It is sometimes that the simple-minded reduce the world to two groups \u2014 those who care and those who are apathetic, those who love and those who are selfish, etc. The rabbis often reduced the world to three elements: Torah, Temple, deeds of kindness (Simeon the Righteous) or justice, truth, peace (Simeon, son of Rabban Gamaliel). Paul is in this school of thought, and he reduces the world rather pointedly to two sorts: those \u201cin Adam\u201d and those \u201cin Christ.\u201d It is sometimes that the simple-minded reduce the world to two groups \u2014 those who care and those who are apathetic, those who love and those who are selfish, etc. The rabbis often reduced the world to three elements: Torah, Temple, deeds of kindness (Simeon the Righteous) or justice, truth, peace (Simeon, son of Rabban […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1752],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-romans"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nBut, as is always the case with Paul, it is not quite that simple for the \u201cin Adam\u201d sorts carry on their Adamic stuff into the \u201cin Christ\u201d. Romans 5:12-21, which is the second most influential passage in Romans (after 3:21-26), explores the themes of the \u201cin Adam\u201d and the \u201cin Christ\u201d. It can\u2019t be doubted that there is some kind of \u201cfederalism\u201d or \u201crepresentation\u201d in this passage. Paul sees two sort: Adam and Christ.
\nHere\u2019s Paul\u2019s argument in its essence: since death reigned from Adam to Moses, it proves that law is not the foundation for sin; since death reigned, there is clear proof that there was sin; there was death because there was sin. Sin is the reason for death. Adam passed on death to all.
\nI do not think there is a better explanation in all the world for why humans are the way they are. Some people I\u2019ve met are very good, but they are not perfect. Some people are a clear mixture of good and bad, while yet others are tragically seemingly bad. How do we explain this presence of sinfulness in all? And there is sin and there is death; the Bible connects the two. It may be an \u201coffense to reason\u201d but, ironically, it is very reasonable.
\nWhich means justification, salvation and reconciliation are about conquering death by conquering sin.
\nHere\u2019s the knotty issue: How does \u201csin\u201d pass from one person to the next?
\nThree basic views: some say sin passes on because all participated<\/em> in Adam\u2019s sin when Adam sinned; others say all imitate<\/em> Adam\u2019s sin when they sin; and yet others say all relive<\/em> Adam\u2019s sin when we sin. The first emphasizes federal representation in Adam, the second personal responsibility, and the third is a kind of somewhere in-between both.
\nWhatever you and I might think, Paul says two things in this passage and what he says is not as much as some of us would like. First, he says death reigned and that means sin reigned. Second, he says ep ho pantes hemarton<\/em>: \u201cinasmuch as [or because] all sinned\u201d or \u201cin whom all sinned.\u201d Death and responsibility are his emphases in these two verses.
\nBut, on top of this is the context in which there is a very clear emphasis on \u201ctwo persons\u201d in this world. There is Adam and there is Christ. Because of the overwhelming emphasis here on two representative, inclusive figures, I think the first and third interpretations are most justifiable.
\nHere\u2019s Wright\u2019s conclusion. What do you think of it? \u201cPaul\u2019s meaning must in any case be both that an entail of sinfulness has spread throughout the human race from its first beginnings and that each individual has contributed their own share to it. Paul offers no further clue as to how the first of these actually works or how the two interrelate\u201d (527).<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"