Romans 5:12-17 (NIV)
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned–for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when 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 was a pattern of the one to come.
But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
There is nothing natural about death, which is one of the reasons that it seems so fearful and alien to people. Instead, death is an intruder into the natural order as God created it.
The first sin happened when Eve, then Adam, decided to rebel against God’s direct command, put their own will over His, and ate the fruit (Genesis 3:1-6). Adam had been clearly told that the wages of that sin would be death, as it always has been (Genesis 2:16-17, Romans 6:23). When the couple chose to sin, they died spiritually at once, being cut off from the source of all spiritual life, and they became mortal and began to die physically as well.
The spiritual death corrupted the image of God in Adam and Eve, and that corrupted image was passed on to their children (Genesis 5:3). That corruption then resulted in every descendant of Adam sinning and being subject to death.
This tragic fact was true even in the days before the law was put into effect in the time of Moses. Every person is born with that twist to their inner being, that corruption of the divine image, and soon begins to act in ways that are contrary to God’s nature, contrary to the prodding of their conscience, and thus bring spiritual death, physical death, and condemnation on themselves.
Paul’s final statement here, that Adam was a pattern of the one to come is very significant. In a very real sense, Jesus, the Son of Man, was the anti-Adam. Like Adam, Jesus was a real, flesh-and-blood human being. But, just as Adam was the founder of all humanity, corrupt though they may be, Jesus was the founder of a transformed humanity, remade from the heart out. And finally, just as one act of disobedience by Adam brought death to all humanity, one act of obedience by Jesus, His sacrificial death on the cross, brought eternal life to all who choose to believe in Him.
Father, it is easy to see both the similarities and the profound differences between Adam and Jesus. They are practically mirror images of each other. One brought death, the other life. One caused corruption, the other makes possible purity. One died for his own sins and decayed, the other died for the sins of all mankind and rose again incorruptible. And this was Your plan all along. Thank You, Lord for sending Jesus to undo all the damage caused by Adam, and to bring life to all who believe, even me! Amen.