Jesus Reverses Adam's Reason

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

July 13, 2014

Romans 5:12-15

Jesus Reverses Adam's Reason

In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I.

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned―

Romans 5:12

In the beginning there was just one man. His name was Adam.

Our dear Lord created Adam without hate, pride, lust, greed, or laziness. He created Adam to live in harmony with Himself.

But Adam turned away from God.

When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

Genesis 3:6

He ate forbidden fruit because he wanted everything to be fair. To Adam it wasn't fair that only God knew good and evil. So the devil's advice at making mankind equal with God seemed reasonable.

But reason that despises God is the root of all evil, sin, and death. Adam's reasonable bite of fruit destroyed what God had perfectly created. And because we demand equality with God, we die.

II.

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.

Romans 5:13-14

We don't how much time passed between Adam's removal from the Garden of Eden until the time of Moses' receiving the Law of the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai. But during this far ancient time there were no stone tablets of God's laws laid out in writing.

Paul pointed out that all people in this time between Adam and Moses were sinful. Though there was no set of commands regarding forbidden fruit or the Sabbath or anything else, their failure to live forever proved what they were: stubborn dying sinners.

From the time of Adam's fall to Moses, and then from Moses to Jesus, and finally from Jesus until the present, humans inherit this sinful nature when human life begins at conception. We are brutally reminded of the sinful beginning of human life when life is lost in the womb.

Here Common Sense stops us cold and asks innocently: Why is it fair for us to die because of Adam's sin? Why is it fair for babies to die? Why?

To be honest, Common Sense and Reason are right. It isn't fair. Death is horribly unfair.

But Sin never plays by the rules. Like a deadly virus, Sin doesn't care who it infects. It is cold, impartial, and fair. Everyone is sin-sick and dying. Some slowly; others much too quickly.

III.

So Jesus came rushing in to reverse the epidemic.

But 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.

Romans 5:15

Jesus reversed the plague of Adam's sin by offering Himself up as the Cure from sin. He vaccinates us from death by dying. He became sin to free sinners. He died on the cross to reverse mankind's demand to be like God. And through His Word that we can hear and taste, He took our rebellion and reverse into faithful obedience to Him.

He did this for Adam. He did this for you.

In the name of the Father

and of the † Son

and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.