Let's turn to Romans chapter
5 again. Now having declared in precise
and definite language that Christ reconciled a people by His death,
and that all whom He reconciled shall be saved by His life, Paul's
established this. This is not a place of debate.
We don't debate these things. This is not a theological opinion of one side
of Christianity. This is Christianity. Where Paul
writes these words. He says, But God commendeth His
love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us. Much more then, being now justified
by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him, for..."
So now he's going to explain exactly what the Spirit of God
has moved him to say here. "...for if when we were enemies
we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more
being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. Right there
it is clear, Mason in language, whoever Jesus Christ died and
did reconcile, they shall be saved because He still lives. And not only that, but we also
joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have received
the reconciliation. So even our reception of it is
based upon the person and work of Jesus Christ himself. So again
I say that Paul is here declared in definite and precise language
that Christ reconciled a people by his death and all whom he
reconciled, every single one of them shall be saved by his
life. That's the doctrine established.
Anything else Paul says will not go contrary to that. It will
not go contrary to that. Paul then shows the foundational
truth of what I am terming now representative union. He does that in verses 12 all
the way through verse 21. And let me just read those. Wherefore,
so this is a summary you might say. As a matter of fact, this
is a summary of the reason. This is not kind of a conclusion,
but it is a summary in this sense. All of the state of man as we
see defined in the latter part of Romans chapter 1, by Paul.
And in all of chapter 2, and in the beginning of chapter 3,
all of the state of man, man's condition, man's utter ruin,
man's corruption, man's total depravity, is all now summed
up in these next few verses. Here's the reason for it all.
Wherefore, it's not just a wherefore for the last statement, it's
a wherefore for everything else he said up to this point. Wherefore,
as by one man, sin entered into the world, and death by sin. So death passed upon all men,
for that all have sinned. Then he goes into this parenthesis,
before he even goes any further, he continues this argument, if
you will, in verse 18, but before he does, he wants to lay this
foundation. For until the law, sin was in the world, but sin
is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned
from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after
the similitude, or as the similarity of Adam's transgression, who
is the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offense,
so also is the free gift. For if through the offense 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 man
to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offenses unto
justification. For if by one man's offense,
he just keeps saying this over and over, one man, one man, one
man on this side, a negative side, one man on this side, a
positive side, you might say. For if by one man's offense,
Death reigned by one, much more they which receive abundance
of grace and the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus
Christ. So you see how he's building
upon this representation and this representative union of
which he has stated, as I might go on again to add, in verses
6 through 11. For if by one man's offense death
reigned by one, much more they which receive abundance of grace
and the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one Jesus
Christ. And he continues on. It is, therefore,
as by the offense 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. Moreover, the law entered that
the offense might abound, but where sin abounded, grace did
much more abound, that as sin hath reigned unto death, even
so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life
by Jesus Christ our Lord. And then, of course, we realize
he goes on to say, what shall we say then? Shall we continue
in sin that grace may abound? So it's not Mason at the end
of an argument here. He then still flows right on.
He just keeps on going again. He tells us our state in Adam
in chapters 1, 2, 3. And then in chapter 5, he kind
of gives us the summary of why this is so. But then he continues
on on why that old way is gone now. That's right. In its proper
perspective. Now, this morning, what I want
to talk about is representative union, two men only. That's the title of the message.
God willing, in the next following couple Sundays, at least one,
but maybe more than that, we'll look at some gleanings from Romans
chapter 5, verses 12 through 21. But before I glean from some
of those passages, I want us to get into this and see what
is Paul saying here. So this morning it's this, Representative
Union, two men only. There are two unassailable facts
here given in these passages. Here's number one. Here's the
list. Number one. The negative side,
if you will. This is our place in Adam. Sin,
death, judgment, and condemnation. These all passed. That's past tense. These all
passed on all whom Adam represented by Adam's one act of disobedience. Do you hear what I said again? Sin, death, Judgment and condemnation,
these all passed on all whom Adam represented in his one act
of disobedience. Wherefore, as by one man, sin
entered into the world. We do not fall because of Adam. We fail in Adam. You understand? Adam didn't fall and then when
we're born, then we fall because of Adam. No. Thousands teach
that. They may not even say it that
way, but that's what they're teaching. We do not fall because of Adam.
We fell in Adam. That is, when Adam fell, we fell
then. And we fell all the way to sin,
death, judgment, and condemnation. And you can read it all. The
first part of verse 15, the first part of verse 16, the first part of verse 17, the
first part of verse 18, and the first part of verse 19. He just
keeps saying it over and over and over and over. Does he not? Look at it. Verse 15, For if
through the offense of one many be dead, 16, for the judgment
was by one to condemnation. Verse 17, For if by one man's
offense death reigned, by one. In other words, you and I had
nothing to do with this. Adam had everything to do with
it. And again I say, we don't know what it's like to fall.
We're conceived and born fallen. The fall is natural to us. It
wasn't natural to Adam. He was upright, created, and
God said he's good, even very good. Adam fell. We don't fall. He fell, we fell in Him and we're
born, conceived and born into that state into which Adam fell. Religion, false Christianity
does not know this. But likewise, but even more so,
but with some differences. But likewise, but even more so,
but with some differences, everyone that Christ represented has been
brought into this new realm, this new thing. Here's the second
thing. God's grace. The free gift of
grace. Justification of life. The gift
of righteousness. These all have come or shall
come upon all whom Christ represents by His own personal obedience. And then you see the counterpart
of the negative in verse 15, verse 17, verse 18, verse 19,
and verse 20 and 21. right? But not as the offense,
so also as the free gift. What's that mean? Does that confuse
you a little? It's a little confusing, isn't it? But what's he saying?
Here's what he's saying. If we put it in our modern day
language, we would say it's in like manner, but there are some
differences. But what Christ did rises far
above what happened in Adam. In other words, it's similar,
but different. But the difference has to do with Christ took care
of the problem in Adam and then even raised us far above what
we lost in Adam. That's what he means when he
says, but not as the offense, so also is the free gift. It
sounds like a conundrum, but it's not when you realize he's
comparing two things that one is a figure of the other, but
they are total opposites of each other. Do you see it? but not
as the offense, so also is the free gift. For if through the
offense of one many be dead, much more the grace of God and
the gift of grace," and notice what even comes first. Grace
was first because it's as eternal as God himself. Now the gift
is also, but the gift is given. The gift of grace, which is what? By one man, Jesus Christ hath
abounded unto many. Do you see it? So again I say,
Sin, death, judgment, condemnation. These all passed on everyone
whom Adam represented. God's grace. the free gift of
grace, justification of life, the gift of righteousness. These
all have come and some are still yet to come, but they shall come
upon all whom Christ represents. Anyone who teaches that the many
and the all represented by Adam is exactly equal in number as
the many and the all as represented by Christ is teaching universalism. Adam represented all without
exception. Christ represents all without distinction. And
that's just the way it is. It's only two. Either Christ
died to save a certain number of people out of fallen humanity,
okay, or he died to save everyone without exception in humanity,
and they must be saved. Because as we fell in Adam, having
nothing to do with what we've done. Salvation, all these terms,
God's grace, the free gift of grace, justification of life,
the gift of righteousness, comes based upon, as the foundation
of, Jesus Christ and His own personal obedience to God. He's
already established that in the previous verses. In the positive,
in Christ, by reconciliation. But now He's joining it all together. Now, some people want to, as
they begin through verses 12 through 21, they then want to
interject conditions into the work of Christ. Christ did this
for everybody without exception, but there's conditions whether
or not it will benefit you. That totally ignores Paul's argument
here. It not only ignores it, Most
of the time, it is an affront to Paul's argument. It's the whole point of the argument.
Whoever was represented by Adam, they fail when Adam failed. So
far that they died, they were judged, and they were condemned.
Now, whomever Christ represented, God's grace was toward them,
the free gift of grace is toward them, justification of life is
toward them, the gift of righteousness is toward them, and these things
must be so. This is not an argument Paul
is basing upon some theological books that Paul found in some
library somewhere. This is the direct revelation
of God Almighty Himself to the Apostle Paul. Now, having said
that, listen, never, never, never He said, in like manner with
some differences, but not as defense, so also is the free
gift, but never with less force. When you talk about what Christ
did and what took place in Christ, compared to what Adam did and
what took place in Adam, it is never with less force. It's always with more force.
Much more than that. So anybody who tries to argue
a theological position that does not have all men, the many, died
in Adam, but all men, the many, in Christ, shall be saved. If they try to argue anything
else, they are trying to refute Paul's argument here. And it
can't be done. There is no interjection here.
You don't interject as a condition to these things concerning Christ's
faith, repentance or anything else. Any more that you interject
into Adam's fall, my unbelief or my rebellion. I was born in
unbelief because Adam fell. It is not Adam fell and then
somewhere along the line when I did exhibit unbelief, then
what Adam did falls on me. conceived and born. As a matter
of fact, for as by one man's disobedience many were, we were
constituted as sinners before we ever conceived. That's what
this says. And that's his basic argument. Remember the parentheses are
just an explanation, giving us some foundation of the argument
itself. The argument is this. Here's the main thrust of all
of these verses. For as by one man's disobedience
many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many
be made righteous. There it stands. There are two
representative men only in this world. That's all there's ever
been. No person. No person has ever or will ever
represent themselves before God. No sir, not according to the
truth of scripture. No person has ever or will ever
represent themselves before God. How can I say that? Adam was,
I said was, and Christ is the only representative. Adam was. That's done. It happened, some
say, some 6,000 years ago, and very likely maybe so. It's done. What was accomplished in Christ
took place some odd 2,000 years ago, and it's secured. It actually
accomplished some things right then, but it also secured everything
else that had to take place after that. Adam was and Christ is the only
two representatives. And I'll say it that way, Adam's
not your representative today. He already represented you and
I in the garden. Now we're born into that state.
And we stand before God in that state in Adam. We are all, we all were represented
by Adam. In six ways, this is what he
says here, I'll give them to you. In the six ways, unto spiritual
death. Wherefore is by one man sin entered
into the world, and death by sin, so that death, he didn't
say so that dying passed upon everyone. Death, real death,
already death, dead, dead, death. Read some commentaries, and they
immediately here run to physical death. Two things that Paul uses here
argues absolutely against that. Two things. First of all, this
was spiritual death. And first of all, it was God's
judgment on Adam. Go back and read Genesis 2, 16
and 17. In the day that thou eatest thereof. God cannot lie. In the day. Now, reference the
meaning of the word day in all of those first couple chapters.
It means a 24 hour period. The evening and the morning were
the first day. Then God comes along and tells
Adam, in the day that you eat thereof, thou shalt surely die. Was God lying? No. When Adam partook of that fruit,
he died. That day. That's the death God
was talking about. Physical death was a punishment
for that death. It came later. From dust you
were taken, to dust thou shalt return. But Adam died the day
ate of that fruit. Secondly, that death is passed
on to us. I'm not going through a read-off.
Job 14, remember the argument? Can an unclean thing bring forth
something that's clean? Every person born after that,
seeing that Adam had already fallen and they were the original
two, Adam and Eve, nobody else could be born clean. Everybody
else was born into that state into which Adam fell in that
garden. But here's another. Here's another
one. It's amazing. I read one commentary. Didn't
read it too long. But I read their explanation
of verse 12 and they said, this is physical death and that's
proved by verse 13 and 14. So I read 13 and 14 and I thought,
really? Let me ask you a question. If
there is evidence of even one person not physically dying,
then we know it couldn't mean physical death. Right? It's something
that most people just, I think, they willingly ignore. Do you
know what? From Adam to Moses, there was
one man that did not die. Enoch. Therefore, it can't be
physical death because the death Paul's talking about passed on
all. Enoch didn't die. From Moses
to Christ, there was what? One man, Elijah. Remember? God took him up in the world
with him. Elisha stood there and watched him, his coat fell
down. Because God took him off, right? He didn't die. So physical
death did not pass, they said, babies die, old people die, you
know they go through the litany. Yes they do, but not all of them.
But all spiritually died when Adam died in that garden. That day that he ate of that
fruit. What about from Christ's first
coming to Christ's second coming? There's a whole group of people
that are said that they will not die. Right? Those that are
in Christ, who are alive and remain when He returns, they're
not going to die. They're going to be changed just
like that and they're going to go up. Right after the dead who
are in Christ, mason or raised first, then immediately they'll
be changed. No death there. No physical death there. This
ain't talking about physical death. No. One writer said spiritual death
is the second death. No it ain't. The second death
is the lake of fire. Spiritual death is what you and
I were conceived and born into because of one man's one act
of disobedience. That's the first two things.
Here's number three. This judgment of spiritual death
is to condemnation. The condemnation here is not
hell. It's the death itself. It's death. Unable to approach
God. Unwilling to approach God. Not
knowing even how to appropriately approach God, apart from an act
of grace. Unknowing, unwilling, unconcerned. There's no fear of God before
our eyes. And this is the condemnation.
Men shall go to hell if they don't believe in Jesus. And what
he said isn't. Now you know what? That's true.
But that's not the condemnation Paul's talking about here. The
condemnation here is sin and death. It's the spiritual death
into which each and every one of us were brought into this
world in Adam. This judgment is of spiritual
death is to condemnation. That's what he says in verse
16. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift.
Remember, there's some similarities, but there's some differences.
That's what he says. It's easy enough. It's easy enough. It's
not really that, I read this and I think it's complex because
I have a hard time explaining it to you, but I see what it
says. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift.
For the judgment was by one to condemnation. One man and one
sin. Both are meant there. One man and one sin. Condemnation.
It's not Adam sinned and then we're born sinful. And then if
we sin too much, or if we don't quit sinning, if something then
don't happen, then we'll be condemned. No. We're already condemned.
And this is the condemnation. That light is coming to the world.
And what? And men loved darkness rather than light. That's our
condemnation in that. That's our problem. Number four,
the law didn't make this so. Wherefore is by one man sin in
and of the world, death by sin. So death passed upon all men
for that all have sinned. But Paul says, I've got to give
you something here. The Spirit immediately moves
him. And we get it in a parenthesis here. Look, for until the law,
sin was in the world. The law didn't make sin, sin.
For until the law, sin was in the world. But sin is not imputed
when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned.
See it? Even from Adam to Moses. Even
after those that hadn't sinned like Adam sinned. Adam had one
command. He didn't keep it. He knowingly,
willingly disobeyed. Eve was deceived. Adam wasn't. He stepped right into that thing.
willingly defied against God Almighty. Look, nevertheless
death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned
after the similarity of Adam's transgression, who is the figure
of him that was to come. No, the law didn't make this
so. Sin was sin ever before the law
was even given. The law entered, Paul says, to
unassailably confirm this is so. Read verses 19 and first
part of 20. Look at it. For as by one man's
disobedience, many were made sinners. Moreover, the law entered
that the offense might abound. The law comes along and says,
see, I told you this is what sin's like. And this is how bad
it is. And the law exposes it. The problem
is we're so dead We hate God so much, we can't see it. We're
so blind, we don't see it. We by nature read the law and
think, I'll give that my best shot. Now don't we? And the law is not about our
best shot. The law is about absolute righteousness before God personally. Personally. So again, The law
didn't make this so. The law entered to unassailably
confirm this as so. Number six, anyone who was represented
by Adam only shall have nothing to represent them when they stand
before God at the great white throne. Think about that. Anyone who was represented by
Adam only And not by Christ. I'll add that now. Not by Christ.
That person or persons shall have nothing to represent them
when they stand before God alone. Go back and read Revelation now
with me. And look at how he writes that. Revelation chapter 20 verse 11. And I saw a great white throne
and him that sat on it from whose face the earth and heaven did
what? Fled away. And there was found,
wait a minute, there was found no place for them. No representation there. They'd
already been represented by Adam. Right? Now they have no representation. They stand before God themselves,
Mason. And none of us are a self-representative
before God. You and I cannot represent ourselves
before God. There is one mediator between
God and men. That's the man, Christ Jesus. Look, there was found no place
for them. And I saw the dead, small and
great, stand before God. And the books were opened. And
another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the
dead were judged out of those things which were written in
the books. which I believe is the scriptures. Some say specifically
the first five books. We know it has some credence
because Christ said those books, what Moses said, that will judge
you. But look at what he says, the books were opened, another
book was opened which is the book of life and the dead were
judged out of those things which were written in the books according
to their works. That is no way to stand before
God. Now there are people who want
to stand before God in their works. They will. They'll get what they want. But
look, and the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death
and hell delivered up the dead which were in them, and they
were judged, every man according to their works. Death and hell
were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And
it doesn't say, and whosoever's works did not cut the muster.
Why? Because no human works cut the muster, but the works of
one man, one human man, Jesus Christ. Look, and whosoever was
not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake
of fire. If you're represented by Adam-Oni,
you have no representation at all before God. Now, Christ did
not come to give even one person a second chance. Now these people who talk about
Adam represented all, many, and Christ represented the exact
same number of all and many, but yet, sadly, they even, some
of them at least admit that all, at least many of the all, Mason,
they're going to perish. How can you get a much more than
out of that? How can you get a much more than?
But it all depends. It ain't God's fault. As if God
needed justification. The fault lies in Adam. He rebelled
against God. And we were born into that state
into which he fell. We were made sinners. Now it
takes a representative to lift me not only up out of that, but
even far beyond that. But let me tell you, according
to the testimony of God's own Word, everyone that Christ represented,
He does represent before the Father still today. He makes
intercession for exactly the same number for whom he died.
Look at Paul in Romans chapter 8. Is that not what he says?
Romans chapter 8, let me find it here. Verse 31, what shall
we then say to these things? If God be for us, who? This group
of people right here. God be for us, who can be against
us? He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for
us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Do you see it? He hadn't left
his argument, Mason. He's just building upon the argument
he established in Romans chapter 5 verses 12 through 21. Who shall
lay anything to the charge of God's elect? Why? It's God that
justifies. Remember he mentioned the justification
of life? Gift of righteousness? Who is
he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, look,
yea rather that is risen again who is even at the right hand
of God who also maketh intercession for us. He's interceding for
the exact same number for whom he died. He will see to it that
nothing shall separate them from the love of God which is in him.
I need that. I don't want to stand before
God and be my own representative. Because a representative I am
not. I don't even probably know the
half of it Joe. But what little bit I do know
scares me to death to think I would stand before that throne and
be judged according to my works. I know at least enough of Mason
that frightens my sometimes it makes me physically ill if I
think about it. Christ didn't die for me. I'm
a goner. And rightfully so. Rightfully so. God says He's
going to wipe away all our tears, not His. He ain't going to be
up there crying about this thing. He says concerning obstinate
rebels, I'll laugh when your calamity comes. Now if somebody
says that ain't God, it might not be your God, but that's the
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That's the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ. That's who He is. So I say Christ
did not come to give even one person a second chance, another
shot. That's not a much more than,
is it? It might be a but not as, so
also is, but it ain't a much more than. You gotta take it all. Pick and
choose what phrases you want there. The many, yea, all that
he represents. That's the whole force of it.
Don't try to figure out why is many here, why is all there.
It will just confound you. It has its reasons. I can't give
you those reasons other than this. The many, yea, all that
he represented. Let me give you, I just got six
things, here are five things to give you concerning that.
Look, it's what it says here. God's grace and its gift hath
abounded to every one of them. Look at what it says in verse
15. But not as the offense, so also is the free gift. For if
through the offense of one, many be dead, much more the grace
of God and the gift by grace, which is by what? By your free
will? By your acceptance of it? No, it had nothing to do with
that. But by one, let me read it. What was that, verse 15,
right? For if through the offense of
one many be dead, much more the grace of God and the gift of
grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. Now what, you could say one reason
there are many. Why, because not all of them yet has experienced
it. They all shall. They all shall, but they haven't
necessarily yet. But I'll tell you what, it's
already established for all. Because look, think about it,
that God's grace and its gift hath abounded toward them. Did
not Paul say that God gave us grace in Christ when? Even before
the world began. Now look, there's this number
two, the free gift dealt with any offense that stood in the
way. That's what he says. The free gift dealt with any
offense that stood in the way, even unto justification, and
not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift. There are similarities
but differences. For the judgment was by one,
how far? To condemnation. But the free
gift is of many offenses. He didn't just take care of Adam's
sin and then leave our sin up to us. Hear me? He didn't just deal with that
problem. He dealt with all the problems. Do you see what he's
saying there? But the free gift is of many
offenses unto what? Justification. God says it's
all right. Not all right A-L-R-I-G-H-T. It's A-L-L-R-I-G-H-T. It's all made right now. That's
what justification means, rightness. And where did the rightness come
from? The one act of the one man, Jesus Christ. That's good
news to somebody like me. Is that good news to you? That's
not good news to everybody though, you know that? They call us crazy
cults, Joe. But it's right here. But the
free gift dealt with any offense that stood in the way, even under
the justification for, if by one man's offense death reigned
by one, much more they which receive, and here it is, this
is them in the active voice. They receive it. But how do we
receive it? See, people say, oh, see, now he's interjecting
faith. Faith is a condition. No, faith is a result. It's a
fruit. He's already said it right up
here. Christ already reconciled us by his death. How do we receive
it? By him. Because he lives. For if by one man's offense,
death reigned by one, much more, they which receive abundance
of grace. Mason, it ain't just enough to
get you there. It's more than it even took. That's for our comfort. God could
have kneeled just enough. It would have been enough, right?
That's for our comfort. God expended far more grace,
David Wright, than was even necessary. Because He didn't just bring
us even back to where we were in Adam. He lifted us all the
way back to where now we are joint heirs with Jesus Christ. Heirs of God and joint heirs. For if by one man's offense death
reigned by one, much more they which receive abundance of grace
and the gift of righteousness shall reign in life." What? Not
in physical life, but in what? Spiritual life. The death is
a spiritual death, the life is a spiritual life too. You don't
reign in your physical life, do you? You know you don't. Our physical life is so faulty.
so shot full of hell and corruption and stink and rot, but there
is a life that can't be touched by that. It's the life that is
intrinsic to God only. It is the life that that God
wrought when He was made flesh and lived on that earth, and
it's the life that God breathes into his elect at his appointed
time in regeneration. And it is that life that God
stirs in the manifestation through the preaching of the gospel of
the Lord Jesus Christ. And it's a reigning in life.
How do I know that's true? By one, Jesus Christ. See it? Right there. Therefore, Paul says, all that
Christ represented shall see this justification of life. See? Therefore, as by the offense
of one, judgment came upon all men, to that condemnation we
were talking about. Sin and death. Spiritual sin
and death. Even so, by the righteousness
of what? Not one act. Not even one act
of faith, Mason. It's not about our act of faith.
It's about His one act. Even so, by the righteousness
of one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of
life." This life is justified. It's perfect. It's glorious. It's of God Himself. That life is not tainted by any
death. It may dwell right alongside
of that death. Remember, the spirit lusts against
the flesh and the flesh against the spirit. They don't do this
ever. They always do this. They never
intercline. Everything we do may be corrupted
by sin. Everything we do. But that which
is done for us in Christ Jesus is absolutely perfect. The new
creature is a true new creation. It's created in righteousness
and true holiness after the image of Him that created it. That
new man? It's perfect. So much so that
John says it cannot sin. But he puts it this way. He,
the person, then is stated to say Job cannot sin. Why? Because it's what God made us
to be. Now, based on the look of that,
they all shall be made righteous. Verse 19, for as by one man's
disobedience many were made sinners, we were not imputed Adam's sin.
I mean, I read the commentaries again. For until the law of sin
was in the world, but sin is not imputed where there is no
law. And they said, but there must then have had to have been
some law because then Adam's sin couldn't have been imputed
to us. They're trying to run and deny Paul's whole argument
because he says, nevertheless, death reigned. It's not about
imputation, it's about making. I wasn't imputed Adam's sin and
then born a nice, sweet, little holy child. No! No, I was made a sinner. And that was even before I even
existed. So that when my mother and father came together, God
love them, all they produced was another piece of corrupt
flesh just like themselves. And that's all they could do.
That's all your parents could do. That's all you could do as
a parent. is just continually, continually bringing into effect
what was already done back yonder in Adam. But Christ has settled
the score. For as by one man's disobedience
many were made sinners, you had nothing to do with it. One man's
disobedience, even so by the obedience of one, shall many
be made righteous. That lets me breathe. You see
it? That lets me breathe. Even the
law's unassailable confirmation of our spiritual death shall
not prevail, then he says. Moreover, the law entered that
defense might abound, but where sin abounded, what? Grace did
much more abound. The law didn't complicate things
for God. The law wasn't an obstacle God
had to overcome. The law was the revelation of
us as the obstacle. That we are the obstacle. We are the problem. Moreover,
the law entered that the offense might abound, but where sin abounded,
grace did much more abound, that as sin hath reigned unto death,
past tense again, even so might grace reign, but how? Through
righteousness unto eternal life by your decision for Jesus. No. Jesus Christ our Lord. He's still continuing the same
argument. There are two representative men and two representative men
only. We were all represented in Adam.
Our only hope is that we were represented by Christ as well.
That's our only hope. Again, no man or woman represents
themselves. You won't. You just won't. You'll
be represented by your works. And we've seen that won't work.
Right? That won't work. There are only
two men who ever represented humanity before God. Adam and
Christ. The question for me is, in whom
do I presently stand? That's to be found in Him. Paul talked about Christ. And
be found in Him. Not having mine own righteousness,
which is of the law, but that which is through the righteousness
of Christ. That's where it's at. Where do I presently stand?
Did Christ represent me in His death? If so, He represents me
now in His life. Unassailably so. Believer, it's
okay to believe Christ. It's okay. It honors God to believe
Christ. It honors God's law to believe
Christ. Yeah, by faith we establish the
law. Hasn't He already said that? Faith is the only thing that
can establish the law because faith says, the law damns me,
Christ justifies me. He's done it. He's trying to
do it. He made it possible by the one
man's one righteous act. And what's that? Himself. Himself. His dying in our place. His living
as our substitute. Our representative. Our mediator. In other words, believer, just
rest in Him. When you're troubled because
of the things you do, acknowledge them for what they
are. Corruption. Vileness. Rottenness. Oh, but
just rest in Him. Isn't that good? I'm not talking
about my message. Isn't that good? That's the only
hope for a true bonafide sinner. A real down-to-the-earth dog-rotten
sinner, Joe. That's the only thing that gives
you true hope. Anytime I start to think of myself as representing
myself before God, it scares me senseless. What's sad is many
are not scared senseless by that. Why? Because there is no fear
of God before their eyes. If God ever gives you that fear
of Him, you'll run to Jesus Christ lovingly, willingly, conscientiously,
and you'll be glad it's like that. Father, encourage us in
this truth. build our souls and hearts and
minds upon the personal work of Christ. It's in His name I
thank you. Amen. Thank you Joe. Remember to sign
this if you want or put your name and how many copies you
want.