The Comprehensive Doctrine of Justification (33)
[Romans 5:12-21]
Last week, we meditated on Romans 5:12: "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." Due to the sin of one man, Adam, the ancestor of humanity, sin entered the world, and death followed. Adam, in disobedience to God's command, ate the fruit that revealed the knowledge of good and evil. As a result, death entered the world. In the same way, because everyone has sinned, death reaches all people. Therefore, not only does our physical body return to dust and become separated from the spirit, but ultimately, we are destined to enter the fiery lake of eternal punishment, known as hell, facing eternal death. Thus, it is imperative that we receive righteousness from God. Only through this can we attain eternal life. Adam also received justification from God (God provided him with garments of skin). Consequently, Adam did not go to hell to receive eternal punishment; instead, he obtained eternal life and entered into the eternal bliss of heaven.
Today, as we meditate on Romans 5:13-14, I seek to receive the grace provided: "For sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone's account where there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come." The phrase "before the law was given" refers to the period from the expulsion of Adam from the Garden of Eden until Moses received the Ten Commandments and the law on Mount Sinai (generally a span of 2,500 years). Even during this time, sin was present in the world, as evident in the book of Genesis. Cain, the firstborn son of Adam, murdered his brother Abel (Gen. 4:8), violating the sixth commandment of the Ten Commandments: "You shall not murder" (Exod. 20:13). Genesis 6:5, 11-12 further illustrates the prevalence of sin during that era: "The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. ... Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways." Additionally, Genesis 18:20 highlights the sinfulness of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah: "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great, and their sin so grievous." In these cities, there were not even ten righteous people, leading to their destruction by sulfur and fire. In Jeremiah 5:1, God told the prophet Jeremiah, "Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, look around and consider, search through her squares. If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city." Thus, even if there was just one righteous person in Jerusalem, God would have forgiven the entire city. These passages reveal that during the approximately 2,500 years without the law, every person was a sinner. Therefore, as the Apostle Paul declared in Romans 3:10, "As it is written: 'There is no one righteous, not even one.'" Hence, sin existed in the world even before the law was given (5:13).
However, "sin was not charged against anyone's account where there is no law" (v. 13). Here, "where there is no law" refers to the period from Adam to Moses. Stating that "sin was not charged against anyone" does not mean that God did not consider sin as sin. Instead, it signifies that people living during the time when there was no law did not recognize sin as sin due to the absence of the law. In other words, the statement "sin was not charged against anyone" implies that, without the law, people were unable to clearly recognize sin. Those living in darkness were ignorant of their sins. Romans 3:20 further explains this concept: "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law, we become conscious of our sin." Without the law to make sin known, the people of that time did not recognize sin as sin. We can understand our sins through God's word. In other words, through God's word, we discern between good and evil. However, without God's word, we cannot distinguish between good and evil, and we remain ignorant of our sins. Cain killed Abel, during Noah's time, wickedness filled the earth, and during Abraham's time, Sodom and Gomorrah were full of sin. Not only these individuals but everyone living during those times was a sinner. In other words, sinfulness abounded in this world. "Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come" (Rom. 5:14). Those from Adam to Moses, lacking the law, did not recognize sin as sin. Therefore, they did not escape the penalty of death for sin, as the price of sin was death. Whether knowingly or unknowingly, every human being is a sinner. Consequently, we all face death and destruction. Thus, we must believe in the justification given to us by God through faith.
"Adam is a pattern of the one to come" (v. 14). Here, the "one to come" refers to the Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, having taken on human flesh, came to a world full of sin, whether people were aware of their sins or not. Adam is a "pattern" of this One to come, Jesus Christ. The word "pattern" appears 16 times in the New Testament in the original Greek. However, the Korean Bible has translated this word differently in all 16 occurrences, using various terms such as ‘pattern,’ ‘representation,’ and ‘example.’ In John 20, after Jesus rose from the dead and wanted to demonstrate His resurrection to the disciples, Thomas was absent. In John 20:25, it says, "So the other disciples told him, 'We have seen the Lord!' But he said to them, 'Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.'" The term "marks" here is the same Greek word used for "pattern" in Romans 5:14. The term "pattern" shares similarities but also differences. The similarity lies in representation: just as Adam represented humanity, Jesus Christ, the One to come, represents believers. The difference is in the outcome: while Adam, representing humanity, brought death to all (all belonging to Adam experienced the reign of death), Jesus Christ, the One to come, brought life into reign through righteousness (v. 17). Those belonging to Jesus Christ, believers who trust in Him and are declared righteous by God, reign in life. Therefore, it is essential for us to receive justification. If there are still those who have not received justification, may they believe in Jesus Christ and obtain the astonishing blessing of reigning in life.