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Tom Harding

Representation, In Adam, In Christ

Romans 5:19
Tom Harding • April, 19 2026 • Audio
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Romans 5:19-21

For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Sermon Transcript

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Today, I would like you to turn in your Bible to the book of Romans, the book of Romans chapter 5. And today I'll be speaking to you from verse 19, Romans chapter 5, verse 19. Let's read this verse together if you have your Bible there with you. For as by one man's disobedience, many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

The book of Romans, especially chapter 5, is absolutely vital to understanding the truth of the gospel. Now, I'm not talking about any gospel. I'm talking about understanding the truth of God's gospel concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. The gospel according to the grace and glory of God, the gospel of God's sovereign grace. Chapter 5 tells us some very vital, vital issues concerning this gospel.

God tells us so plainly what happened in Adam and what happened in Christ. In Adam it says in verse 19, disobedience and sin. That's what happened in the garden. Also, we see in verse 19 what happened at Calvary, what happened in the Lord Jesus Christ. It says, obedience and righteousness by one.

We see these two men represented, two federal heads, two representative men, Adam and the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I want to look at these two men today and consider what happened in Adam and what happened in the Lord Jesus Christ when he made his sacrifice and atonement for the sin of his people. Now first of all let's look and see what the scripture says about Adam. It says in Adam all died by one man's disobedience, by one man's rebellion and sin Many, all men, became sinful in Adam. We see that sin entered in.

Adam stood as a federal head or as a representative man. When Adam sinned, all men sinned and fell in him. All men became guilty. guilty before God. His sin was charged and imputed to all for whom he stood. Adam stood as a representative man for all men. When he stood innocent before God, we stood in him innocent. When Adam sinned against God, when Adam fell and judgment fell, guilt fell, that fell on us because we stood in that man. The results of sin are very evident. The Scriptures plainly declare in Romans 6 verse 23, the wages of sin is death.

We see as a result of Adam's sin, Adam's transgression against God, we see that spiritual and physical death passed upon all men. Now you look back at verse 12 and you see this one theme of death as a result of sin. Wherefore as by one man, that's Adam, that's that man, the first man. sin entered into the world and death by sin so death passed upon all men in whom all sinned now the same chapter chapter 5 Romans 5 verse 14 nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses. You see the result of Adam's sin, spiritual and physical death passed upon all men.

Down in verse 15 it says, for if by the offense of one, many be dead. Again in verse 17 we see the same thing, for if by one man's offense, death reigned by one. Again in verse 21, that as sin hath reigned unto death." Now we see plainly and clearly God puts before us the truth of what happened when Adam sinned.

Spiritual and physical death passed upon all men. But not only that, We read something else that happened here, judgment and condemnation passed upon all men. You look again in Romans chapter 5 verse 18, therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation. We have Adam's sin. and guilt, and judgment, and death, and condemnation, charged, imputed, reckoned unto all men. But not only that, we see Adam's fallen nature imparted, not only his sin and his guilt charged to us, but we also see that wicked nature imparted to all men.

Now you listen to the scripture in Psalm 51 verse 5. And here's David speaking, a man after God's own heart, and listen to his testimony. He said, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. David plainly confesses that he has a sinful nature that he inherited from his father, and his father from his father, all the way back to Adam. Again, in Psalm 58, verse 3, the Scripture said, The wicked are restrained from the womb.

They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies. My friend, it's plain to see that all men everywhere have a sinful nature, even in our children. You look at your children. Our children learn to lie and to steal and to cheat. We don't teach them these things. It's the result and the fruit of that wicked nature that they've inherited from their father. Now, to deny this, To deny original sin, to deny that we're guilty before God on the basis of what Adam did in the garden, to deny this is to call God Almighty a liar.

Now you listen to this scripture plainly in 1 John 1.8.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we say that we have not sinned, we make God a liar and His Word is not in us. God plainly declares that we are sinners. by nature, by practice, and by choice. We are sinful. Everything we do, think, and say, God considers sin. Man in his best state, the best thought you have, the best moment you have, God says, away with it, it's vanity, away with it, it's filthy rags.

Back in Romans chapter 3 verse 9 and 10, And following, our Lord says that the Jew and Gentile, that they are all under sin. As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good, no, not one. God declares this down in verse 19 of Romans 3, that we are all together guilty before God.

Now, my friend, that's what happened in Adam. And if we don't have some spiritual understanding of ruin, we'll have no spiritual grasp and understanding of redemption, salvation, and life in the Lord Jesus Christ. But the remaining time that we have, I want to consider Not only what happened in Adam, sin and death and judgment, but what took place at Calvary. What happened at Calvary? My friend, we see that salvation and righteousness was brought in through the obedience of one. Now you look back at the text again, Romans chapter 5, verse 19.

By one man's disobedience, many were made sinners. So by the obedience of one shall many be made Adam stood as a representative man, but also the Lord Jesus Christ stood as a representative man. There's one mediator between God and men, that is the man, Christ Jesus. By the blessed obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ, my friend, he didn't make salvation a possibility for all. No, nor did He enable us to make ourselves righteous by our works. The Lord Jesus Christ brought in an everlasting righteousness by His blessed obedience.

The Lord Jesus Christ stood as a representative man, representing a people that the Father had given him, a people that were elected and chosen and given to the Lord Jesus Christ. He was made the surety and the mediator of God's elect. We were made righteous. Notice how that's written. We shall be made righteous by him.

The Scriptures plainly declare that in Adam we sin, but it also clearly declares that in Christ, in Adam all died, even so in Christ shall many be made righteous. Now you listen to this Scripture in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 21, and we see the blessed truth of substitution. Now we know how we became sinful, in Adam we died, but how was one made righteous before God? Well, we know it's not by our works, not by our going and giving and these different things, not by our morality.

God says away with it, it's filthy rag. The only way that God can make a sinner righteous and declare a sinner righteous before him is in Christ through his obedience unto the law. He worked out for his people a perfect righteousness before God. He honored the law on every precept, and in His death, He satisfied the penalty of that law. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through the Lord Jesus Christ. God made Him to be sin for us, 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21, who knew no sin. that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."

That's substitution. That's an effectual atonement that the Lord Jesus Christ made by the one offering He perfected forever, them that are sanctified. Christ died as the sinner's substitute. And by that sacrificial death, the Lord Jesus Christ made satisfaction to the law of God which we have violated. In Adam, we lost the way. We lost the truth. We lost the life unto God and before God. We have no way of getting back into fellowship and favor with God. In Adam we're lost. In Adam we're dead. In Adam we're ruined. In Adam we're shut out.

The only hope a sinner has before God is Christ. Salvation is in a person. The Lord Jesus Christ said, I am the way, I am the truth, I am life, and I am salvation. My friend, God sees and deals with all men everywhere, and these two representative men in Adam all died. now there's no dispute about that but also this is true in christ shall all be made alive and don't forget that it's in the lord jesus christ salvations in him it it's being found in him not having our own righteousness which is of the law but that which suit is through the faith of the lord jesus christ god season deals with his elect in christ only on his merit his blood and his righteousness not our works. There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ.

Outside of Christ is nothing but judgment and condemnation. Now in closing, I want you to turn in your Bible to the book of Titus, the book of Titus chapter 3, and you listen to this scripture, and you think what I've said now, in Adam we're sinful, The only way that we can approach God is in the blessed obedience of another, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Not by our works. Now you listen to this scripture carefully. Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that being justified by his grace." You see, it's not by works, it's by his grace. That we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life, and it's only by and through the obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ. By one man's disobedience, many were made sinners. By the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." If you would like a copy of today's message, you write to me and I'll send it to you free of charge. My address is 6088 Zebulon Highway. That's 6088 Zebulon Highway, Pikeville, Kentucky, 41501.
Tom Harding
About Tom Harding
Tom Harding is pastor of Zebulon Grace Church located at 6088 Zebulon Highway, Pikeville, Kentucky 41501. You may also contact him by telephone at (606) 631-9053, or e-mail taharding@mikrotec.com. The website address is www.henrytmahan.com.

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