1

LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

DEATH IN ADAM/LIFE IN CHRIST: AN EXEGETIC EXAMINATION OF ROMANS 5:12-17

A PAPER SUBMITTED TO
DR. CHET RHODEN
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE COURSE
GREEK LANGUAGE TOOLS
NGRK 506

BY
ROBERT C. STILWELL, JR.

BETHALTO, IL
MARCH 15, 2011

‘
 2

p
‘‘ ‘

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

Contextual Considerations ......................................................................................................... 1

The Occasion and Date of the Book of Romans............................................................. 1

Paradigms for Reading the Book of Romans ................................................................. 3

Immediate Context of Romans 5:12-17 ........................................................................ 4

Commentary ............................................................................................................................... 5

Exegetic Analysis.......................................................................................................... 5

Romans 5:12 ................................................................................................... 5

Romans 5:13 ................................................................................................... 7

Romans 5:14 ................................................................................................... 8

Romans 5:15 ................................................................................................... 9

Romans 5:16 ................................................................................................. 11

Romans 5:17 ................................................................................................. 12

Theological Significance ............................................................................................. 13

Contemporary Applications ...................................................................................................... 13

Ecclesiastical Application ........................................................................................... 13

Personal Application ................................................................................................... 14

Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 15

Appendix A: Sermon Outline ................................................................................................... 16

Appendix B: Block Diagram .................................................................................................... 18

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

Certification Sheet .................................................................................................................... 21

 Ê
 

The thoughts of most Christians turn immediately to the idea of original sin when

Romans 5 is mentioned. This is rightly so, as Romans 5:12-21 provides the most important

information in Scripture on understanding the nature and profound effects of Adam¶s sin upon

the human race. However, sin is not the focus of this passage; but rather, the primary concepts

addressed here are righteousness and life.1 Paul contrasts the first man, Adam, who brought

death into the world through sin, to Jesus Christ, ³the last Adam´ (1 Cor. 15:45), who has

overcome the results of Adam¶s sin through righteous obedience on the cross, bringing eternal

life in place of death. This exegetical examination of Romans 5:12-17 asserts that, as the head of

humanity, i.e., the first human, Adam¶s sin was passed down to all of mankind through a sinful

nature and only by God¶s gift of grace through the only sinless human, Christ Jesus, could the

eternal condemnation of sin be overturned and everlasting life offered in its stead.

 ‘ 
 ‘

The Occasion and Date of the Book of Romans

There is little doubt among serious scholars that Paul the Apostle wrote the book of

Romans. Those critics who have disputed Pauline authorship of the epistle largely base their

argument on the last chapter. They believe that it is highly unlikely that Paul would have known

as many people as he mentioned in Rome because he had not yet been to the city. This argument

fails to recognize the nature of Paul¶s life in the era. Paul spent much of his time ministering in

the major cities of the world. Undoubtedly, he had met many people who had visited or lived in

Rome. Paul worked with Aquila and Priscilla just after they had left Rome. There is no doubt

that contacts would have been made between Paul and Roman Christians during this time.

1
Douglas J. Moo, |
   
      

  (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
Academic, 2002), 103

1
 2

Actually, the long list of names in the final chapter may strengthen the argument that Paul is

indeed the author. An imposter would not likely have mentioned so many people who could

have exposed its lack of authenticity.2

Paul wrote this letter to the Roman church from Corinth as indicated by the references

to Cenchrea, which was Corinth¶s port, Phoebe, Gaius and Erastus, all of whom were associated

with Corinth. Paul wrote this letter toward the close of his third missionary journey, as he was

preparing to leave for Palestine with an offering for the poor believers in the Jerusalem church.

Most scholars agree that this was between 55 and 58 A. D.

It is safe to assume that the church in Rome was not founded by an apostle. Paul,

himself, mentions that he had not yet been to Rome, and there is no credible evidence that Peter

had been their either.3 It is highly probable the church in Rome had its beginnings with some

who were converted on the day of Pentecost. Tradition holds that the church in Rome had

Jewish roots, probably in the synagogues, and spread to the God-fearing Gentiles there. After all

Jews were banished from Rome in 49 A.D., the Gentile segment of the church grew and took on

the leadership roles, apart from Jewish influence. When the Jews were allowed to return in the

early 50¶s A. D., they returned to a church which held little regard for the Jewish customs and

traditions, particularly adherence to the Law of Moses, which Judaizers believed was required

for salvation.

This mixed congregation is the foundation of the strife within the church which

prompted Paul to write his letter to the church in Rome. Paul sought to resolve the conflicts

between Jewish and Gentile Christians. He also wrote to unify the church so that they would

2
Elmer L. Towns,    


    (Mason, OH: Thomson Custom Publishing,
2004), 287-288
3
Thomas R. Scheiner,   Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, no. 6 (Grand
Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1998), 10-11
 3

function as one body, perhaps as a base for his intended missions to the west. However, Paul¶s

ultimate goal was to bring glory, honor, and praise to God through Christ Jesus by clarifying the

gospel message of salvation by grace alone, once and for all.

Paradigms for Reading the Book of Romans

When reading Paul¶s letter to the Romans, there are two predominant models of

approach. The Reformation paradigm suggests that Paul was writing about the manner by which

the individual can become right with God. Specifically, Romans is about justification by faith

rather than by works. This view was promoted by Martin Luther who, based on his experiences

as a Roman Catholic monk, realized that he could  do enough good works to make himself

righteous in the eyes of God. He came to the understanding that righteousness is a gift from

God, not something that man can earn through his own efforts. Two fundamental points form

the foundation of this approach to interpreting Romans: 1) Romans focuses on the individual;

and 2) Romans stresses justification by faith in order to address the Judaizers¶ teaching of

justification by works.4

As has been the case with much biblical criticism in the last half of the twentieth

century, some scholars began to question the accepted interpretation of Romans. The first

question centered on whether the book does indeed focus on individual justification. These

scholars proposed that Romans is about ³how Gentiles can be added into God¶s people without

disenfranchising God¶s µoriginal¶ people, the Jews.´5

Naturally, the second question raised doubts about justification by faith alone,

suggesting that this view was simply Luther¶s response to the Roman Catholic position of

4
Moo, |
   
     23
5
Krister Stendahl, ³Paul and the Introspective Conscience of the West,´  

  56
(1963), 199-215
 4

justification by works. Critics further implied that Luther saw himself in the role of Paul with

the Catholic Church in the place of the legalistic Judaizers.

Other critics have focused on the Jewish covenant factor, claiming that the Jews were

not as legalistic as presumed. This paradigm is known as the New Perspective. The proposition

is that the Jews believed that salvation was for the Jewish people alone through their covenant

with God and that Gentiles were excluded from salvation because they were not included in this

covenant. Keeping the law was a major part of the covenant and considered a requirement for

salvation. Of course, when Christ came and offered salvation to both Jew and Gentile, a new

covenant, then the law was rendered obsolete as a requirement for salvation. Therefore,

justification was no longer intertwined with the Jewish covenant and the law, but was freely

accessible to all of mankind.6 The focus of the New Perspective is on the people of God as a

whole rather than the individual.

Douglas Moo offers a modified Reformation approach to understanding Romans. He

asserts that the book is not solely about the issue of God¶s chosen people, or is it only about the

individual. Rather, Moo touts a combination of the two and places the focus on the gospel and

its transforming effect on the individual as well as the new, united people of God, Christ-

followers, both Jew and Gentile.7 This position seems to be the most plausible, as it strikes a

balance between the individual and God¶s elect. Saving grace is indeed a gift from God and each

individual who accepts this gift becomes a member of God¶s family, His chosen people.

Immediate Context of Romans 5:12-17

6
Moo, |
   
     25
7
Ibid., 28
 5

Justification by faith is God¶s answer to the most basic of all religious questions: How

can a man or woman become right with God?8 Due to mankind¶s sinful nature, passed down

from Adam¶s original sin, as Paul points out, every human being is born in rebellion towards

God. Therefore, man cannot become right with God by his own actions. By His mercy and

grace, God has provided the only way of reconciliation, that being the work of His Son, Christ

Jesus, who paid the penalty for man¶s disobedience by bearing the weight of God¶s wrath and

judgment against sin on the cross. In doing so, Christ bore the sins of all mankind and His

perfect righteousness was credited to the spiritual account of those who believe in Him. The

apostle Paul expounds this doctrine of justification by faith throughout his epistle to the Romans,

particularly in Romans 3:21-5:21. He argues that God has graciously provided a righteousness

that comes from Him, solely on the basis of faith. Therefore, Romans 5:12-17 can be viewed has

the final point in Paul¶s argument for justification by faith in Christ alone. Following chapters

discuss the practical ramifications of salvation in those who have been justified by grace, i.e.,

sanctification (6:1-8:39).


‘

Exegetic Analysis

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9
Having completed his description of how God has provided His righteousness to

humanity through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, by faith alone, Paul begins to present the

8
James Montgomery Boice,     

 
 rev. ed. (Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity Press, 1986), 416
9
All Scripture quoted from the NASB unless noted otherwise.
 6

contrasting parallelism between the work of Adam and the work of Jesus Christ.10 These two

figures embody the fundamental theological premise of Paul¶s epistle to the Roman church:

Adam characterizes the sinful state of all humanity (1:18±3:20), while Jesus exemplifies

justification by faith (3:21±5:11).11 Paul¶s use of

    ‘logically connects this passage

with the arguments developed earlier in the epistle concerning condemnation (1:18-3:20) and

justification (3:21-5:11).
       ( ȝĮȡIJȚĮ İ Ȣ IJȠȞ țȠıȝȠȞ

İ ıȘȜșİȞ [
!
    !
 Å). This phrase personifies sin and speaks of it as

alien to the world of humanity before Adam¶s disobedience. Š   

affirms God¶s warning to Adam concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in Gen.

2:17, ³«for on the day that you eat from it you will surely die.´ Although Adam and Eve did

not suffer physical death for many years, they died spiritually at the very moment they disobeyed

God. Spiritual death is a separation from God. At that point in history God and humans turned

in different directions. Humans pursued the path of pride and selfishness. God pursued the path

of redemptive love.12 The first part of the final phrase of this verse reads,
  

  
 which the NIV translates as

 
 
 The Greek word

įȚ ȜșİȞ (
 ), translated as ³spread´ or ³came,´ ³has a distributive sense, emphasizing the

universal sway of death.´13 The subtle differences between these two translations present very

little difficulty in interpreting this verse, unlike its final phrase.

    ( ij

10
John A. Witmer, ³Romans,´ in 
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(Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983), 458
11
Robert H. Mounce,  , The New American Commentary, no. 27 (Nashville, TN: Broadman &
Holman, 2001), 139
12
Ibid., 141

13
Schreiner,  , 273.
 7

ʌĮȞIJİȢ ȝĮȡIJȠȞ [%

&
' % 
! Å). Paul claims that the reason why death affects

all of humanity is because all sinned. Here Adam is looked upon as the head of the human race,

and that when he sinned, all of humanity sinned in him. Adam¶s initial disobedience constituted

him a sinner in which all human beings participated, and which brings death upon all. In other

words, we are sinners, not necessarily because we have committed acts of sin, but because

Adam, the head of the human race, sinned.14 The transmission of sin from Adam became

evident in life experience. The general point is plain that the effects of Adam¶s sin are indeed

transmitted to his descendants, though Paul does not say whether by the natural or the federal

headship of Adam, which is at the heart of the ongoing debate. Because Adam was the first

created person, his sin has consequences for all who are to be born into the human race. Through

Adam the dread disease of sin spread to everyone. The historical debates have been over exactly

how this came about. The literature on this passage is extensive, and the topic requires more

than can be offered here.

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Just as‘Paul begins his comparison between the effects of Adam¶s sin and the effects of

the redemptive work of Christ in v. 12, he abruptly pauses at v. 13 to address the relationship

between sin and the Law, resuming the comparison again in v. 15. Verse 13 focuses on the

relationship between sin and the Law.

 !( ȤȡȚ ȞȠȝȠȣ [

 Å) is clearly

a reference to the Mosaic Law (cf. Rom. 5:14). In this passage, Paul clarifies the connection

between death and sin and reminds his readers that sin preceded the Law: Sin was not a result of

14
Kenneth S. Wuest, () (   
 *    Logos Research Systems ed.
(Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1997), page number unavailable
 8

the Law. Sin and its resulting death existed before there was the Law to delineate what

constituted sin or the demands for its punishment.15 Š  
  ( ȝĮȡIJȚĮ įİ Ƞ ț

ȜȜȠȖİȚIJĮȚ [
   Å). The present passive indicative of the verb ȜȜȠȖĮȦ

['Å (-İȦ [+'Å) from Ȟ [ Å and ȜȠȖȠȢ [Å means ³to put down in the ledger to one¶s

account.´16
     (ȝȘ ȞIJȠȢ ȞȠȝȠȣ [!   Å) is defined as a

genitive absolute, meaning no law of any kind. However, there was law before the Mosaic Law.

Adam, Abraham, Enoch, and Noah, among many others new the unwritten law of obedience to

God, the law of conscience and reason. Sin entered the world, as death did, not by imitation of

Adam¶s sin but imputation, for all men are reckoned dead in Adam, being accounted sinners in

him. In the same manner, Christ's righteousness comes upon us, by imputation. Prior to the

giving of the law through Moses, sin was in the world (v. 13). But technically it was not charged

to our account as sin because there was no law to define it. A law cannot break that does not

exist (cf. Rom. 4:15). Nevertheless, death, the consequence of sin, was in effect from Adam

until Moses, even for those who did not break a specific command like Adam¶s.17 Since the Law

did not exist before Moses, sin was not entered into the accounts of individuals. This does not to

mean there were no sinful acts of disobedience toward God.18 This idea fuels the debate among

scholars as to the basis by which humanity was judged before the Law.

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15
Grant R. Osborne,  , The IVP New Testament Commentary Series, no. 6 (Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity Press, 2004), 139
16
A.T. Robertson, ( ,
  
    (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems,
1997), page number unavailable
17
Mounce,  , 142

18
Ibid.
 9

‘ Š    
%
&  This fact proves that sin did indeed exist

before the Mosaic Law. Š $  $       '       

%
 (țĮȚ ʌȚ IJȠȣȢ ȝȘ ȝĮȡIJȘıĮȞIJĮȢ ʌȚ IJ ȝȠȚȦȝĮIJȚ IJȘȢ ʌĮȡĮȕĮıİȦȢ įĮȝ [ %

 !
!  % '
' ! %"' Å). Adam violated a specific

command of God and Moses gave the law of God clearly. And yet sin and death followed all

from Adam on till Moses, showing clearly that the sin of Adam brought terrible consequences

upon the race, even upon infants and those with mental disabilities who could never have been

held accountable for their own actions.

%
 (  )
  
 It

is important to note that Adam is the only Old Testament character who is explicitly called a

µtype¶ of Christ in the New Testament. Christ is the head of all believers as Adam is the head of

the race. In this sense Adam ³is a pattern of him that was to come´ (NIV). There is

appropriateness in this, even if the typological relation between them involves as much contrast

as resemblance; in Paul¶s thought Christ replaces the first man as the archetype and

representative of a new humanity.19

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*   '    + (       
 
( 

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- .   
(

The details of the first contrasting parallelism between Adam and Christ, which Paul

had begun in v. 12, are provided in vv. 15-17. Paul makes clear the contrastive nature of the

parallelism by stating, Š*  ‘(ȤĮȡȚıȝĮ [

Å of grace ȤĮȡȚȢ [

Å) that is,

³grace-gift´  '    ‘(ʌĮȡĮʌIJȦȝĮ [%%Å). ‘What Christ selflessly

offers contrasts with Adam¶s selfishly act. The NIV translates

 simply as ³gift´ while

19
F. F. Bruce,    - 
    , Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, no. 6
(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 134
 10

the NLT translates this same word as ³gracious gift.´ These interpretive variations represent the

different methods used in translating this concept. Perschbacher defines ȤĮȡȚıȝĮ (

. as

³a free favor, a free gift.´20 Since, by definition, it is free, the NASB translators added the term

³free´ to help convey the point; the NLT, known for its dynamic equivalent philosophy, follows

suit. However, the NIV renders the word simply as ³gift.´ Either approach is acceptable

because the English term ³gift´ connotes the idea that it is freely offered. It should also be noted

that Paul begins using the Greek term ĮȡĮʌIJȫȝĮIJȚ (%%), defined as ³trespass, fault,

offense, transgression,´ rather than the term ȝĮȡIJȓĮȢ /

), translated as ³sin.´21 The

NIV translates this term as ³trespass´ while the NLT prefers ³sin,´ although
 is not used

here in the Greek text. This manner of translating ideas rather than the actual words of the

original text is a slippery slope, although, in this instance, there is conceptually no difference in

meaning.‘

       ‘brought physical death to
 
(‘i.e., the entire

human race to date with two exceptions²Enoch and Elijah. By contrast,



  

  ,  (      &- .   
( If

this latter

( is identical with the

( who died, which is possible, but not necessitated

by the text, and therefore constitutes the entire human race, then
   ,  

abound in the sense of reaching out to and being available to all people, but not necessarily being

appropriated by all.22 It is important to note that Paul does not say that the whole race receives

the full benefit of Christ¶s atoning death, but only ³many.´ John Calvin notes, ³the grace of

Christ belongs to a greater number than the condemnation contracted by the first man.´ He

20
Wesley J. Perschbacher, 
   
 * 0$
 (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1990), 437
21
Ibid., 17, 310
22
Witmer, ³Romans,´ 459
 11

reasoned, ³«if Adam¶s fall had the effect of producing the ruin of many, the grace of God is

much more efficacious in benefiting many, since admittedly Christ is much more powerful to

save than Adam was to ruin.´23 The gift of grace far surpasses the sin. It is not necessary to

Paul¶s argument to make ³the many´ in each case correspond exactly, one relates to Adam, the

other to Christ.24

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  ' 
      0     
 
  
      
     
    

(    

  ' 
      presents a second,

yet different kind of contrasting parallelism. The noun paralleling

  is absent from the

text. Some have suggested

 
 which follows, and others propose
  

or
 
  Rather than read into the original text what is not there, it seems best to

leave it indefinite, as did Paul. The NASB prefers to do so and employs the phrase



 However, the NIV and NLT appear to find a reasonable solution and translate this

³missing´ contrasting point of comparison as

     
1‘

 
  
      
 Judgment

and condemnation were the results of Adam¶s disobedience and death was the only possible

outcome of the sin that entered the human race.25 The Greek term țȡȓȝĮ (), translated as


 connotes the idea of a ³judicial sentence.´26 This legal action by the Righteous

23
John Calvin, 
 |%  , 
 %  
      
 
  , English
translation from 1st Latin edition (Edinburgh, UK, 1961), 114f.
24
Robertson, ( ,
  
   , page number unavailable
25
Mounce,  , 144
26
Perschbacher, 
   
 * 0$
 , 248
 12

Judge could result only in a verdict of guilty and a death sentence of all of humanity.
  

     

(     ‘By

contrast,
  ‘resulted in‘
 ‘įȚțĮȓȦȝĮ‘/. ³an instance of perfect

righteousness.´27 God¶s gift of grace in the atoning death of Christ on the cross, that one

³instance of perfect righteousness,´ was then imputed to the account of all Christ-followers.

Jesus¶ righteousness became the believers¶ righteousness. This gift of grace did not simply

reverse the condemnation of Adam¶s sin, but rather, its scope was far broader and restored

believing humanity¶s relationship with God beyond this world and into eternity.

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2

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  3 - .

This third contrasting parallelism combines the two preceding ones (cf. vv. 15-16) and

involves both a difference in degree,


 ‘‘cf. v. 15), and a difference in kind,
 

and
  (cf. v. 16).
+ (              

The first-class condition in the first part of the verse assumes the statement to be true,
‘

/
.        28‘‘This fact is confirmed by verses 12 and 14.



      $          

    3 - . Just as death reigns over all humanity, recipients

of God¶s grace, believers in Christ, reign in life. In the first case people are dying victims under

a ruthless ruler, but in the other, they themselves become the rulers of the kingdom of life (cf.

Rev. 1:6). The fact that it is

     $  God¶s grace and gift emphasizes that the

27
Ibid., 103
28
Witmer, ³Romans,´ 459
 13

atonement made for all in Christ¶s sacrificial death and offered to all by God must be

appropriated by faith to become effective.29

Theological Significance

Romans 5:12-17 is one of the most significant passages in Scripture, replete with

profound theological truths. Despite the questions the passage raises, such as the nature of

imputed sin, the primary message, that of salvation by faith in Christ Jesus, is quite clear.

Sin entered the world through Adam¶s disobedience, and all descending from him have

been and will be sinners. Spiritual death, as God had clearly warned (Gen. 2:16±17), ruled over

humankind. Although no one was charged with ³sin,´ in the technical sense of a violation of

divine law, until the Law was given, all were spiritually dead. Thus death reigned, bringing all

humankind under necessary condemnation.

Then God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world, bringing a gift of grace. Unlike

Adam, that which flows from Jesus is not death, but life. Humanity¶s relationship with Adam

meant disobedience and death, but humankind¶s relationship with Jesus means righteousness and

eternal life. For just as sin is associated with and expresses spiritual death, so righteousness is

associated with and expresses spiritual life. Through Jesus, we come to life again and our new

life will be marked by the reign of righteousness.30



‘  ‘

Ecclesiastical Application

Paul¶s message of death through sin and life through Christ is the overarching message

of the entirety of Scripture. It is imperative to the church to teach the fundamental truths

29
Ibid.

30
Larry Richards and Lawrence O. Richards, 
 

)   (Wheaton, IL.: Victor Books,
1987), 815
 14

presented in Romans 5:12-17. All too often, particularly in the ³seeker-friendly´ churches of

today, the hard truths of total depravity and condemnation to eternal death are ignored in favor of

a ³happy, feel-good´ message that leaves everyone with a warm and fuzzy feeling. God¶s Word

is not to be dissected or taken out of context in search of passages that do not offend unbelievers

or lead believers to serious self-examination. The entirety of God¶s revelation to humanity 

be preached, without exception! Only by hearing the truths of God will the spiritually dead

recognize their lost state and come to Christ. It appears that we are well into the time of which

Paul warned Timothy: ³Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince,

rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not

endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they

will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be

turned aside to fables´ (2 Tim. 4:2-4, NKJV). All preachers and teachers of the Word must heed

Paul¶s exhortation, ³Preach the word! Convince, rebuke, exhort.´

Personal Application

Just as important as it is for the church to speak the hard truths of Scripture, it is equally

crucial for the individual believer to do so. It is not enough to sit back and say, ³I witness by my

lifestyle.´ People are naturally curious as to what causes the changes in attitude and behavior of

a born-again Christ-follower. However, it seems that only those that have been recently saved

are so on fire for Christ that they cannot keep Him to themselves. More spiritually mature

believers must remember from where they came²the exact same lost, sinful state of the

unbelievers around them. Believers must ask themselves if they would ever have come to Christ

had someone not explained their fallen and condemned status and shared the gospel of salvation

through Christ with them. Believers are to be molded into the image of Christ and He did not
 15

hesitate to tell people the truth, the whole truth, concerning their need for reconciliation with

God. A great way to do this is by sharing this passage and explaining that all of humanity shares

Adam as a common ancestor by heredity and birth and Christ as a common Savior by faith and

rebirth.

  ‘

In a series of contrasts between Adam and Christ, Paul points to the act of Christ on the

cross as the cost of humanity¶s salvation. Adam¶s responsibility for bringing sin into the world

serves as the dark background against which the wonder of God¶s gift of grace in Jesus Christ is

presented. Paul employed these contrasts to illustrate the superiority of God¶s grace over the sin

and condemnation of man, as signified by the expression, ³much more´ (vv. 15, 17; cf. v. 20).

The principal evidence of the superiority of God¶s grace is that the obedient death of Christ on

the cross ³leads to acquittal and life for all men´ (v. 18, RSV).31 Of course, this is true only if

the sacrifice of Christ is embraced with personal faith in Him.

Theologians delight in this passage and debate just how ³death came to all men´

through Adam¶s sin. But Paul¶s point is logical and practical. Humanity¶s racial heritage from

Adam is one of sin and death and alienation from God. But now, to those who believe in

Christ¶s sacrificial substitutionary death on the cross, they belong to Him, the founder of a new

race, and His legacy is righteousness and life. Paul reiterates this truth in Rom. 6:23, ³For the

wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.´

31
Franklin H. Paschall and Herschel H. Hobbs, 
 

) "   (Nashville, TN:
Broadman & Holman, 1972), 713
 ‘‘‘
‘‘
‘
Ê
‘  ‘‘


³By one man sin entered...´ it is referring to Adam and his sin.

‘ ‘ 
When Adam sinned it caused the sin nature to be passed to on to all of his

children.

ÊÊ
‘  ‘

‘ 
(
‘) Sin was not imputed as a direct violation of the law because the law was not

yet given.

‘ 
(
‘) ³Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses,´ (even in the time that no

law was given, death still reigned because of sin.)


‘All have sinned whether they had the law or not.

ÊÊÊ
‘  ‘


Both Adam and the Lord Jesus Christ gave us a legacy.


One was the gift of death, (through Adam) and the other was the gift of

eternal life, (through Jesus).


³Much more«" refers to what we have in Christ.

It means that we now have more than what we had before Adam

ever sinned.

Now we have a better covenant than that of Old (according to

Hebrews 8:6).

Believers are now the Sons and Daughters of God. Never in history

did that ever happen before the cross.

16
 17


The work of Jesus on that cross was much greater than the work of

the Devil in the garden.

Ê
‘  ‘ !‘


(
‘!) literally says, ³Much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of

the gift of righteousness in life shall reign as kings through the One, Jesus.´


‘This whole verse is talking about this life that we¶re now living.


‘  ‘"


Praise God that Grace did much more abound that we might be made

righteous unto eternal life through the Lord Jesus Christ.

‘ ‘
 18

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32
All Scripture quoted from the NASB unless otherwise noted.
 20


%
&‘
‘
Boice, James Montgomery.     

 
1 rev. ed. Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity Press, 1986.

Bruce, F. F.    - 
    1 Tyndale New Testament

Commentaries, no. 6. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985.

Calvin, John. 
 |%  , 
 %  
      
 
  1 English
translation from 1st Latin edition. Edinburgh, UK: Unknown, 1961.

Moo, Douglas J. |
   

      

 1 Grand Rapids, MI:
Baker Academic, 2002.

Mounce, Robert H.   

  
  1 Vol. 27. Nashville, TN: Broadman
& Holman, 2001.

Osborne, Grant R.  1 The IVP New Testament Commentary Series, no. 6. Downers
Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2004.

Paschall, Franklin H., and Herschel H. Hobbs. 

 

) "  1 Nashville, TN:
Broadman & Holman, 1972.

Richards, Larry, and Lawrence O. Richards. 

 

)  1 Wheaton, IL: Victor
Books, 1987.

Robertson, A.T. ( ,
  

   1 Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research
Systems, 1997.

Schreiner, Thomas R.  1 Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament no. 6.
Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1998.

Stendahl, Krister. "Paul and the Introspective Conscience of the West."  


 56 (1963): 199-215.

Towns, Elmer L.    



   1 Mason, OH: Thomson Custom
Publishing, 2004.

Witmer, John A. "Romans." Vol. 2, in 

 " #     |$%  


%, 433-503. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983.

Wuest, Kenneth S. () (   

 *   1 Grand Rapids, MI:
Eerdmans, 1997.

‘
‘ ‘
 21


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, I understand that the notes must be in the same font as the body of the paper, although
they may be 10 point rather than 12. I know that I cannot use Courier New for the body of the
paper and Times New Roman for the foot notes or vice-versa.
_X_yes ___ no

For this paper I have chosen to use ( ) Endnotes (X) Footnotes

__X_In addition I know that I cannot use parenthetical notes, except for scripture references.

4

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and have sought to make sure that every punctuation mark is used correctly. I have sought to
avoid redundancies and unnecessary words (i. e. ³particular´ etc.). In addition I have used my
spell checker and I have checked my spelling carefully myself.‘
__X_ yes ___no

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not used   sources in this paper without attribution. I have not used the exact words of  
author without using quotation marks.

In addition, I know that violation of   of the above will result in severe penalties.

__X_yes _______ no