April 11 - Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ

Read Romans 5:12-17

Context: Paul is writing to the Romans, Jew and Gentile, explaining God's plan of salvation and righteousness for all mankind. He has presented a short history of faith and grace. He has just finished stating that we were reconciled through Christ's death

Text:
12Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned— 13for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. 14Nevertheless, 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 was a pattern of the one to come.
15But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. (NIV)

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This passage has always been confusing to me. It's like Paul is in the middle of an impassioned speech...I can imagine him as a fire and brimstone preacher shouting this out, desperately wanting us to get his point. I'd be writing as furiously as I could to keep up with him and somehow, while writing, I would miss the point.

This verse seems to combine all three elements we will be studying on Sunday...sin, evil, and death. Through sin, evil entered the world causing death to all (I know there is a good argument for which came first, sin or evil...that's a topic for another day!). Jesus came and sacrificed himself as a sin offering for the world, now our souls won't taste death. Yes, we still die in this world, but in a sense death is a reward now...sadness as we leave this world, but eternal joy as we step into the presence of God!