Sermon Tone Analysis

This passage forces us to ask one critical question- what is the nature of your relationship with Christ?

Your answer to this question makes all the difference in the world.

Being in a relationship with someone can bring with that union several key advantages.

Illustration: Being someone’s pastor during COVID times was sometimes enough to gain me the privilege of access to that person’s hospital room.

My position of pastor carried with it several key advantages.

This is the key thing you must ask yourself- with whom are you in relationship with?

And what advantages or disadvantages does that relationship carry with it?

In Romans 5:12-21 Paul tells us that you are either in a relationship with Adam (the first man), or you are in a relationship with Christ (the second Adam).

You either belong to Adam, which carries with it certain ramifications, or you belong to Christ, which carries with it certain ramifications.

To which man do you belong?

Adam or Christ?

And what ramifications does that relationship carry with it?

The ultimate aim of Paul’s argument in vv.

12-21 is to give proof that the believer is guaranteed future glorification, or future salvation from God’s wrath, or future eternal life.

The point that Paul picks up is found in vv.

9-10 of Romans 5.

Much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God- future tense

we shall be saved by his life- future tense

Speaking of that which is yet to come, final deliverance from the wrath of God come judgement day, and future eternal life- how do we know that believers will receive such blessings?

It all depends to whom you belong.

Paul is teaching us that all people stand in relationship to one of two men, whose actions determine the eternal destiny of all who belong to them.

What will happen to you one day when you stand before God as judge?

Will you be saved from God’s wrath?

Will you be be assured of eternal life?

How can you know the outcome of your eternal destiny?

There are several truths you must know and believe in order to confidently answer that question.

I.

You must acknowledge that your relationship with Adam brings death (vv.

12-14)

If you are to have confidence that one day you will be saved from the wrath of God, that you will be saved by the life of Jesus Christ, then you must acknowledge that your relationship or your union with the first Adam brings you death.

A. Sin entered into the world through one man

Romans 5:12 (ESV)

12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man

This is a reference to the fall of man in the Garden of Eden.

At the moment of Adam’s disobedience sin entered into the world.

Before the fall sin did not exist anywhere.

God’s creation was perfect- it was very good.

But, that all changed when Adam and Eve took of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Through Adam, through one man- sin came into the world.

B. Because of sin death also entered into the world

Romans 5:12 (ESV)

12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin

This is a reference to the curse.

Because of Adam’s sin God pronounced a curse on the entire creation.

The ground itself is cursed, the plants and the animals are cursed.

But, most importantly for our discussion- Adam was cursed.

He was cursed to die- “you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Before the fall presumable Adam would have lived forever in perfect holiness.

But after the fall God cursed the very nature of Adam.

His nature became corrupted with sin and as a result of that sin corruption he was susceptible to death.

There is certainly a reference to physical death here, but I also think there is a reference to spiritual death.

Man is now tainted by sin and that sin brings estrangement from God and if not healed will lead to eternal death in hell.

C. Because of Adam’s corrupted sin nature death has spread to everyone

Romans 5:12 (ESV)

12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men

Everyone is physically connected to Adam.

He is the father of the human race.

There is only one race by the way.

There are not many different races determined by one’s nationality or skin color.

There is simply one race- the human race.

And what determines you inclusion in the human race is your physical connection with the first man— Adam.

But through Adam death has spread to all men.

When Adam sinned God cursed him.

The nature of Adam was cursed and it became a corrupted sin nature.

When God cursed Adam He effectively cursed the entire human race.

All of the potential for the human race existed inside of Adam at the moment of the curse.

And so everyone with a direct physical descent from Adam inherits by birth the same corrupted sin nature that Adam had.

“Death spread to all men.”

In other words, because you are physically connected to Adam, you are physically united with Adam, death has spread to you- you have inherited a corrupted sin nature.

Simply put you are a sinner by birth.

You are not simply a sinner once you commit a sin.

The Bible teaches that you are born a sinner because of you connection to Adam.

Aside: this is a very important verse for theology.

It deals with what we call the imputation of Adam’s sin.

There are several different ways of understanding this verse.

I believe this way to be the best, but you can study it out for yourself and come to your own conclusions.

D. We know that death has spread to everyone because all sin

All people are born with a corrupted sin nature.

How do we know that?

Because all sin.

This bears evidence that their natures are corrupt.

You are not only a sinner by birth, but you are also a sinner by choice.

And your choice to sin demonstrates that you have inherited a corrupted sin nature from Adam, and that through Adam you have also inherited death.

Both physical death and spiritual death- because of your physical connection to Adam and your own choice to sin you have inherited death- that is estrangement from God, and if not healed it will lead to eternal death in hell.

Illustration: A. A. Hodge of Princeton used to illustrate this by saying “if dice, thrown 1,000 times, always turn up sixes, you say the dice are loaded.

So with babies.

They come into the world as thick as those flakes of snow today: and they always come ‘sin up’ . . . the dice are loaded.”

Application: Have you acknowledged that you are a sinner- both by birth and by choice?

Do you understand that because of sin death has spread to you?

Your sin estranges you from God and if your sin problem is not cured it will result in eternal death in hell.

In order to have confidence in the outcome of your eternal destiny you must acknowledge these truths.

Have you done so?

I’ve met people who believe that they are basically good.

The recent school shooting in Uvlade, TX.

Shortly before the shooter drove to Robb Elementary School and killed 21 people, he shot his grandmother in the face at their home, piercing her jaw and upper cheek.

The shooter’s tearful father said in an interview with The Daily Beast: “I just want the people to know I’m sorry man, [for] what my son did,” saying that his son is “a good person” who “stuck to himself.”

The truth is that none of us are good people!

We are all corrupted to our very core with the sin nature- death and corruption has spread to everyone of us, and we all sin!

We all deserve the righteous wrath of God for our sin.

We must acknowledge this truth!

VV. 13-14 are transitional verses to guide Paul’s argument in the rest of the passage.