LIBERTY UNIVERSITY

LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

AN EXEGESIS OF ROMANS 5:12-17

A PAPER

SUBMITTED TO PROF. BRIAN SCALISE

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT

OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE COURSE

“GREEK LANGUAGE TOOLS” – NGRK506

BY

ELKE B. SPELIOPOULOS

DOWNINGTOWN, PA

AUGUST 14, 2009

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents........................................................................................................................i

Introduction................................................................................................................................1

Background and Setting.............................................................................................................3

Context of the Passage...............................................................................................................4

Immediate Context.............................................................................................................4

Larger Context...................................................................................................................5

Commentary on the Passage......................................................................................................7

Key Theological Points............................................................................................................12

Sinners, Yet Beneficiaries................................................................................................12

The Disobedience of Adam as the Contrast to the Obedience of Christ.........................12

Applications.............................................................................................................................13

Applications for Churches...............................................................................................13

Applications for Individual Believers..............................................................................13

Conclusion...............................................................................................................................14

Appendix B: Block Diagram of Romans 5:12-17 (NASB).....................................................19

Bibliography............................................................................................................................20

i
 INTRODUCTION

Paul’s letter to the Romans is by many measures a unique epistle in the pages of the Bible.

While the focus for this paper is a key passage found in Rom. 5:12-17 regarding the sin of Adam

resulting in death and the free gift of grace through Jesus resulting in life, in order to set the stage

for an in-depth analysis, one needs to understand the strong effect Paul’s writing has had on

central figures of the church. Indeed, its impact on conviction, repentance and salvation of

human beings is undeniable.

It can be stated without reserve that throughout history, Romans has served as “a catalyst for

reform and new life” 1. The story is told of a young man with many unanswered questions in the

fourth century A.D. who felt led to pick up a Bible and read the first portion of Scripture before

him. His eyes fell on these words: “Not in revelry and drunkenness, not in licentiousness and

lewdness, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the

flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Rom. 13:13–14, ESV). This young man was St. Augustine, and he

described how in a moment, “the light of confidence flooded into my heart and all the darkness

of doubt was dispelled.” 2

Likewise in the 16th century, Martin Luther was seeking to find clarity from God and found

it in the writings of Romans which confirmed to him that salvation was by grace through faith

alone. This truth compelled Luther to bring about a reform in the church that had not been seen

before and the repercussions of which are still felt today. As such, the letter to the Romans has

1
Ronald F. Youngblood, F. F. Bruce, R. K. Harrison and Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nelson's New
Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Rev. Ed. of: Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary.; Includes Index. (Nashville: T.
Nelson, 1995), under “Romans, Epistle to the”.
2
Ibid.

1
provided an undeniable and instrumental influence on the history and teaching of Christianity

like possibly no other writing in the Scriptures.3

Paul’s epistle is one of the theologically richest books of the Bible. It is not for naught that a

popular evangelism method is called “The Roman Road”. The verses used are all taken from

Romans and constitute an impressive and effective tool to show someone who doesn’t know

Jesus Christ as Lord why his sinful condition requires a Savior. As Seifrid writes, Paul’s

“message to the church at Rome is nothing more than a proclamation of the Scriptures that have

been fulfilled in the incarnate, crucified, and risen Christ”.4

The original story of man becoming disobedient to God is shown through mankind’s

idolatrous behavior and fall, described in Rom. 1:18-32, Adam and his transgression, described

in the passage reviewed in this paper in Rom. 5:12-21, and the human struggle with God’s law,

as explained in Rom. 7:7-25. These passages all tell the narrative of Genesis 3 without

specifically quoting that text.5 As such, clearly Paul’s message was one that would have been

understood by his Jewish contemporaries, yet would cause confrontation due to its introduction

of the Messiah as having come in the person of Jesus.

Narrowing the focus on Romans 5:12-21, Bruce shows that the story of Adam’s fall is a

summary of mankind’s experience before and after the giving of the Law of Moses. While men

were in their nature sinful, sin was not charged to them due to the absence of the Law, or nulla

poena sine lege, a concept that states that a person can only be punished when breaking a clearly

given law. The Law, as given to Moses, then brought not only awareness of men’s wrongdoing

3
Ibid.
4
Mark A. Seifrid, “Romans,” in Commentary On The New Testament Use of The Old Testament, ed. G.K.
Beale, and D.A. Carson (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007), 607.
5
Ibid.

2
but with it the desire to sin. However, the Law also brought both the accountability for the sin

and the ensuing death penalty as punishment.6

Yet not just Paul’s Jewish audience had difficulty in interpreting his words. A very similar

response is generated even to this day regarding Romans and, more specifically, to the passage at

hand, Romans 5:12-17. Many scholars have passionately debated this particular passage by

offering widely differing critical and theological opinions regarding virtually every point Paul

makes and the structure of almost every clause.7

What Paul seeks to achieve is that his listeners understand that while the Jewish portion of

his audience may have claimed descent from Abraham, a much broader descent needs to be

considered, one that originates with Adam and that includes the Gentiles.8

BACKGROUND AND SETTING

Paul apparently wrote this letter from Corinth, with Phoebe, called by Paul a servant of the

church in Cenchrea and referenced in Rom. 16:1, bringing it to Rome. Paul was quite possibly

the frequent guest of Gaius at the time as he mentions Gaius’ hospitality towards him and others

in the local church (Rom. 16:23; 1 Cor. 1:14). An exact date for the writing of the epistle cannot

be given as Paul does not explicitly mention it, but it seems apparent from Rom. 15:25 that Paul

was getting ready to return to Jerusalem, so the writing would have been at the end of his second

visit to Greece, probably in early 58 A.D. 9

6
F.F. Bruce, Paul: Apostle of The Heart Set Free, Paperback ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans
Publishing Company, 2000), 195.
7
Robert Jamieson et al., A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, On The Old and New Testaments: On
Spine: Critical and Explanatory Commentary (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, 1997), under "Rom.
5:12."
8
Craig S. Keener, and InterVarsity Press, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament
(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), under "Ro. 5:10-16."
9
M.G. Easton, in Easton's Bible Dictionary, (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1996,
c1897), under “Romans, Epistle To The”.

3
 Paul addresses this letter to those “in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints

(Rom. 1:7, ESV). There is no absolute evidence to determine the origin or the make-up of the

church in Rome at the time of Paul’s writing. While Irenaeus in 180 A.D. named Peter and Paul

as the founders of this congregation of early believers in Rome, it appears clear from the letter

itself that Paul was writing as someone who was a stranger to the church (e.g. Rom. 1:10, 13;

15:22) who was planning his first visit as described in Rom. 1:8-15.10

Paul’s letter is delivered in the form of a tractate letter, carrying a number of theological

arguments.11 Paul’s purpose in writing his letter has to be deduced from the contents of his

epistle. As such, his intent was threefold: to seek support for his desired visit to Spain, to explain

his theology to the believers in Rome and to encourage the Roman to display a greater degree of

unity.12

CONTEXT OF THE PASSAGE

IMMEDIATE CONTEXT

In chapter 4, Paul expounds on Abraham’s righteousness as being solely based on his

believing God, not based on any works done for God. The Law had not been given during the

time of Abraham, yet Paul makes clear that Abraham’s righteous standing before God was based

on his trusting God even before the covenant of circumcision was instituted by God. Thus

Abraham’s righteousness was not based on obedience to a command given by God but it was

solely derived from his complete trust in the guidance and provision of God. Paul now seeks to

express that, likewise, those who believe in God’s perfect provision of Jesus are now justified

10
D.A. Carson, and Douglas J. Moo, An Introduction to The New Testament, Second ed., (Grand Rapids,
MI: Zondervan, 1992, 2005), 394-395.
11
Ibid., 402.
12
Thomas D. Lea, and David Alan Black, The New Testament: Its Background and Message, Second ed.
(Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003), 393.

4
before God. God has paid the price by offering Jesus as the one punished for our transgression

and then raised from the dead.

With this background of faith as the basis of man’s restored standing with God, Paul now

transitions into chapter 5 by taking a look at the tribulations, but even more so the blessings and

ultimately the hope of this salvation. He highlights that we have been given this great hope in

spite of our sinfulness and that God even displayed his mercy and grace while we were in a

sinful state. But where did this sinfulness originate and why was there a need for the atoning

sacrifice of Christ? This is the topic Paul now addresses: the original sin by the one man, Adam.

Romans 5:12-17 sets up a contrast for us to consider, specifically the sinfulness of one man

bringing death to many as opposed to the death of one bringing life to many. To Paul, as Lea and

Black point out, “Adam was a historical figure who represented humanity. … Christ, by contrast,

stood at the head of redeemed humanity”.13

LARGER CONTEXT

The letter to the Romans “contains the doctrinal marrow of Paul’s writings”.14 It is written

against a backdrop of Judaism and a very young Christian church. Bruce states that as Paul was

standing before King Agrippa II, he spoke of the king being “familiar with all the customs

and controversies of the Jews” (Act. 26:3, ESV). Paul meant by stating this fact that the king was

familiar with the events and beliefs of the underlying period of intertestamental Judaism.

Likewise it is a key insight to understand Paul’s writings against some of this as a backdrop.15

13
Ibid., 397.
14
Ibid., 389.
15
J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Backgrounds of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic,
1995), 17.

5
 The shift from Temple worship to the environment of a synagogue, where small groups of

Jews - not just from the priestly families – spent significant time studying the Law, allowed and

even forced lay people to participate in prayer and study. Methods of interpretation, which were

developed during the intertestamental period, provided additional insights into the Old Testament

texts, allowing the study of texts to the Jewish people who were experiencing a significant shift

in their cultural, religious and moral surroundings.

The written sources of the intertestamental period are clearly formed against the backdrop of

the traumatic experiences of the destruction of the First Temple and the ensuing exile of the

Jewish people to Babylon as well as the influences of the Hellenistic culture. The worldview of

the first century Jew was formed with four phases in mind: creation, the fall, regeneration

(reconciliation, redemption or restoration) and ultimately consummation, or the world to come. It

is against this backdrop that Paul writes his letters.16

It is not entirely clear who the addressees are in Paul’s epistle to the Romans. It seems clear

that despite an earlier expulsion of the Jews from Rome under a decree by Claudius, Jews have

now returned to Rome. While influential in the budding church before the expulsion, the Jewish

believers now seem to have given up their influence in the budding church. While Paul seems to

be directing most of his writing to the Gentile-Christians in the church at Rome, many of these

are former God-fearers, and as such accustomed to the teaching and thinking of their Jewish

counterparts.17

16
Ibid., 269-72.
17
D.A. Carson, and Douglas J. Moo, An Introduction to The New Testament, 396-97.

6
 COMMENTARY ON THE PASSAGE

Verse 12

Verse 12 starts the second portion of chapter 5 and with it Paul’s next thought with the words

Διὰ τοῦτο (dia touto), which is translated “therefore” (ESV, NKJV, NIV), “wherefore” (KJV),

or “so then” (NET). By connecting the first passage of chapter 5 with the second passage, Paul

points out that, for the reason given in the first part of chapter 5, we can rejoice over the “present

reconciliation by Christ’s death and the certainty of future final salvation by his life”.18

The first two verbs in verse 12, εἰσῆλθεν (eiselthen) and διῆλθεν (dielthen) are in the

second aorist active indicative tense, suggesting a completed action in the past. Robertson,

evaluating the third verb ἥμαρτον (hemarton), describes it as constative, or summary, aorist,

indicating that Paul is here “gathering up in this one tense the history of the race (committed sin).

The transmission from Adam became facts of experience.”19

As Vickers points out, Romans 5:12 has been under intense discussion both from a

grammatical as well as from a theological perspective, yet in this verse these two converge and

thus “any interpretation based solely on theology apart from grammar, or vice versa, will come

up short.”20 Vickers continues to explain that the key expression making this such a difficult

verse to deal with in translation is ἐφʼ ᾧ (ephi ho). At question is whether this is a relative clause

referring to an antecedent, or whether this serves simply as a conjunction typically translated as

“because”. The answer to this question is a critical one as theological considerations are

dependent on it. As Vickers summarizes, two key issues are at question based on the

18
A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in The New Testament: Vol.V C1932, Vol.vi C1933 By Sunday School
Board of The Southern Baptist Convention (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, 1997), under "Rom. 5:12-17".
19
Ibid.
20
Brian Vickers, Jesus' Blood and Righteousness: Paul's Theology of Imputation (Wheaton, IL: Crossway,
2006), 123.

7
interpretation of ἐφʼ ᾧ (ephi ho): what is our relationship to Adam, i.e. is it simply on a

representational basis or are we seminally connected, and what is the basis of our sin, i.e. is it

Adam’s sin we are guilty of, our own or a combination of the two and what is the consequence of

each based on the determination.21

A look at the Old Testament shows that the Septuagint used ἐφʼ ᾧ (ephi ho) with an

ֶׁ ‫ֲא‬. (asher) and thus typically translated “in which” (Pro.

antecedent, usually used to translate ‫שר‬

21:22), “upon which” (Jos. 5:15) or “in whom” (Isa. 25:9). The Septuagint writers thus seem to

use the phrase as a relative clause. In the New Testament, this phrase is used infrequently and

also quite variedly. Analysis of the various uses, especially in the Pauline writings, seems to

suggest that its best translation would be “that for which” in this text.22 Vickers summarizes his

findings: “Whatever the case, the evidence should be enough to show that ‘because’ cannot

simply be the default translation.”23

Verse 13

Verses 13 and 14 have been debated by scholars, as it is not readily apparent why Paul breaks

off here from verse 12. One suggestion is that Paul is trying to augment the message of verse 12

by ensuring his readers know that there is no escaping from the reality of its message.24

The verb associated with sin ἦν (en) in verse 13 is in the imperfect active indicative,

suggesting it is in progress, yet originating in the past, while ἐλλογεῖται (ellogeitai), according

to Robertson, is a present passive indicative, suggesting something occurring in the present. By

21
Ibid.
22
Ibid., 124-25.
23
Ibid., 127.
24
Ibid., 141.

8
using μὴ ὄντος νόμου (me ontos nomou) as a genitive absolute, in the final part of verse 13,

Paul suggests that there was no law of any sort at the time before Moses.25

Verse 14

The verb Paul uses here, ἐβασίλευσεν (ebasileusen) is in its aorist active indicative form,

again reporting the sole fact of death’s reign from Adam to Moses. Likewise, the verb used to

indicate those who had not sinned, ἁμαρτήσαντας (hamartesantas) is in aorist active form,

and as such, telling the established details.

In this verse, Paul refers to Adam as a type (τύπος - typos) of the one coming, Jesus Christ.

When the description switches to Adam, Paul uses a present indicative form. To understand the

Jewish mindset better, Scott differentiates here between typology and allegory. Allegory is an

interpretive method originating in the pre-Christ Greek culture. It seeks to convey something

different than what the writer is actually saying, a method, which was apparently also adopted by

the Jews, e.g., to cover the uncomfortable apparent anthropomorphisms of the Old Testament.

Scott writes that, in contrast, typology, which identifies the theological or spiritual relevance and

as such the reason behind a text, also embraces historical events as being real and of importance.

He further suggests that Paul’s naming Christ a second and final Adam reflects “such a view,

where the type anticipates the antitype in history, is different from allegory, which is not based

on the historical process”.26

25
Robertson, Word Pictures in The New Testament: Vol.V C1932, Vol.vi C1933 By Sunday School Board
of The Southern Baptist Convention, Rom. 5:12-17.
26
Scott Jr., Jewish Backgrounds of the New Testament, 132-33.

9
Verse 15

In verse 15, Paul uses the verb “died”, ἀπέθανον (apethanon), in the second aorist active

indicative, again indicating a completed action, which is appropriate when he speaks of those

who have already died. When he describes the effects of God’s grace abounding, he uses

ἐπερίσσευσεν (eperisseusen) in the aorist active indicative, hinting that this also was finished.

Wuest states, “Adam’s original sin was the violation of the known will of God.”27 This is the

picture Paul puts in place for us in this verse.

Interestingly, Paul here uses two terms for the word “gift”. The first one is χάρισμα

(charisma), which the Enhanced Strong’s Dictionary describes as “a favour with which one

receives without any merit of his own”.28 The Complete Word Study Dictionary adds to this

understanding: “A gift of grace, an undeserved benefit. The suffix –ma, indicates the result of

grace. Equivalent to dó̄ron (1435), gift. In the NT used only of gifts and graces imparted from

God.”

The second term Paul uses is δωρεὰ (dorea), a term, which according to the Complete

Word Study Dictionary is defined as “a free gift with emphasis on its gratuitous character” and is

“used in the NT of a spiritual or supernatural gift”.29 Both of these terms make it clear that there

is nothing a person can do to warrant the gift, but that it is given regardless of any surrounding

circumstances.

27
Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest's Word Studies From The Greek New Testament: For The English Reader
(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997, c1984), under "Ro 5:15."
28
James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of The Bible: Showing Every Word of The Text of The
Common English Version of The Canonical Books, and Every Occurrence of Each Word in Regular Order.,
Electronic Ed. (Ontario: Woodside Bible Fellowship, 1996), under "G5486."
29
Ibid.

10
Verse 16

In verse 16, Paul uses ἁμαρτήσαντος (hamartesantos) in the aorist active, again

indicating a completed action, here referring to Adam’s sin. In the ESV, this verb is translated as

the noun “sin”. The first term used in this verse for “gift” is δώρημα (dorema), of which

Zodhiates adds: “If the word dó̄ron or dōreá were used it would have stressed only the free

nature of the gift. Dó̄rēma involves the purposeful act of God’s benevolence, in that there should

be a way whereby we can be saved without our doing something to gain it except believing,

which results in our actual salvation from sin.”30

Verse 17

A real shift occurs in verse 17 as the two thoughts behind Rom. 5:15 and Rom. 5:16 are now

combined in the most excellent and beautiful manner into one, almost suggesting that the subject

grew on Paul as he was thinking through the comparison of the two cases.31

The verb “reigned”, ἐβασίλευσεν (ebasileusen), in verse 17 is aorist active indicative,

while “receiving”, λαμβάνοντες (lambanontes), is present active. The verb “shall reign”,

βασιλεύσουσιν (basileusousin) is future active indicative. It shows a progression from death

to life, and hence delivers the key message to its readers through the use of a linguistic tool in the

form of tense. Seifrid makes an interesting observation here by highlighting that by passively

receiving the gift from God believers now actively “rule in life”, based on what Jesus Christ has

accomplished. Unlike Adam who served as a vehicle to bring death, Jesus acts as a vehicle “of

the power of God’s grace.”32

30
Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament, Electronic Ed. (Chattanooga,
TN: AMG Publishers, 2000, c1992, c1993), under "G1435."
31
Jamieson et al., A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, On The Old and New Testaments: On Spine:
Critical and Explanatory Commentary, Rom. 5:12-17.
32
Seifrid, Commentary On The New Testament Use of The Old Testament, 630.

11
 As Robertson highlights, while “death” in Gen. 2:17; 3:19 indicates physical death, in verses

17 (and ultimately 21) Paul has eternal death in mind, which stands in close relationship to

physical death to him.33

KEY THEOLOGICAL POINTS

SINNERS, YET BENEFICIARIES

Paul’s analogy serves to drive home the point to his readers that while all men are sinners,

they are all equally eligible to receive God’s grace as beneficiaries of the death and resurrection

of Jesus. Even before the Law, death existed because of Adam’s sin.34 While the Law highlighted

sin and raised it to man’s awareness, it was not the cause of sin.

THE DISOBEDIENCE OF ADAM AS THE CONTRAST TO THE OBEDIENCE OF CHRIST

Hughes and Laney suggest that while Adam had a purpose from a historical perspective, God

also intended to teach us about Jesus through the use of an analogy.35 Mounce adds that while

Adam was representative of the sinful condition of all of mankind, Jesus serves as the focal point

and deliverer of the justification to come through faith. As such, “redemption is the story of two

men.”36 In Paul’s writing in chapter 5, the contrast between Adam bringing about death

springing forth from sin and having condemnation in its wake, and life originating out of

justification through Christ and conforming to the “eternal law, of ‘Him that sitteth on the

Throne’”.37

33
Robertson, Word Pictures in The New Testament, under "Rom. 5:12-17".
34
Robert B. Hughes, and J. Carl Laney, Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary: The Tyndale Reference
Library (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001), 533.
35
Ibid.
36
Robert H. Mounce, Vol. 27, Romans, Electronic Ed., Logos Library System; The New American
Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1995), 139.
37
Jamieson et al., A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, On The Old and New Testaments: On Spine:
Critical and Explanatory Commentary, Ro 5:17.

12
 APPLICATIONS

APPLICATIONS FOR CHURCHES

Paul’s message to the Romans is one that is of particular importance in a church setting

where not all listeners may have understood that they stand condemned yet without the great gift

of Jesus’ death and resurrection. By contrasting the personal disobedience of Adam to the

personal and complete obedience of Jesus, listeners will see a direct relationship of their own

culpability and responsibility before a sovereign and holy God.

The message of disobedience vs. obedience resulting so clearly in death vs. life is a powerful

one. At the same time, it teaches that God is not expecting a perfectly organized and lived life

from those who seek to follow Him, but rather that He requires us solely to accept the perfect

χάρισμα, this gift from God of grace, which He bestows on those who only will accept it, without

them having to have merit to be redeemed. Clearly, a follow-up message will be one that stresses

that the obedience, which Jesus showed by going to the cross, also will translate into obedience

in a life, which is yielded to the Holy Spirit. This is a message which can also be easily derived

from highlighting the great obedience Jesus displayed in this one act, or by continuing into

chapter 6 of Romans, which addresses this particular topic at great length and with great insight.

As a teacher of this passage and similar passages teaching about the origin of sin, one has to

exercise caution not to alienate female listeners who may have been exposed to sentiments laying

blame on Eve as a culprit in the topic of original sin and thus defensive about their gender’s role

(see also Seifrid’s observations on Jewish extra-biblical traditions in the conclusion).

APPLICATIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL BELIEVERS

After Paul’s explanation of Abraham’s righteousness being established through his faith

in God, his excursion in chapter 5:12-17 clearly outlines why Jesus’ death was necessary to

establish a new covenant. To an individual believer, the consequences become immediately

13
obvious: without God’s free gift of grace, they would have no hope of reconciliation with God

and their physical death would be the mere outward sign with much more significant eternal

repercussions of a broken relationship with God.

However, as such a recipient of grace, the individual believer can rejoice in God

providing a loving “corrective measure” to the mess that Adam created for all by willfully

disobeying God. As a result, a believer needs to become much more attuned to how wicked

disobedience is as it creates the wedge between God and man by introducing sin. Isaiah speaks

of how we have become something objectionable to the righteous and just God: “We have all

become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.” (Isa.

64:6, ESV) Our works cannot correct this broken relationship. As 1 John 1:5 tells us, “this is the

message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no

darkness at all.” (ESV) Since God cannot tolerate sin, a natural reaction to the great gift of grace

is that our lives need to be lived in a manner that is inoffensive to a holy God. This needs to be

the key message the believer takes away from this message.

CONCLUSION

In Rom. 5:12-17, Paul addresses the issue of what caused death, Adam’s sin, and God’s plan

for a remedy through Jesus’ substitutionary death for this death as an effect on all of mankind.

To the Jewish listeners, but also to the Gentile Christian listeners familiar with Judaic thought

through their experience as God-fearers and fellow worshippers with the Jews, this was a

difficult message. As Seifrid points out, it should be of note that in the context of other extra-

canonical Jewish sources, the issue of Adam’s fall is addressed as well, however avoiding

placing the origin of evil on Adam:

Early Jewish writings contain parallels to Paul’s interpretations of Adam’s fall,

especially the apocalypses 4 Ezra and 2 Baruch…Paul’s understanding of sin is more

14
 radical than theirs, however, with respect both to the origin of Adam’s transgression and
to its effect on the human race. Paul makes no attempt here to trace the origins of evil
behind Adam’s fall, as sometimes happens in early Jewish sources. In the Apocalypse of
Moses (Life of Adam and Eve) the blame for the fall clearly rests with Eve, who appears
weaker and more easily deceived than Adam. … Sirach 25:24 attributes the fall entirely
to Eve: “From a woman sin had its beginning, and because of her we all die.”38

Yet Paul makes it clear that the death that followed Adam’s sin, and with it death’s reign

over all who followed after him, makes it plain to see that while the Law may have highlighted

the nature of sin, it did not excuse anyone. No one is outside of the reach of sin and death. In

addition, Paul’s theology also explains that there is no difference between Jew and Gentile

before God. All are condemned, and all are in need of redemption. As Vickers writes, “the event

that opened a chasm between God and man was disobedience.”39 Yet, God in His infinite mercy

saw fit to send Jesus to build that proverbial bridge across the chasm.

Today’s listeners, like those in Paul’s day, need to understand that their standing before God

is one that demands a death penalty and separation from God due to the sin that is part of the

human experience since the fall of Adam. Whether or not this relationship is one that is

representational or seminal, all are subject to physical death brought about by that first act of

disobedience towards God. Likewise, it has to be made abundantly clear to the listeners that God

does not leave us in this state of utter despair, but rather gives all hope through the offer of life

through the sacrifice He Himself made on our behalf through Jesus Christ. This is the invitation

that can turn sadness into joy and death into life. Once this message has been understood and has

been freely accepted as a free gift from God, the next step in growth needs to be to understand

what a relationship with God is meant to be. This requires both an indwelling of the Holy Spirit

to begin the sanctification, which follows justification, and a learning and loving of the Word of

38
Seifrid, Commentary On The New Testament Use of The Old Testament, 629.
39
Vickers, Jesus' Blood and Righteousness, 142-43.

15
God, which reveals to us the full counsel of God and His expressed love and will. The very first

step in this sanctification process has to be a life yielded to Him and accepting of His free gift of

redemption.

16
 APPENDIX A: BIBLE LESSON BASED ON ROMANS 5:12-17

Introduction: Despite Adam’s sin bringing death, God’s free gift is life through Jesus Christ.

1. Adam’s sin brought death to the world and mankind.

a. Explanation: Adam’s sin caused death to enter into every human’s experience.

Despite a lack of law giving, sin was there, yet was not counted.

b. Illustration: A young child’s ability to do bad things to an animal without

knowing that such things are not morally or legally permissible,

yet the child not being accountable before the law yet. Despite the

lack of punishment, the animal has suffered as has the child

mentally.

2. Adam’s disobedience in contrast to Jesus’ obedience.

a. Explanation: While Adam willfully disobeyed God, Jesus, God the Son,

was completely obedient to the God the Father.

b. Illustration: Story of a child’s re-interpretation of mom’s direction and thus

willfully disobeying and thus getting in harm’s way vs. a child who

pays attention to the direction and stays out of harm’s way.

3. Through the sacrifice of His only Son, Jesus Christ, God offers life.

a. Explanation: What we could not do out of our own power, God enables us to do

through the tremendous sacrifice of His Son. Our job is to accept

the grace God bestows on us.

b. Defense: Jesus had to die because “without the shedding of blood, there is

no remission of sin”.

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Conclusion: While Adam’s disobedience brought death and suffering to all of us,

God’s grace offers us life through Jesus’ obedience unto death. The work is

completed, and God has accepted the substitutionary sacrifice, the perfect

Lamb of God, Jesus, in our place.

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 APPENDIX B: BLOCK DIAGRAM OF ROMANS 5:12-17 (NASB)

5:12 Therefore
just as sin entered into the world,
through one man
and death
through sin,
and so death spread to all men,
because all sinned—
5:13 for sin was in the world
until the Law,
but sin is not imputed
when there is no law.
5:14 Nevertheless
death reigned
from Adam until Moses,
even over those
who had not sinned
in the likeness of the offense of Adam,

who is a type of Him

who was to come.
5:15 But the free gift is not like the transgression.
For if by the transgression of the one the many died,
much more did
the grace of God and the gift
by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ,
abound to the many.
5:16 The gift is not like that
which came through the one
who sinned;
for on the one hand
the judgment arose from one transgression
resulting in condemnation,
but on the other hand
the free gift arose from many transgressions
resulting in justification.
5:17 For if
death reigned through the one
by the transgression of the one,
much more
those will reign in life
through the One, Jesus Christ
who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Strong, James. The Exhaustive Concordance of The Bible: Showing Every Word of The Text of
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