Paul has told us how privileged Christians are[i]. And now, in case we think these privileges are for a select few, he tells us they are for ‘the many’. God is doing nothing less than recreating the human race—making a people who can know and enjoy him. And the sole reason for this is ‘one man’—Jesus Christ.
We could say that this is the story of the world—God’s narrative. Paul himself has been travelling widely and seeing the power of his message work out among many peoples. It’s no longer limited to Jews.
We all need this big picture because, in one way or another, we try to makes sense of what we see and experience. And there is no lack of human stories—religions or ideologies—on offer.
But other stories cannot offer a solution to the pain and disfunction we live with. What we need is not new ideas. We need a redeemer.
God’s story starts with Adam—the beginning of the human race. But it moves quickly to Jesus Christ because our human journey will never make sense without him.
Adam’s story[ii] may seem to be so long ago as to be irrelevant, but what this man does at the beginning of our history explains and describes exactly where we are now. It’s our story.
God’s sets up a garden for Adam, a place where he may know God and share in looking after the creation.
But Adam tries to write God out of the story. He sins, disobeys or transgresses God’s command. So, God condemns what he has done. And death is decreed. He won’t live forever.
But God is not only dealing with Adam. He’s looking at humanity. Adam’s sin is not just his. It’s ours. We could say that when Adam asserts his independence from God and his word, we all feel proud of him. We break out in applause. We all belong to Adam, regardless of our nationality or religion.
Adam has no-one to blame. He’s surrounded with perfection. Not like us. We have lots of people and situations to blame. But God shows us that in a perfect situation, this is the choice we make.
We may protest, but the facts are in front of us—and Paul has spoken about them already. We all sin. We all know God condemns us. And we all die. We’re not in charge after all! Sin is. And guilt is. And death is[iii]. Can anyone argue with this?
But this is not God’s idea of a human race! He has made Adam in his image, but has always purposed to bring his creation to completion through his Son—coming among us as a man.
We’ve heard that Christ died for our sins. We’ve heard that he’s been raised for our justification, but now, we need to see how comprehensive all this is. It’s for ‘many’, even for ‘all men’—that is, ‘all’ without distinction[iv]. We could be anybody from anywhere or any circumstance.
If the choice and deed of Adam has been catastrophic, the choice and deed of Jesus Christ is nothing less than a new creation. So, let’s look at the contrasts Paul makes between what we have in Adam and what we have in Christ.
Under Adam, we are focused on what’s gone wrong. We are always asking who is to blame. It’s what happens when we know we are being condemned by God. And we are always living under a shroud of death[v]. Nothing we do can have any permanence. With nothing more in our narrative than this, our living and societies tend towards helplessness and hopelessness.
In stark contrast to this, under Jesus Christ, we have received new life. We’ve received a free gift[vi]. The change in perspective couldn’t be greater. We’re not obsessed with what we deserve. We’ve been treated with grace. And this new life is plentiful—it doesn’t run out like bank balances or government budgets.
And this gift of God is righteousness—that is, we are standing with dignity before God in heaven, and standing up boldly for God in the world.
Adam has seen to it that we start of as sinners. ‘Made sinners’ is what Paul says. But Jesus sees to it that we start off as righteous. Again, we’ve been ‘made righteous’. There’s no social evolution here. No gradual reform. It’s not being progressive. It’s nothing less than a new creation.
And Paul anticipates the day when we will ‘reign in life’. We’ll actually be everything that God had in mind in creating the human race. As Isaiah tells us, God will make a feast for all people, he will swallow up the shroud of death that lies over all peoples and will wipe away our tears. With a hope like this we are ready to live!
Paul has mentioned the law of Moses at the beginning and end of this passage. Where does this fit in God’s narrative? It certainly doesn’t set anyone free. Rather, it increases the amount of sinning we do and are aware of.
On the other hand, under Christ, what’s increasing is the abundant flow of God’s grace.
So, finally, who or what is in charge of the world we envisage? Will sin be the shape of the future? Will guilt be the main driver? Will death write the last chapter? No! No! And no!
Rather, grace is in charge. And the end is assured—eternal life.
Any other story than this one is a fairy tale.
[i] Rom. 5:1-11
[ii] Gen. 2—3
[iii] Heb. 2:14-15
[iv] Vv. 15, 18, 19
[v] Isa. 25:6-9
[vi] v. 15
Simply True 