Study session scripture: Romans 5:12-21

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. But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Study session topics:

• Hope in Christ's triumph over Adam's sin

• Paul now seeks to encourage his audience in assurance of their salvation by contrasting the two most important events in history

• Brief recap of last week--We can be assured of our salvation because:

  • God has made peace with us through Christ's atoning work

  • Through that same work, we now stand in a new relationship with God

  • We have a sure and certain hope that we will see God

  • Our salvation enables us to endure suffering in this life without despair

  • Christ came to die for us when we were His enemies

  • If God has justified us, He will surely glorify us

• Paul now explains that, even beyond justification, salvation unites us to Jesus Christ as our covenantal head

• "Therefore" -Paul's main idea here is that we can remain under Adam as our covenant head, or we can take Christ as our new covenant head -"death spread to all men because all sinned"--What does this mean?

  • Pelagian view: Each person sins of themselves, apart from connection to Adam, and their death is a consequence of their individual sins

  • Cavin's view: "all sinned" means all were corrupted by Adam's sin

  • Augustine's view: All generations were in Adam, so when he sinned, we all sinned

  • Federalist view: Adam stood as representative of all humanity, so because Adam, our representative, sinned, we are judged as also having sinned

• Three great contrasts between Adam and Jesus

• Natural vs. Supernatural -One sin vs. Many sins

• Death vs. The reign of life

• In v. 18, Paul finishes the thought he started in v. 12 and brings in the concept of union to Christ as opposed to union to Adam

• Two slippery passages

  • "the many" has a different meaning in relation to Adam than in relation to Christ, and should not be read as endorsing universalism

  • "the law came in to increase the trespass" does not mean God desired for there to be more sin, but that the law brings out the nature and magnitude of sin

• What is union with Christ? Four scriptural analogies:

• The vine and the branches (John 15:1-5)

• The foundation and the house built upon it (Matthew 7:24-25)

• The head and the members of the body (Ephesians 4:11-16) -Marriage (Ephesians 5:28-32)

Study session audio: