Skip to main content

Romans 5:12: Therefore, Just As Sin Came Into The World Through One Man, And Death Through Sin


Romans 5:12
[12] Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— (ESV)

When the average person considers the idea of sin they tend to think of particular sins that they have committed. The next thing they tend to do is compare the quantity or quality of their sinning to others who have also sinned. We love to compare. If we find someone who we think is a bigger sinner than us we feel that we are not that bad. Is that how God views sin?

Paul tells us that sin came into the world through one man. That man is Adam, the very first man. How tragic that man could not last one generation without sinning. This sin did not just affect Adam and his wife Eve. This sin is now passed down to all mankind. Those who come from Adam are stained with the same nature that sins against God.

I am not very good at science, but I like to use a simple illustration from science. Imagine that you had a glass of water that was 100 percent pure. If you put one drop of any other substance in that glass of water would anything that comes out of that glass be pure? No. Because Adam's nature was stained with sin, nothing that comes from him can be pure. We have all come from Adam.

What is worse is that the sin that came to all mankind comes with a particular consequence. The consequence is death. Sin brings death. Adam was told by God in the Garden of Eden that if he were to disobey the Lord's instruction and eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil he would surely die. Sin brings death. Death to all mankind.

This is such an important reminder for us today. There are no good people. We are all sinners and sin brings death. Thank God that he sent his Son, Jesus Christ to die in our place. Look to him and live.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Romans 8:18: For I Consider That The Sufferings Of This Present Time Are Not Worth Comparing

Romans 8:18 [18] For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (ESV) Perspective. What an important word. Let's be honest. We do not like the idea of suffering. We will do almost anything to avoid any kind of suffering. Some churches have gone so far as to preach against the idea of suffering, declaring it to not be a part of the true believer's life. Paul is not shy about the topic. Paul uses the sufferings of this present time as a means to consider the greater glory that awaits us. Perspective. Paul is not in any way attempting to diminish our suffering. A view toward eternity puts our suffering in a proper understanding. Yes, our suffering is terrible. In the grand scheme of eternity it is not even worth comparison. Maybe you are thinking that Paul does not know what he is talking about when it comes to suffering. In 2 Corinthians 11 Paul describes countless beatings, often near death,

Romans 11:24: For If You Were Cut From What Is By Nature A Wild Olive Tree, And Grafted, Contrary To Nature, Into A Cultivated Olive Tree . . .

Romans 11:24 [24] For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree. (ESV) We continue looking at the illustration of an olive tree. The root of the tree is the covenant relationship relationship of God with Abraham. Abraham's faith is what this spiritual tree is built on. The first branches would have been the faithful people of Israel, who like Abraham, placed their faith in God. They believed God, just like Abraham, and it was credited to them as righteousness. There were branches of the people of Israel who never placed their faith in God. Because these branches were not true followers of God they were broken off of the tree. Faith in God was the essential element that made the branches true branches of this spiritual tree. Some branches remained. Others, the faithless unbelievers, were removed. After Jesu

Romans 15:20-21: And Thus I Make It My Ambition To Preach The Gospel, Not Where Christ Has Already Been Named

Romans 15:20–21 [20] and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, [21] but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.” (ESV) We need to be reminded continually that the message of the Gospel is intended to move all across the world. Jesus said that his followers were to preach the Gospel, starting in Jerusalem, and continue preaching the Gospel to the whole world. Christians have not always been good at delivering the Gospel message as far and as often as they should. In the first century church it took intense persecution to motivate the disciples in Jerusalem to bring the Gospel to Judea and Samaria. Once the disciples fled to new regions they shared the Gospel wherever they went. Would the disciples have preached the Gospel without the persecution? We may never know. Some probably would have stayed in their co