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Pathways Through Paul
Daily Devotional
February 11
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Today's Pathway:
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Romans 5:14-19
- Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
- But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
- And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
- For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
- Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
- For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
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Yesterday we looked at the first half of I Corinthians 15:22,
"For as in Adam all die."
Today I want to see the end of that verse,
"even so in Christ shall all be made alive",
and relate it back to Romans 5.
Romans 5:14 calls Adam, "the figure of him that was to come". In other words, Adam is a "type" of Jesus. I Corinthians 15:45 states,
"And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit."
Obviously, Adam was not God. However, there are some parallels. Neither Adam nor Jesus had sin natures. Therefore, both could have made the choice not to sin. Both had fellowship with God the Father that was unhindered by sin. Both were tempted. And both become representative of those who are "in" them. Those who are biologically "in" Adam are born sinners and need to be saved. All who are spiritually "in" Christ have been born again and are eternally saved and secure.
These facts are the theme of Romans 5:15-19. These verses contain a series of contrasts between Adam and Christ. In verse 15 Paul teaches that the offense of one man, Adam, condemned men to spiritual death, but the gift of grace that was offered by one man, Jesus, has been accepted by many. In verse 16 he points out that Adam's sin made all men guilty, but Jesus' gift of salvation made those who received it "not guilty". In verse 17 we see that Adam's sin brought death, but those who receive Christ have life. In verse 18 it states that Adam's sin brings judgment and condemnation, but Christ's death offers righteousness and justification. In verse 19 Paul shows that Adam's sin made all of his offspring sinners, but the obedience of Jesus makes those who are his spiritual offspring righteous.
Please notice that the word "gift" occurs six times in this passage. Paul is emphasizing that salvation is not something that you earn, but something that is given to you. It is interesting to note that when the expression "free gift" is used in these verses, the underlying Greek word comes from the same root word as the word "grace". In other words, salvation is a gift, and it is given by grace. All men deserve condemnation because we sinned in Adam and have sinned throughout our lives. No one deserves salvation, but God has graciously offered it to us as a gift. It is up to us whether we will choose to accept it or reject it.
All men start off "in Adam". This results in men being "dead", "condemned", and "sinners". When a man chooses to be "in Christ" he now has "grace", "justification", "righteousness" and "life". Have you made the choice to be "in Christ"?
Pastor Mark J Montgomery
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