Adam and Jesus

Stephen Terry

 

Commentary for the November 11, 2017 Sabbath School Lesson

 

“To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.” Romans 5:13-14, NIV

Can it be possible to be steeped in the righteousness of obedience to the Law and yet be an enemy of God? Paul has been pointing out to us so far through the Epistle to the Romans that our salvation comes through faith. He also now tells us that faith is what brings peace. (v 1) This carries with it the implication that we have been at war with God prior to that, a sentiment he also echoes in verse 10. However, while we may have found peace and reconciliation with God, that war continues to rage around us, and we are not immune to the concurrent suffering. Nonetheless, through that suffering God’s grace fills our hearts with His love and through that indwelling presence we find our characters, our faith strengthened. (vs 2-5)

In the story of the Rich Young Man (Matthew 19:16-22), Jesus pointed out that all the obedience in the world does not mean that we are truly placing our faith in God. That young man had been faithfully observing the letter of the Decalogue. However, he was not surrendered to the influence of Christ and could not follow Him when called upon to do so. He thought he was on God’s side, but Jesus revealed such was not the case. Until we can cross the threshold of faith, we remain in a state of war with our Creator, even though we may feel we are outwardly obedient to His will. It is that warfare that Christ died to end. Are we willing to wave the white flag of surrender, believing in the grace and compassion of the One we have been fighting? Are we willing to allow the war to end so peace can reign?

Paul sheds some interesting insights on the “wrath” of God. We are at war with God due to our reliance on our own righteousness to make our way in the world. Therefore, we can only be at peace by a surrender to stop the war. Jesus surrendered long ago on the cross and thereby achieved victory that we might now surrender and find life instead of the death He experienced. (vs 6-11) Because of Jesus’ victory, God cannot lose the battle, so should we expect surrender from Him when we are at enmity with Him? Some may not want to surrender, preferring God’s surrender instead. Since this cannot happen, they see God's wrath rather than their own intransigence as being responsible for the continuation of the war. (V 15) Nonetheless, He became our example by surrendering to death on an ignominious cross. We need also to set aside our self-reliance on our own righteousness. There is no security in our righteous deeds. (Isaiah 64:6) They can only lead to death in a war we cannot win. (Romans 6:23)

Parents will sometimes tell their squabbling children, "It takes two to make a quarrel." So in an attempt to end the enmity, we sometimes choose to either ignore our contagonist or placate him. Some have chosen the former and act as though God does not exist. Others have chosen the latter, recognizing there is no way to win the conflict, so they surrender to God. Which is the better path? History is rife with examples where ignoring an antagonist has not worked. Peace only seems to come through the surrender of one side or another. Since by definition God cannot surrender, the path to peace appears to be possible only with our surrender to Him. Fortunately, unlike earthly opponents, God's grace, compassion and love assure us that our surrender will gain far more than might be achieved by continued conflict.

Paul tells us that "sin entered the world through one man." (v 12, NIV) From this, some have derived the doctrine of original sin which passes guilt for Adam's sin to all mankind. However a careful reading of the context reveals we are not found sinners because of Adam's sin. Rather it is our own sin which brings deadly condemnation on our heads. (vs 13) This condemnation is not made universal because of some DNA-based contamination spread genetically throughout humanity. It is because all have chosen at some level to live lives at enmity with God. (v 10)

Laying the blame on Adam is to choose in some measure to avoid responsibility for our own choices. It may even approach the blasphemy of blaming God who created Adam in the same way that Adam blamed God for giving him Eve. (Genesis 3:12) Placing the responsibility on Eve did not deliver Adam from accountability. Perhaps we should think twice before we lay the responsibility for our sins on another. Accepting responsibility for our choices and actions can be the first step toward healing and salvation. Interestingly, Paul gives us a reminder here that obedience to the Law is not what saves us, for he states that the same death reigns over all of us whether with or without the Law. (v 14)

Death entered the world through the gateway of one man’s disobedience. (v 15) The command, in this case, brought death. That is all it could do, because life was already present through the creative grace of God. However, in choosing the path of disobedience, Adam chose death rather than life. He chose to live (or rather die) under the condemnation of the Law instead of the life-giving love of God. But God chose to continue to offer the same choice to mankind that Adam faced that we might make that choice aright. Through Christ’s death upon the cross, we gained the opportunity to make that choice and achieve the eternal life from which Adam was barred. (vs 16-19, Cf. Genesis 3:22-24) Perhaps, as evidenced by the offering of sacrifices, (Genesis 4:3-5) Adam was able to look forward to Golgotha and find grace and restoration. If so, we may one day see him as he beholds the many, many who have clung to the cross and found life.

Paul tells us that the Law was added to increase trespass (law breaking). (v 20) This seems counter intuitive perhaps when we see laws as somehow producing more obedience and therefore more stability. Maybe this is why we hear so much about obedience from pastors and evangelists. However, if we look at the actual results, we see that the result of more laws tends to be more prisons. This is especially true in the United States where we may have imprisoned a higher percentage of our population than any other country, even the so-called "oppressive" regimes.

Laws can never bring about morality. They can only condemn our immorality. Eventually, with enough laws, everyone could have the opportunity to go to prison. Perhaps that is why Paul pointed out that everyone is a law breaker. (Romans 3:10) But he also points out the true answer to lawlessness is grace. (v 21)  And the proliferation of disobedience has resulted in a proliferation of compassionate grace. In response, many have been drawn by that loving grace, and in gratitude, love has welled up in their hearts toward God. As Jesus said, "...whoever has been forgiven little loves little." (Luke 7:47. NIV) However, we have been forgiven a great deal. Justice demands our death for our sins, but God desires our love, not our death.  Justice may be invoked to provide equity, but it may not produce love. Compassion and grace are the engines for that.