Two Real Men

From Romans: Finding the Faith:

Romans 5:12-17 (NASB)

¹²Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned – ¹³for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.  ¹⁴Nevertheless 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.  ¹⁵But 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.  ¹⁶The 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. ¹⁷For if by the transgression of the one death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

Two Men

In these verses we see two men contrasted.  The first is Adam and the second is Christ.  The first thing we must note is that if Adam didn’t literally live this passage is meaningless.  Paul, along with all of the other Biblical Authors (and Christ Himself), views Adam as a real literal man, who was the first of all men, created by the very hand of God.  It may seem like a compromise to suggest the days of creation are “symbolic” or to be interpreted “poetically” but if this is so there is absolutely no theological meaning for what follows hereafter, as we will see.  The remainder of this study will take for granted that Adam was a real, physical man and really was the first of all men whom we are all ultimately descended from, not a “symbol” or a “poetic device” or any other allegorical non-sense. 

The contrast is between Adam and Christ and will give us an understanding of the two positions that are available to mankind.  We can be positioned in Adam, and identified with his sin and our own, or we can be positioned in Christ, and identified with His righteous sacrifice and perfection.  This is yet more important information in understanding the character and nature of our salvation and will be the very important background information as we begin to consider sanctification in the coming chapter.