Romans 5:12-14

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.

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Transcript

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Hello. This is Dr. Bill Branks, author of Love the Word. Listen as I read our text for today, Romans 5 verses 12-14. Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned, for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. The Machu Dam on the Machu River in Gujarat, India, failed on August 11, 1979. The dam was constructed in 1972 as a composite structure with a masonry spillway and earthen embankments on both sides. The failure was caused by excessive rainfall and massive flooding, which disintegrated the four-mile-long earthen walls, causing their collapse. Despite efforts, three of the gates remained non-operational. The overtopping of the earthen embankments led to a catastrophic breach. A wall of water, 12 to 30 feet high, flooded the low-lying areas of Morbai, located five miles below the dam. Estimates of fatalities range widely from 1,800 to 25,000 people. The flood also killed hundreds of thousands of livestock and devastated dozens of villages and the city of Morbai. It damaged farmland, reducing crop productivity and causing significant economic losses. This all happened in less than 20 minutes. The collapse was swift and devastating. There are many natural disasters that happen suddenly and without warning. Today, many systems have been put into place to warn people as soon as possible. Earthquakes, tornadoes, and tsunamis kill thousands each year because there is little knowledge that a disaster is imminent. Romans 5 verse 12 depicts such a catastrophic event, the worst mankind will ever experience. This collapse was also swift and devastating. The tragedy here, though, is that ample warning was given. A clear warning was given by God Himself, disaster loomed if his law was not followed. In many cases of natural disasters, people ignore the warnings because they do not trust the one who sounds the alarm or believe the magnitude of the destruction. The warning is in Genesis 2 verses 15-17. The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and tend it. And the Lord God commanded the man, You are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die. It was neither God's desire nor responsibility to give full details of the ramifications of their disobedience. Unconditional obedience to God must be sufficient, do not question his warnings. If we do not get all the information we think we need, disobedience is not an option. The fall of mankind was swift and devastating. Man chose sin, and death was the consequence. Sin and its resulting death have been the permanent curse for roughly 155 generations since Adam. Every generation infects the next with sin and its curse of death, including spiritual death. God warned Adam, Adam ignored it, and the fall of man was immediate with great consequences. Sin was present and identified from the beginning, not at the introduction of the law. Paul writes that sin was not apparent without the Mosaic law, which shed a clear light on the reality of God's righteousness and man's unrighteousness. Sin and death reign since man's swift and devastating choice. Adam's failure brought sin at all levels to his race. Before we judge Adam too harshly, the name Adam means mankind. We are Adam. He represents every generation in our willful sin. Good news. Adam was the first and failed, but Christ was the second and final Adam. The second representative of mankind who got it right, he knew no sin. The first Adam brought sin and death to every generation, but Christ eradicates it for everyone who believes. Adam was merely a type of the one who was to come. A type only because he was human and his actions affected many, but that is where the similarities end. The death and resurrection of Christ turn the tide on the devastating effects of sin. Sin and death are no longer the bitter destiny for those who believe. Christ alone keeps us from sin. Like Adam, we are mere humans, from the earth, creatures of dust, destined to die, yet through the shed blood of Christ, we can be forgiven, made righteous, and bear the image of Christ our Savior. Meditate on this text. Thus it is written, the first man Adam became a living being, the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first, but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust, the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.