost; 1 Cor. 15:4S47) takes the place over all things that the first Adam lost - Col. 2:10; Heb.2:7-8. 

Mosaic Covenant: Christ lived a perfect sinless life under the Mosaic Covenant, and He bore its curse FOR US, you and me, the whole world - Gal. 3:10-13. 

It is not just simply that He died for the sin imputed by Adam, although He did that too when He died on the Cross. 

This is only a brief E-mail; I do not want to waste time n we are in agreement, because you may have just simplified over-much in your address on the video. 

The implications are enormous if you are indeed saying that Christ only died for the imputed sin of Adam, then I must insist that you re-evaluate this doctrine, it is not Justification by Faith either!!! If so, you have suggested that you do believe this by your comments that the Age of Accountability for children is preached by Protestants - as though you see the sin of people not really being involved in the propitiation of Christ at all etc. The preaching of the Gospel would alter radically n it were true that Christ only died for Adam's imputed sin in the Garden, and it is not, of course. No more would an evangelist urge sinners to repent, or bring the good news that forgiveness was available for them in Christ’s shed Blood - no, an evangelist would have to preach that Adam's sin had cut them off from God, and people must trust that Christ had handled that imputed sin which Adam committed??? Their sin has nothing to do with the death of Christ? The understanding of sin in the BIBLE as it has affected the whole of humanity cannot be left out, we ourselves are SINNERS, made sinners by the fall of Adam, and the Romans passage 5: 12-21 when presented on the video does not deal with the fact that verse 12 declares that by one man sin entered the world, and death by sin; and so DEATH PASSED upon all men, FOR THAT ALL HAVE SINNED. 

We are lost because we fell in Adam, and we received through him a sinful nature, and we have sinned against the Almighty, ourselves. 

When Christ died on the Cross He did indeed take the place of Adam, but He also took my place and died for my sin - see Romans 5:S11. 

I could go on, but this will suffice. Answer this please: are you saying that Christ Jesus ONLY died for the imputed sin of Adam or not?

 Wendy Howard,

editor of 'Despatch' magazine, "Beauty for Ashes"

 *Note: There are two fuller Emails that can be accessed from further Correspondence that was entered into with Rob Zins.

APPENDIX 2….

 romans 5::15 -6:14 (EXTRACT) Willmingtons Guide to the Bible

 “…The crucial passage is verse 12,where the doctrine of the relation of the one to the many is set forth. Special emphasis is laid upon the two prepositions used in the Greek. dia. 'through', and eis, 'into', whereby a channel and a passage are indicated. Through one man as channel sin passed into the world (kosmos), and through sin, as its penalty, death. The world hitherto had been pronounced by the Creator 'very good', but now, by Adam's transgression, both sin and death had entered in. The point which Paul makes is that all are involved in the sin of Adam, all have sinned in him and with him. Humanity is not simply accounted as having sinned and just legally charged with Adam’s sin, but all are declared to have actually and actively sinned with Adam.

             This dogmatic statement leads the apostle into a parenthesis where he faces two difficulties. The first is that up to the time of Moses the law had not been declared. As there was no law there could be no sin. He lets that go, admitting that sin is not imputed when there is no law (13); i.e. is not regarded as guilt involving penalty. In the second place he argues that, law or no law, sin's penalty was in operation from Adam's time. The universality of death nobody could deny, and Paul adheres to the doctrine that death is the sentence of God upon sin, although there was no law until Moses' day, and although those penalized did not sin after the likeness of Adam's sin, i.e. eating the forbidden fruit (14). Commenting upon this verse 14 some argue for the universality of sin but not for its originality. This would be to deny our oneness in Adam which is the type of the oneness of the redeemed in Christ.

             Up to this point Paul is describing the comparison between Adam and Christ. Both by a single act influenced the whole race. Now follows the contrast. The effect of Adam's sin is death; the effect of Christ's righteousness is life. But Paul does not put it that way. He states that the result is abounding, or overflowing, grace or the gift by grace (15), which is further defined in verse 17 as the gift of righteousness. The sentence was of one unto the condemnation of all; the free gift was of many transgressions unto a pronouncement of justification (16). The Greek dikaioma, not the usual dikaiosis, rendered simply justification, means a judicial utterance, or decree, or act of justification or putting right with God. The same Greek word occurs in i. 32, ii. 26, viii. 4, which the RV renders 'ordinance' in each case. The contrast between Adam and Christ is further developed in verse 17 where the one establishes a reign of sin and death, the other a reign of grace and life. The connection with Christ annuls for eternity the sinful connection with Adam.

             Paul now links up with the principle posited in verse 12, restating it and adding the other limb of the parallelism, even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life (18). The offence of one . . . the righteousness of one (18). The Greek can be rendered 'one offence' ('trespass') and 'one act of righteousness'. The difference is between agent and act. The contrast which is in view suggests that the AV rendering is preferable.

  The sum of the whole comparison and contrast between Adam and Christ is stated in verse 19 as the conclusion of the argument that the believer's righteousness is one of grace. It leaves us, however, with the problem of the relation of Adam and Christ to mankind whereby sin on the one hand and grace on the other are transmitted. Imputation is a legal conception and does not completely satisfy. The theory of federal headship is helpful. Paul elsewhere teaches that this spiritual headship of Christ antedates the physical headship of Adam (cf. Eph. i. 4; Col. i. 15-17; see also Jn. i. 1-5). Yet by his deductions from it the apostle indicates a closer relationship, for humanity has no power of choice to commission its representative. The scientific fact of the solidarity of the race gives the best solution. As the whole lies in the germ, the oak in the acorn, so all humanity resides in Adam and, by grace through faith, also in Christ. As we are a physical, so also are we a spiritual organism.

             Paul concludes this section of the believer's righteousness with an appended note on the function of the law. 'Enter the law an accessory, that the trespass might be multiplied; but where sin was multiplied, grace was multiplied the more exceedingly, that as sin was king in death, so too grace, through righteousness, might be king unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.' Grace is not the end. It leads through righteousness to its consummation, eternal life….”

APPENDIX 3….

 The Federal or Augustinian View:

 “For all have sinned [aorist tense, a once for all act in history]

and come short [imperfect tense, repeatedly `Coming Short’ ]

 The Bible distinguishes between the root of my problem, caused by Adam, and the fruit of my problem, sins caused by myself. I am therefore not a sinner because I sin, I sin because – I am a sinner.

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