From Adam to Christ: The Journey of Redemption

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In Romans chapter 5, the Apostle Paul is developing ideas surrounding the greatness of the work of Jesus Christ on our behalf. Just what did Jesus do on the cross, I guess, is a fair enough question to ask. Just what was it? Was it just some Noble Act of humanity up there? Was he, in a sense, a man just trying to accomplish something by Suicide, going to a death that he knew he would face, but he thought it's a noble cause, I'll do it nonetheless? Or did he accomplish something that no one else could accomplish through their death, that he, the sinless Son of God, accomplished? [00:01:39]

The moment that Adam sinned, the principle of death entered the world, and might I say that the principle of death has reigned on this Earth ever since. Every grave that you see is mute evidence to the spread of death and the reign of death ever since the time of Adam. Experience I need to establish a very important biblical principle in your minds. Simply put, death is the result of sin. Wherever you see death, there has been sin somewhere. [00:05:20]

You have to admit you were born subject to death. The moment you were born, the moment you were born and ever took one breath in this world, you were subject to death. So how come you're subject to death then? Was it because of your own individual sin? I don't know, maybe you had a real bad attitude in the womb or something like that, but it's every one of us, isn't it? This proves that our essential sinfulness is inherited from Adam and Eve, and we're born Sinners, and we're born subject to death. [00:09:00]

Our very salvation rests on this principle. You throw this out of the water, you say, no, I'm a sinner because of what I did, I demanded just to throw out the principle that we were made Sinners by another man's work, and you don't realize it, but you've cut the very legs out of the whole Foundation of our Salvation. We'll talk about that in a few moments here, but please notice simply what Paul says in verse 12. [00:11:26]

Now Paul is talking about these two great men who stand as Representatives over the whole human race. We were born under the representation of Adam, correct? How do you know that? Because we all die, we're all subject to death. So Adam, because of his offense, passed on a legacy to everyone who he represents, and we are born under the representation of Adam. But now Paul says there's a different work come along. [00:18:57]

Look, if I could put it just plain and simple out before you, Adam's work brought death, but Jesus's work brought Grace. Now, both what Adam did and what Jesus did had consequences for all of humanity, but different consequences. We need to understand that. What was the consequence of what Adam did? Well, it brought death to everybody. Sinful nature was passed down to each and every one of us. [00:19:50]

Friends, Adam started a reign of sin and death, but I thank God, look at it in verse 17, It's So Glorious. He says much more those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one Jesus Christ. Though it's true that Adam started a reign of sin and death, but Jesus started a reign of righteousness and life. [00:22:52]

If you have put your trust in Jesus Christ, if you've received the abundance of Grace, if you received the gift of righteousness, then friends, it's much more certain that you will reign in life in Jesus Christ. It's even more certain than the fact that you're gonna die, and I don't know how many more facts that are more certain than that. It's more certain than death and taxes if you want to say our Eternal Destiny with Jesus Christ. [00:24:46]

Yes, one man brought sin and death and destruction, but another man, another one man and his righteous act brought life and salvation. We were all born identified with Adam, but you can be born again into identity with Jesus Christ. Now, this idea that Adam and Jesus are the two representatives of the human race, sometimes it's called Federal theology. [00:25:44]

We were made Sinners by the work of Adam, therefore we can be made righteous by the work of Jesus. And it's really the only way how it's fair for the work of Jesus to benefit us in every way. If each and every one of us were absolutely obligated to stand for ourselves and nobody could represent us, then each one of us is going straight to hell. [00:29:52]

The fact of the matter is if we were put into this mess by the work of another person, then it's entirely fair for us to be lifted out of it by the work of another person, and we say thank you God for your wisdom in having us first represented in Adam so that we could find our representation in Jesus. [00:31:28]

Friends, because of Jesus, Grace Reigns. It's the reign of Grace that marks our life, not the reign of sin, not the reign of death, and we might have expected that where sin abounded, God's anger abounded, God's judgment abounded, but no, God's love is so amazing that we're Grace, excuse me, where sin abounded, Grace abounded much more. [00:34:33]

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