Romans 5, part 2 - The Tale of Two Men!

Here is the story of two men in Romans 21-21. One man brings death and one man brings life.

" ... a much greater power in the second Adam to make us happy, than there was in the first to make us miserable."-Matthew Henry's Commentary

Adam
When Adam choose to eat the forbidden fruit in Genesis it broke the relationship between God and him. I was thinking about dear old Adam & Eve and how I had a few words for them when I got to heaven. The funny thing is that I came to the realization that if it were me in the garden....I bet I would have done the same thing.

It really comes down to it that I think anyone of us would have done the same thing and broke God's heart. Who are we to think we are better than any other human being. Because of Adam's choice, sin enter the world. Because of sin it also brought death. When God gave Moses the law it revealed our sin even more...

¹² Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—

²⁰ The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase.

but we are not without HOPE!

Jesus
Now there is no comparison between these two people. I love verse 15...

¹⁵ 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!

What a fantastic verse for us. The trespass of sin brought death to all; but the Gift of God's grace brings life to All! What a great hope we now have through the shed blood of Jesus.

This quote from Matthew Henry is awesome,

"Surely Adam could not propagate so strong a poison but Jesus Christ could propagate as strong an antidote, and much stronger."

Ooo Ooo this one is good too,

"The stream of grace and righteousness is deeper and broader than the stream of guilt; for this righteousness does not only take away the guilt of that one offence, but of many other offences, even of all. God in Christ forgives all trespasses, Col 2:13. "

Okay this is the last one,

"We are by Christ and his righteousness entitled to, and instated in, more and greater privileges than we lost by the offence of Adam. The plaster is wider than the wound, and more healing than the wound is killing. "

This last one really goes with what I blogged about on Sunday about how sin creates a wound between God and us.


This is a story of two very different men; but whose lives give vast different results on humanity.

With Adam there is disobedience, in Christ there is obedience.
With Adam there is death, in Christ there is Life.
With Adam there is separation, in Christ there is reconciliation.
With Adam there is shame, in Christ there is justification.
With Adam there is the curse of sin, in Christ there is freedom.
With Adam hope is lost, in Christ Hope Remains!

We choose one or the other for our lives. We can continue to live in the curse that Adam brought to us all; or we can choose the free gift of salvation through Christ that will bring us Life. I love the last part of vs. 17...

how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

I will choose Christ and ....

GET JOY!

Check Jenilee's blog on Romans today!
Paintings by: Adam, “The Creation of Adam” Sistine Chapel, c. 1511 Leonardo Da Vinci;
Jesus "Forgiven - Jesus Christ" Russ Docken