Paul's final argument in support of justification by faith was a development of his previous emphasis on the solidarity that the saved experience with their Savior (5:1-2, 9-10). In this section (5:12-21) he expanded that idea by showing that just as Adam's sin has affected all people, so Jesus Christ's obedience has affected all believers.
"As Adam's one sin never fails to bring death, so Christ's one righteous act in behalf of sinners never fails to being the opposite award to those who are in Him."159
The apostle viewed Adam and Christ as federal heads of two groups of people. A federal head is a person who acts as the representative of many others and whose actions result in consequences that the individuals he represents inevitably experience. Examples of federal heads include a king, a president, a member of congress, and a parent, among others. In this section Paul was not looking at what individual sinners have done, which had been his interest previously. Rather he looked at the one trespass of Adam, namely the Fall, and the one righteous act of Jesus Christ, namely His death, and their consequences for those affected by their acts. Adam's act made all of his descendants sinners. We are sinners not only because we commit acts of sin but also because Adam's sin corrupted the human race and made sinning inevitable for his descendants. Christ's act made all who trust in Him righteous apart from their own works.
"The power of Christ's act of obedience to overcome Adam's act of disobedience is the great theme of this paragraph. . . .
"The main connection is with the teaching of assurance of final salvation in the immediately preceding paragraph (vv. 2b, 9-10). The passage shows why those who have been justified and reconciled can be so certain that they will be saved from wrath and share in the glory of God': it is because Christ's act of obedience ensures eternal life for all those who are in Christ.'"160
5:12 Paul did not call Adam and Christ by name when he first spoke of them but referred to each as "one man."161He thereby stressed the unity of the federal head with those under his authority who are also "men"(i.e., people).
We might interpret this verse as meaning that Adam only set a bad example for mankind that everyone has followed if we did not continue reading. Adam's sin had a more direct and powerful effect than that of a bad example (v. 15).
Paul personified sin presenting it as an evil power. He probably meant both physical and spiritual death.
Why did Paul and God hold Adam responsible for the sinfulness of the race when it was really Eve who sinned first? They did so because Adam was the person in authority over and therefore responsible for Eve (Gen. 2:18-23).
Paul compared the manner in which death entered the world, through sin, and the manner in which it spread to everyone, also through sin. Death is universal because sin is universal. Paul's concern was more with original death than with original sin.
"Death, then, is due immediately to the sinning of each individual but ultimately to the sin of Adam; for it was Adam's sin that corrupted human nature and made individual sinning an inevitability."162
5:13-14 Paul did not carry through the comparison begun in verse 12 here. If he had it would have been "so righteousness entered the world by one man and life through righteousness."Evidently Paul broke off his statement because he wanted to develop the case of Adam. Verses 13-14 explain verse 12. He returned to the thought begun in verse 12 in verse 18.
The point of these verses is that people died physically before God gave the Mosaic Law. If there is no law, there can be no transgression (cf. 3:20). Since death is the penalty for sin, why did those people die? The answer is they died because of Adam's sin. The corporate sinning of all people "in"Adam accounts for the universality of death.
The idea that people should involuntarily suffer punishment because of the sins of another is repugnant to us. Nevertheless as the head of the human race, Adam's actions resulted in consequences that his descendants had to bear. Likewise any representative leader's decisions result in consequences his followers must bear. For example, when our president decides to sign into law some piece of legislation it becomes binding on everyone under his authority. Similarly we all bear physical characteristics that are the product of our parents' action of producing a child. It is just one of the facts of life that we all suffer the consequences of the decisions of those who have preceded us and are over us (cf. Heb. 7:9-10). Some of those consequences are good for us and others are bad for us. We have all been born sinners because of Adam's sin. Some people rebel against God because of this. However, God has promised not to reckon our sins to us if we will trust in His Son (2 Cor. 5:19). He has provided a way to secure pardon.
"Romans Five does not talk of a nature of sin received by us from Adam, but of our being made guiltyby his act. We were so connected with the first Adam that we did not have to wait to be born, or to have a sinful nature; but when Adam, our representative, acted, we acted. . . .
"Every little white coffin,--yea, every coffin, should remind us of the universal effect of that sin of Adam, for it was thus and thus only that death passed to all men.'"163
Adam was a "type"or "pattern"(Gr. tupos) of one who would follow him, namely Jesus Christ. Adam's act had universal impact and prefigured Christ's act, which also has universal impact. The point of similarity between Adam and Christ is that what each did affected many others. Each communicated what belonged to him to those he represented.
"Adam came from the earth, but Jesus is the Lord from heaven (1 Cor. 15:47). Adam was tested in a Garden, surrounded by beauty and love; Jesus was tempted in a wilderness, and He died on a cruel cross surrounded by hatred and ugliness. Adam was a thief, and was cast out of Paradise; but Jesus Christ turned to a thief and said, Today shalt thou be with Me in Paradise' (Luke 23:43). The Old Testament is the book of the generations of Adam' (Gen. 5:1) and it ends with a curse' (Mal. 4:6). The New Testament is The book of the generation of Jesus Christ' (Matt. 1:1) and it ends with no more curse' (Rev. 22:3)."164
5:15-17 The effect of Jesus Christ's act on people was totally different from that of Adam's and vastly superior to it, as "much more"indicates. "Much more"here shows that Jesus Christ did not just cancel the effects of Adam's sin, but he provided more than Adam lost or even possessed, namely the righteousness of God! Paul probably used the phrase "the many"to highlight the importance of Adam and Christ who were individuals (cf. Isa. 53:11-12; Mark 10:45). In the case of Adam, "the many"means all people, but in the case of Christ, "the many"means all who receive the benefit of His act, all believers.
In Adam's case a single sin by a single individual was sufficient to bring condemnation to the whole human race. In Christ's case one act of obedience, which the transgressions of many people made necessary, was sufficient to bring justification to all those who believe in Him (v. 16).
The consequence of Adam's sin was death reigning over mankind. The consequence of Christ's obedience was mankind reigning over death (v. 17). This implies the believer's resurrection and participation in Jesus Christ's reign as well as our reigning in this life.
5:18-19 These verses summarize Paul's point, as indicated by "So then"or "Consequently."They also complete the thought that Paul broke off at the end of verse 12. "Transgression"or "trespass"(cf. vv. 15, 16, 17) highlights the deliberate disobedience of Adam (v. 19; cf. Gen. 2:17). Many will become righteous (v. 19) both forensically (justified), as they believe, and practically (glorified). "The many"here, of course, means the justified.165The obedience of Christ is a reference to His death as the ultimate act of obedience rather than to His life of obedience since it is His death that saves us.
"There is no more direct statement in Scripture concerning justification than we find in verse 19 . . ."166
5:20-21 One of the purposes of the Mosaic Law was to increase the sinfulness of people. It did so at least by exposing behavior that was until then not obviously contrary to God's will. God did this to prove man's sinfulness to him.
"The fact and power of sin' introduced into the world by Adam has not been decreased by the law, but given a new dimension as rebellion against the revealed, detailed will of God; sin has become transgression' . . . [cf. 7:13; Gal. 3:19]"167
However when God provided Jesus Christ, He provided grace (favor) that far exceeded the sin that He exposed when He provided the Law. We could translate "abounded"or "increased"(v. 20) "superabounded."
"The apostle waxes almost ecstatic as he revels in the superlative excellence of the divine overruling that makes sin serve a gracious purpose."168
Verse 21 is the grand conclusion of the argument in this pericope (5:12-21). It brings together the main concepts of sin and death, and righteousness and life. Effectively Paul played down Adam and exalted Jesus Christ.
"Paul often thinks in terms of spheres' or dominions,' and the language of reigning' is particularly well suited to this idea. Death has its own dominion: humanity as determined, and dominated, by Adam. And in this dominion, sin is in control. But those who receive the gift' (v. 17) enjoy a transfer from this domain to another, the domain of righteousness, in which grace reigns and where life is the eventual outcome."169
This section (5:12-21) shows that mankind is guilty before God because all of Adam's descendants are sinners by virtue of Adam's sin. Earlier Paul wrote that we are all guilty because we have all committed acts of sin (chs. 3-4). Jesus Christ's death has removed both causes for condemnation righteously, guilt for personal sins and guilt for original sin. This section helps us understand our union with Christ that Paul explained further in chapter 6.
