The Comprehensive Doctrine of Justification (32)
[Romans 5:12-21]
We have already contemplated eight sub-themes under the overarching theme of "The Comprehensive Doctrine of Justification," from Romans 1:18 to 5:11: (1) The Necessity of Justification (everyone needs justification), (2) The Originator of Justification (God the Father), (3) The Foundation of Justification (Jesus Christ and His blood), (4) The Method of Justification (through faith), (5) The Universality of Justification (all believers receive justification, (6) The Purpose of Justification (to manifest God's righteousness and justify those who believe in Jesus), (7) The Exemplification of Justification (testifying with examples of faith like Abraham and David), and (8) The Result of Justification [enjoying peace (5:1) and rejoicing in God (v. 11)]. Then, under the ninth sub-theme "The Confirmation of Justification" (clearly demonstrating evidence), we began to contemplate Romans 5:12-21. Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Though we are all sinners, God confirmed His love for us by having Jesus Christ die on the cross on our behalf. The word "demonstrates" is translated as 'reveals' or 'makes evident' in Romans 3:5, 'creates' in Galatians 2:18, and 'shows' in 2 Corinthians 7:11. The essence of these translations is to 'clearly reveal and make known.'
What is justification? Even though we are all sinners, God declares us righteous, considers us as righteous, and treats us as righteous. This is righteousness. Despite our sinfulness, the Holy Spirit comes into us, regenerates us, and works in us to live a holy life. How amazing and precious is this blessing! I pray that all of us may receive this great blessing— that we all may receive justifications from God and enjoy this precious blessing.
In today's passage, Romans 5:12 reaffirms the fact that justification is necessary. The first sub-theme we contemplated under the overarching theme of "The Comprehensive Doctrine of Justification" was "The Necessity of Justification." Who needs justification? Romans 1:18 to 32 talks about the sins of the Gentiles, emphasizing that since Gentiles are all sinners, they all need justification. We are all Gentiles. Except for the Jews, we are all Gentiles. So, what sins have we committed as Gentiles? Romans 1:19 to 32 discusses the sins of the Gentiles. If we become aware of these sins, we will keenly feel the need for justification. However, if we are unaware of our sins, we will not perceive the necessity of justification. Romans 2:1-16 speaks about the sins of those who judge. Since those who judge are also sinners, they need justification. Romans 2:17 to 3:8 talks about the sins of the Jews. Since the Jews are also sinners, they need justification. Romans 3:9 to 18 states that all humanity is sinful. Therefore, all humanity needs justification. Because everyone has sinned (3:23), justification is necessary, and the cost of this sin is death. Genesis 2:17 says, "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die." Romans 6:23 also says, "For the wages of sin is death." Due to our sinfulness, we all inevitably receive the wages of sin, meaning we all face death. In other words, we experience the separation from God, the division of body and soul in physical death, and ultimately, eternal death (hell). Therefore, because we are all sinners, we all need justification.
However, in Romans 5:12, it doesn't end there; it further illuminates and confirms the necessity of justification: "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people because all sinned." The phrase "one man", in the original Greek, appears twelve times in Romans 5:12-21. This underscores the significance of "one man" in today's passage of Romans 5:12-21. Who is this "one man"? In Romans 5:15 and 17, it states that this "one man" is "Jesus Christ." However, in Romans 5:12, the "one man" being referred to is none other than Adam, the ancestor of humanity. Through this one man, Adam, sin entered the world. This implies that before Adam sinned, there was no sin in the world. However, Adam, created in the image of God, disobeyed God's command and ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:17; 3:6), thereby committing sin. Consequently, God expelled Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden (3:23). Eventually, Adam, who lived for 930 years, not only experienced a physical death but also died an eternal death (5:5). The fleshly death ultimately leads to the "second death," which Revelation 20:14 describes as the eternal punishment in the lake of fire, symbolizing eternal separation from God. Adam faced this eternal punishment due to his disobedience, and thus, through one man Adam, sin entered the world, and death through sin (Rom. 5:12). However, God, in His mercy, made garments of skin for Adam and his wife (Gen. 3:21). God, despite the deserved eternal punishment, provided Adam and Eve with garments of skin, symbolizing righteousness. In other words, God granted righteousness to Adam and Eve. As a result, Adam and Eve did not end up in the eternal torment of the lake of fire; instead, their souls are now in heaven, praising God alongside the saints who have gone before them, enjoying the eternal blessings of heaven. Therefore, justification is absolutely necessary.
Looking again at Romans 5:12, because Adam sinned, sin entered the world, and death came through sin. "In this way," since everyone sinned (as Adam's sin was imputed to all), death came to all people. "In this way," just as Adam and Eve disobeyed God's command by eating the forbidden fruit, leading to sin and death, so did everyone. Did we indeed commit the same sin as Adam? Hebrews 7:1-10 discusses Levi, the great-grandson of Abraham (Abraham's son was Isaac, Isaac's son was Jacob, and Jacob's son was Levi) (v. 10). When Abraham gave a tithe to Melchizedek, Levi had not been born yet. However, the Bible states that Levi was already in the loins of his ancestor Abraham (v. 10) and, as such, participated in offering the tithe. "In this way," when Adam ate the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, we were also in Adam's loins. Therefore, we collectively committed (participated in) the same sin that Adam committed. How dreadful is this sin? Because we are sinners, we need righteousness; otherwise, we are inevitably bound for the second death. Just as God clothed Adam in garments of skin, God, in His righteousness, declares sinners like us righteous. Therefore, God ensures that we do not perish but obtain eternal life.