Bn – The Contrast to Adam 5: 15-17

The Contrast to Adam
5: 15-17

The contrast to Adam DIG: What is the first contrast? What does Paul mean when he says, “The free gift is not like the offense?” What is the second contrast? What two practical truths does Paul teach us there? What is the third contrast? What is the desired result?

REFLECT: Victory over sin doesn’t mean that we never sin again. It means that now we have a choice not to sin? How have your choices been lately? Make a list of the contrasts between Adam and Yeshua. What surprises you? What doesn’t? How are you living to the fullest?

In Adam, all eternally die; so also in Messiah, all shall eternally live.

Paul continues his analogy of Adam and Messiah, showing how the life that was made possible for all mankind by Yeshua’s atoning sacrifice is contrasted by the death that was made inevitable for all mankind by Adam’s sin. It is the truth that the apostle summarized: For as in Adam all die, so also in Messiah all shall be made alive (First Corinthians 15:22). Just as one man’s disobedience brought sin to all mankind, so the one man, Yeshua Messiah’s act of obedience to the Father, made salvation available to all mankind.

Contrast between the offense and the free gift: The first contrast is clearly stated as being between the free gift of Messiah and the offense (Greek: paraptoma, meaning false step) of Adam. But the free gift is not like the offense. For if, because of the one man’s offense, many died physically and spiritually. By eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Adam took a false step and fell headlong into sin. And instead of becoming more like God, as the Adversary had promised (Genesis 3:5), mankind became alienated from his Creator, and distant from Him. Instead of bringing mankind into the kingdom of God, Adam’s false step delivered him and all his descendants to the kingdom of Satan.

The heart of Paul’s comparison, however, is the Messiah’s one act of salvation had immeasurably greater impact than Adam’s one act of damnation. Then how much more has God’s grace, that is, the gracious gift of eternal life by the one man, Yeshua the Messiah, overflowed to many (5:15)! Condemnation through Adam is inescapable. But alongside condemnation, or judgment, there is God’s grace, which not only has the power to cancel the effects of Adam’s false step, but to create, positively, life and peace.¹³² Messiah not only reversed the curse of death by forgiving and cleansing from sin, but provided the way for redeemed mankind to share in the full righteousness and glory of ADONAI. God’s grace is greater than the sin of mankind. Not only is it greater than the one original sin of Adam that brought death to all mankind, but it is greater than all the accumulated sins that mankind has ever, or ever will, commit.

Yeshua Messiah broke the power of sin and death, but the opposite is not true. Sin and death cannot break the power of Yeshua Messiah. The punishment of Adam’s sin is reversible, but the redemption of Yeshua Messiah is not. The effect of Adam’s act is permanent if not reversed by Messiah. The effect of Messiah’s one act on the cross, however, is permanent for those who believe, and not subject to reversal. We have the great assurance that once we are in Messiah (Ephesians 1:1-23), we are in Him forever (see the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer).¹³³

Contrast between condemnation and justification: The second contrast between the one act of Adam and the one act of Messiah is in regard to extent. In that regard, Messiah’s justification is greater than Adam’s condemnation. No, the free gift is not like what resulted from one man’s sinning; for from one sinner came judgment that brought condemnation; but the free gift came after many offenses and brought acquittal, not merely restoration, but justification (5:16). That one single sin should be answered in judgment is perfectly understandable, but that the accumulated sins and guilt of all mankind for all the ages should be answered by God’s free gift is the miracle of miracles, utterly beyond our understanding.¹³⁴

Dear wise and Loving Heavenly Father, Praise You for in your Almighty wisdom and power, by offering Yeshua as the Lamb of God (John 1:29) as our sin offering, You not only took away the condemnation that our sin brought – but You also opened the door to reconciliation with You. He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (Second Corinthians 5:21). Wow! Not only did You take our punishment; but You also gave Your righteousness to those who love You so they can have fellowship with You. Jesus replied: Anyone who loves me will obey My teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them (John 14:23 NIV).

I am so grateful for Your great love that You offer to all who will choose to love and follow You. I want to live my life to please and to praise You. I offer up to You my heart full of love. Your love for me is totally secure and nothing can separate me from Your love. Who shall separate us from the love of Messiah? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? . . .  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Messiah Yeshua our Lord (Romans 8: 35, 37-39). Also secure is my love for You. Neither troubles nor pandemics will be able to cause me to take my eyes off of how wonderful You are! When problems come, I will focus on eternity and the joy of living with You forever in heaven. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us (Romans 8:18). Though trials may seem to last a long time, they are but a blink of an eye compared to the eternal joy of living forever with You in my future home in heaven (John 14:1-3). I delight in worshiping and praising You! In Your holy son Yeshua’s name and power of His resurrection. Amen

This verse contains two very practical truths that are closely related. The first is that YHVH hates sin so much that it took only one sin to condemn the entire human race and separate them from Him. It was not that Adam’s first sin was worse than all the others he committed or worse than others have committed since. It was simply that his first sin was sin. At the time, eating the forbidden fruit was the only sin Adam and Eve could have committed, because Ha’Shem had placed but one restriction on them. But had it been possible, any other sin would have had the same effect. In the same way, any sin that any person has ever committed would be sufficient to damn the whole human race, just as Adam’s one sin did.

The other truth is that it is more amazing and inconceivable, and is as uplifting as the first is sobering. Greater even than God’s hatred of sin is His love for the sinner. Despite the fact that YHVH hates sin so much that any one sin could damn the entire human race, His loving grace toward mankind is so great that He provides, not only for the redemption of one person for one sin, but for the redemption of all mankind for all sins. Messiah took upon Himself the sins of the whole world. God was in Messiah reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their sins against them (Second Corinthians 5:19 NASB).¹³⁵

Contrast between life and death: The third contrast between the one act of Adam and the one act of Messiah is in regard to efficacy, or producing the desired result. For if, because of the offense of one man, death ruled through that one man; how much more will those receiving the overflowing grace, that is, the gift of being considered righteous, rule in life through the one man Yeshua the Messiah (Romans 5:17; Genesis 2:17, 3:6 and 19)! It has been established that Adam’s one act of sin brought condemnation to the entire human race. But that was hardly the intent of sin. Neither Adam or Eve sinned because they wanted to die. They sinned because they expected to become like God (Genesis 3:5). Their sin produced the very opposite result from which they desired. As noted above, instead of becoming more like God, they became more unlike Him.

The one act of the one man, Yeshua Messiah, however, provided the desired result. The one-dimensional result of Adam’s one act was death because the wages of sin is death (6:23). Whereas the result of Messiah’s one act is life, which is multidimensional. Yeshua not only offers life, but abundant life: The thief comes only in order to steal, kill and destroy; but I have come so they may have life, life in its fullest measure (John 10:10). Believers not only receive life in its fullest measure, but are justified, being considered righteous as a gift, “God made this sinless Man to be a sin offering on our behalf, so that in union with Him we might fully share in God’s righteousness” (Second Corinthians 5:21).

To rule in life through Messiah is also to have power over sin. Later in Romans, Paul will say: By God’s grace, you, who were once slaves to sin, obeyed from your heart the pattern of teaching to which you were exposed; and after you had been set free from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness (6:17-18). As believers, we know from experience, as well as from Scripture, that we are still infected with the disease of sin, and still clothed in the sinful rags of our old nature (Ephesians 4:22). But sin is no longer our master. In Messiah, we are no longer victims of sin, but victors over sin. Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Yeshua Messiah (First Corinthians 15:57).