New 'In Christ'

So it's Romans 5, 12 to 21.

But the free gift is not like the trespass.

For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for many.

And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin.

For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation.

But the free gift following many trespasses brought justification.

For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.

For as by the one man's disobedience, the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience, the many will be made righteous.

Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness, leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Well, I hope that over the last eight weeks that we've been looking at Romans, you've actually been swept up with Paul's excitement and more than that, confidence in God's gospel.

You know, doing some revision.

God's gospel is both God's powerful initiative to save rebellious, unrighteous people.

And at the same time, it's an awesome display of God's righteous character.

God, knowing the guilty failure of his rebellious people, both unwilling and unable to live in the light of his glory.

God provided a different pathway to glory, a different pathway to righteousness, at enormous cost to himself, Romans chapter 3.

Romans 3 · chapter mention

And in the death of Jesus, which is at the heart of the gospel, both God's anger and the guilt of his people have been addressed and dealt with.

And the term used for that is that God's taken the initiative to justify or put unrighteous people back into full righteousness relationship with himself.

And all of that, chapter 4 of Romans, is offered as an incredible gift to be received through faith, which is just taking God at his word.

Simple trust that God's promise is true, that God has done for us in Jesus that which we could never, ever do for ourselves.

That is, make ourselves acceptable to God.

But there's even more reason for excitement and confidence.

Justification, Paul wants us to understand, is final and irreversible.

Get those two words.

Justification is final and irreversible.

Why?

Because it's initiated by God.

Because it's secured through the death of the Lord Jesus on our behalf.

It's all about what God has done for us.

And chapter 5, verse 1, then, Paul starts to work through the implications of the gospel or being justified by faith.

Both in terms of our legal status or how God views us legally now, and in terms of our own experience as justified people.

And again, every part of it, as we work through chapter 5, is about God's initiative, God's action.

And from that, our security, our confidence.

Justification is the opposite of condemnation, we see in chapter 5.

Instead of hostility and judgment, there is now peace.

Instead of falling short of God's glory or righteousness, there's now certainty of being with God and being like God.

Instead of estrangement, uncertainty, and fear, there's now limitless grace.

There's total acceptance as God pours his love into us, into our hearts daily.

Instead of suffering in judgment, there is joy in suffering, knowing that God will use our suffering to make us more like him.

Instead of wondering about God's love and commitment to us in our ongoing failures,

there is proof beyond doubt that having been reconciled while we're enemies of God,

then certainly God will do the easy task of keeping us as friends until we go home to be with him forever in heaven.

Friends, as we got to, we're coming up to verse 12 now.

As we work through chapter 5, there can be absolutely no doubt of Paul's total confidence

that believers, those who are new in Christ, are guaranteed salvation.

But the lingering question then becomes, the one that we're going to address this morning,

is Paul's confidence well-founded?

Is justification by faith in Christ's work too good to be true?

How can one man's sacrifice bring such incredible blessings to so many?

How can one man do something that makes so many newly and completely acceptable to God?

That's Paul's consideration in verses 12 through to 21.

Paul anticipates and addresses this question.

And he does so by taking the jewel of justification and turning it one more time.

So the sparkle of the brilliance of God's gospel is seen again in these verses.

Justification from a slightly different perspective.

And Paul's confidence is in perspective.

And Paul's point here is that gospel results happen the same way as did sin's results.

Now, what Paul's doing here is giving a perspective by comparing Adam and Jesus.

No doubt in Paul's mind, these were the two most influential people in history.

His intention here is to show how these two men,

and if you're following the outline in the back of your bulletin, you'll see it,

how these two men, their two actions,

and the consequences of their actions,

affected profoundly and eternally all those associated with him.

Adam's impact was disastrous for all who were associated with or followed him.

By contrast, Paul's point here is that Jesus' impact was incredibly beneficial

for all who followed him in history.

And that comes down to you and me here this morning.

So let's try and dig into the text now

and see if we can sort out this,

which at first glance I think looks very complicated.

It might be not so much that it's complicated,

it's just the argument isn't quite familiar to us,

but we'll try and get into that.

See, given our sense of individualism and autonomy,

which is, we are by nature part of Australian culture,

and it is driven by individualism and autonomy.

One of the outworkings of that is that we like to think

that we're only responsible for ourselves,

we're only responsible for our own actions.

And so Paul's argument here probably isn't going to be immediately familiar to us.

It may not even be acceptable to us.

However, I'm going to argue that the whole notion of solidarity

or being a representative of a group

is actually quite common in our culture.

We just don't necessarily recognise it.

So a historical one, for example.

In 1939, there was a radio announcement.

It was my melancholy duty to tell you,

this is the British Prime Minister,

it was my melancholy duty to inform you

that Britain is at war with Germany.

And as a consequence, Australia is also at war.

We were an empire nation associated with, tied to Britain.

What happens in England?

We live with the consequences here.

Or a little bit closer to home.

We're familiar with union leaders negotiating wages

and conditions and benefits.

They do so in a representative way.

What they negotiate out there,

all who are associated with the union

get those benefits applied.

The union leaders are representatives of a group,

those who are associated with the union.

They act on their behalf.

Now, that's essentially what's the argument

that Paul's trying to use here.

Look at verse 12.

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man

and death through sin,

so death spread to all men because all sinned.

Adam was not only the first man,

he was also representative man.

He was the head of the human race.

He was the head of humankind.

His interactions with God and his natural environment

had direct impact on all those associated with him

down through the generations.

What do we know about Adam?

Well, as we're told here,

Adam acted in disobedience to God.

He did so as he deliberately chose

to assert autonomy from God,

aspiring to create his life in his own image,

create himself in his own image,

rather than be God's image bearer,

living under God.

That's what autonomy is.

The result of Adam's actions,

verse 12, death.

Both physical death

and also spiritual death,

which physical death pictures.

Spiritual death is separation from God.

Or verse 16.

Talks there, the language of verse 16

is that judgment and condemnation.

Adam, Adam's action.

Verse 17, the consequence.

The consequence applied both to Adam

and all those associated with him

down through history.

All those he represented,

all of humanity

who followed him in history.

Verse 17,

if because of one man's trespass,

death reigned through that one man,

much more will those who receive

the abundance of grace

and the free gift of righteousness

reign in life.

Consequence of Adam's actions,

not only death for himself,

but death for all the generations

following Adam.

Since death,

or since Adam, sorry,

since Adam,

death has reigned supreme.

That is,

everybody dies

as a consequence,

a direct consequence

of Adam's rebellion.

Again, that's verse 18 and 19.

Then we say,

well, but why?

We instinctively think

that this doesn't sound right.

Well, the answer is

in verses 13 through to 17.

Everybody dies

because everybody is guilty

of sin or rebellion against God,

including those who died

long before the time of Moses

and disobedience to God's written law.

Let's read those verses again.

Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses,

even over those

whose sinning was not

like the transgression of Adam,

who was a type of the one

who was to come.

But the free gift

is not like the trespass,

for if many died

through one man's trespass,

much more have the grace of God

and the free gift

by the grace of that one man,

Jesus Christ,

abounded for many.

Everybody dies

because, as I say,

everybody is guilty of sin.

Not necessarily guilty

in the same way.

Those who were before

the written law

weren't guilty of breaking the law,

but they were guilty of autonomy.

They joined Adam, as it were,

in his actions of autonomy.

The principle?

It's a solidarity principle.

All who were associated with Adam

share the responsibility for

and the consequences of his action.

Not only that,

they showed themselves

to be like Adam

in also failing to treat God

as he deserves

and failing to do right.

So, friends,

in different words,

this is the same argument

that we've already been through

in chapter 1, verse 18,

through to chapter 3, verse 20.

It's the same argument

viewed from a different angle.

And it's so unflattering to us.

But it clearly explains

the way we are,

the human condition.

It is our nature

to seek autonomy.

And autonomy

brings God's condemnation.

You see,

we've got a double problem

with sin

which comes out of these verses.

We're born

with a bad heart towards God.

That's something we've inherited

at where?

Down through the generations

from Adam.

We've inherited

the family nature

which links us,

as I say,

all the way back to Adam.

It's a natural disposition

to ignore

or rebel against God.

That's one problem.

But then we get

a second problem

because this bad heart

overflows

in bad actions,

in actions of sin.

People in every culture,

in every generation,

choose individually

like Adam

to disobey

or ignore God.

And so the rightness

of God's conclusion

is proven here

in that all people

are guilty

because all demonstrate

they have inherited

Adam's corrupted nature.

That's half of Paul's argument

as he deals with Adam.

The other half, then,

turns the focus on Jesus

because Jesus is also

a representative man.

Look at verse 14 again.

Death ran from Adam to Moses

even over those

whose sinning

was not like

the transgressions of Adam

who was a type

of the one

who was to come.

Adam's called

a type of Christ.

How so?

Well,

they're similar

in that

as with Adam's actions,

so Christ's actions

as a representative

of man

affect

those who are

associated with him,

those who follow

after him in history.

and we're told

in here

that Christ's actions

not only reversed

the effects

of Adam's sin

but did much more.

Verses 18 and 19.

Therefore,

as one trespass

led to condemnation

for all men,

so one act

of righteousness

led to justification

and life

for all men.

for as by the one man's

disobedience

the many

were made sinners,

so by the one man's

obedience

the many

will be made righteous.

Christ's obedience

was willing,

was his willing

total

self-sacrifice

to deal

with the sin

of his people.

to two men

so far

Adam and Christ

two actions

disobedience

obedience

self-sacrifice

and the result

of Christ's actions

verse 16

justification

or restored

relationship

with God.

Verse 17

freedom

from the reign

of the power

of sin

to new life

under the reign

of grace

or under

the control

of grace

as God

saved people.

But even that

doesn't exhaust

what Christ's death

did.

He did far more

than simply

reversing the effect

of Adam's sin.

Verse 15

again,

we've read it before,

Jesus acted

in grace

as an undeserved

gift

and favor.

Jesus' death

not only secured

the removal

of condemnation

due to our

inherited

corrupt nature

but also secures

total forgiveness

complete restoration

renewal of

relationship

with God

all those things

that we've really

looked at

in the early

verses of

chapter 5

and chapter 3

and 4

as well.

So,

two men,

two actions,

two results.

Not only

a reversal

of condemnation

but a restoration

to be in the image

bearer that God

created us to be.

To be in relationship

with God

as he created us

to be.

To see the glory

of God

as he created us

for.

For

what a wonderful

thing Christ

has done.

He's wiped

clean

completely

the bad

track record

we have

due to our

own sin.

Even better,

he's acted

to renew

our bad heart.

The heart

we've inherited

from Adam.

He's poured

his love

into our

renewed heart

through the

Holy Spirit.

Guaranteeing

justification.

Guaranteeing

life.

Guaranteeing

for every

relationship

with him.

Why?

Because of

the solidarity

principle.

Because we're

associated with

Christ.

Because we're

in Christ.

And that

brings me to

the second

point then.

God now

views his

people

according

to their

solidarity.

So,

God views

every single

person who's

ever been

born or

ever will

be born

as naturally

in solidarity

with Adam.

That's what

this point

is.

Because Adam

was a head

of a great

humanity.

But friends,

God also

views

Jesus as the

head of a

great new

humanity.

The many

of verse

15.

Who are the

many?

The many

are those

we've already

come across

in the early

chapters of

Romans.

They are the

ones who

recognizing

they could

never be

righteous

in themselves,

gladly take

God's

righteousness

as a gift.

That

righteousness

offered in

Christ,

in and

through the

death of

Christ,

they take

it as a

gift.

Totally

undeserved

gift.

And in

doing that,

they move

from being

viewed by

God as

being in

solidarity

with Adam

to being

viewed by

God as

being

solidarity

with

Christ.

And as

Christ receives

life,

then everyone

in solidarity

with Christ

is guaranteed

life.

That is

the confidence

Paul has in

the gospel.

So Jesus

in a sense

is the

last,

well he's not

in a sense,

Jesus is the

last Adam.

There will be

no more

repeats.

The first

Adam

macked

things up

and every

person who

has ever

lived will

feel the

effects of

that.

The last

Adam,

Jesus,

has fixed

things up,

restored them

to what

they were

meant to

be,

and

guarantees

that all

in solidarity

with him

will enjoy

the blessing

of relationship

with God

forever.

Now friends,

I just want

to finish

up by

asking what

do we do

practically

with this

notion of

solidarity?

It's a

strange idea

for us,

I think,

but it's a

very powerful

one.

We'll see

more about

it next

week as

we move

into chapter

six,

this idea

of union

with Christ

or solidarity

with Christ

comes up

again.

But what

do we

do

practically?

Well,

I think

it's a

very good

thing.

We need

to own

both

Adam

and

Jesus.

Now,

the problem

is we

don't find

it easy

to own

Adam.

And I

think the

reason we

don't find

it easy

to own

Adam is

because we

know he

is too

representative

of us.

That is,

we look at

Adam and

we see his

autonomy,

and we

know jolly

well that's

exactly what

we're like

in our

heart of

hearts.

We find

it hard

to own

our bad

heart and

our natural

disposition to

autonomy.

We find

it hard to

admit that

we actually

want to

be God.

We want

to just

push God

to the side

and take

over control

and set

our own

destiny and

set our

own life.

But as

Christians at

the same

time,

we want

to identify

with Jesus.

We want

to be in

solidarity

with him.

We want

to be sure

of being

forgiven and

of getting

to heaven,

no matter

what personal

sins we

fall into

in the

future.

So,

there's a

dilemma.

The solution

is to own

both men.

And here's

how it

works.

As I own

Adam for

myself and

in myself,

then it

pushes me

to Christ

for the

very thing

I so

desperately

need and

the very

thing that

only he

can supply,

righteousness

or acceptance

before God.

So,

it's as I

am honest

in owning

Adam that

I see the

beauty of

what's offered

me in

Christ.

Christ.

And indeed,

the more

I own

Adam,

the more

brilliant the

gospel is,

which is what

Paul's point

as he's trying

to develop

through this

letter here.

The gospel

is absolutely

brilliant at

every point

because it's

about what

God does

for us,

knowing that

we can't do

it for

ourselves.

As I own

Adam more,

as I recognize

more my

natural disposition

before I came

to Christ,

then I

appreciate

more that

I'm no

longer hanging

from the

buckle of

Adam,

the belt of

Adam.

I'm now

hanging securely

from the

belt of

Jesus

because he's

my only

hope.

So,

we own

Adam to

see Jesus

as our

champion.

and don't

we long

for a

champion.

We do

know that

concept,

don't we?

We long

for someone

to represent

us faithfully.

We long

for someone

who will

fight for

us.

We long

for someone

who will

value and

love us

enough never

to give up

on us.

We long

for someone

to be strong

for us

when we

can't be

strong for

ourselves.

We long

for someone

to succeed

where we

know we

only turn

up failure

repeatedly.

And we

know when

we own

Adam that

he's taken

us down a

disastrous path.

We've

crashed and

burned.

And against

that darkness

then we have

Jesus our

champion.

God

the picture

I like

here is

that

it's like

me when

I take

my grandkids

for a walk.

I hang

on to

their hands.

I mean

their hands

are just

lost in

my hand.

And they

can trip

and fall

over and

then they

swing from

my arm.

Sometimes

in their

silliness

they want

to pull

away from

me because

they don't

want to

go where

I think

they need

to go.

But I

hold them

firmly.

That's the

picture of

Jesus our

champion.

Knowing that

when I trip

up, when I

deliberately try

to pull

away, when

I in anger

think he's

taken me in

the wrong

direction, he's

got me.

He holds

me firm.

And that's

why my

friends, in

solidarity with

Christ, in

union with

Christ,

you can

have

confidence

in spite

of your

day-to-day,

moment-to-moment,

failures, and

discipline, you

can have

confidence because

you're in

solidarity with

Christ that

you are secure

eternally.

So hear that.

See, your

confidence is

not because

somehow you

suddenly become

perfect and

no longer

sin.

that would

just be

totally

unrealistic,

wouldn't

it?

It's not

because your

confidence isn't

because somehow

as a Christian

you've developed

the ability

now to produce

your own

righteousness and

top up your

righteousness by

your own

effort every time

you do make a

mistake.

That would be

crazy too,

wouldn't it?

That would be

against what we

know.

our confidence

is that God

views us in

Christ and the

benefits that

Christ has

secured, life

and resurrection,

being with the

Father in heaven

forever, are

ours.

Irreversibly.

my friends, it's

not perfection he's

looking for in

you.

It's looking for

total dependence on

Jesus' forgiveness

and righteousness.

It's looking to

your association

with Jesus.

It's looking, he

wants you to be

saying, Jesus is my

champion.

I'm not any

longer desiring to

be associated with

Adam.

I want to be and

I am associated

with Jesus and

he is my

champion, he is

my security.

Even as you

continue to fail to

do what is right.

So friends, the

final question here

is just simply a

very personal

question.

Is Jesus your

man?

Is Jesus your

man?

everyone here this

morning, to use

the phrase of a

Puritan, hangs

from the belt of

either Adam or

Jesus.

To be in

solidarity with

Adam is easy.

Just do

nothing.

You were born

with Adam's

natural disposition

and your

future is shaped

therefore by the

prospect of God's

judgment and

condemnation.

But to be in

solidarity with

Jesus is also

easy.

Just come to

Jesus, acknowledging

your total inability

to earn God's

favor or deal with

your guilt, to deal

with your bad

heart, bad track

record.

Trust him alone to

deal with your

sin, to change

you from the

inside out, to

secure a place in

heaven for you.

When you do all

this, God

guarantees,

absolutely

guarantees that

you're absolutely

safe and secure

in Christ.

With your

future shaped

and defined by

peace, life,

privileged forever

relationship with

God.

God's

love for you.

So who is your

man?

I know you're who

are going to be

to be with you.

I know you're not

immediately familiar

to us.

I pray that your

spirit might cut

through all the

words that are

written in the

page and are

spoken here this

morning and use

them, Lord,

reassemble them as needed

so that your people might benefit from

this wonderful reassurance

this wonderful confidence

knowing that we are justified

and therefore no longer viewed by you

as in solidarity with Adam

but now seen to be in total solidarity

with Christ

knowing that his actions

and the consequences of his actions

are ours also

life and righteousness

and forever relationship with you

help us Lord to be confident in that

in Jesus name, Amen