In this thought-provoking episode, we delve into the depths of Paul’s epistle to the Romans, specifically chapter 5, to explore the fascinating concept of Adam as a type of Christ. We unravel the comparison of opposites and similarities between the two figures and how this impacts our understanding of salvation. The episode sheds light on the universality of death and salvation, challenging listeners to expand their perception of faith as the mechanism through which God’s grace operates for all humanity.
So now we go into some of the details that Paul is about to make and describe in regard to the salvation of the whole of humanity. In chapter 5 of Romans, he says that Adam is a type of him who is to come. Remember that? Verse 14, Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of him who was to come. Now, that’s interesting right from the get-go, because it’s suggesting or telling us that Christ was not a type of Adam who You know, we talk about Christ being the second Adam. Paul doesn’t mention that in Romans here, but he mentions it in 1 Corinthians. We talk about Christ as a second Adam, as if Christ were a comparison of Adam. But in fact, Paul says that Adam is a type of Christ. Let me state that again. We talk about Christ as the second Adam, as if he were a type of the first Adam. but it’s the other way around. Adam is a type of the one who is to come, which suggests something very, very interesting, and that is that possibly all humanity in its fallen state is a type of Jesus Christ. Well, how can all humanity be a type of Jesus Christ if they’re fallen and sinners? Well, Paul, you are going to notice in a minute, makes comparisons of similarities and comparisons of opposites. And in this case, he is comparing the opposite effect of Adam’s life to that of Christ’s life. And that’s what he says in verse 15. But the free gift is not like the offense. Oh, okay. So what Christ brings in is different from what Adam brings in. Christ brings in something that is not like the offense of Adam. Well, why compare them then? Because there is something that Adam brings about that is comparable and very similar to what Christ brings about, but it is opposite in its effect. Are you following me? Let’s read the verse again. The free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense, that’s Adam’s, many died. Now stop right there. People get thrown off track by this word many and they say, well, oh, this is only a few that’s going to be saved then. No, no, Paul is not using the word many in the sense of a few. He’s using the word many in the sense of masses. How do we know that? Because it says here, for if by one man’s offense many died, well, how many died? Everyone. Death is a universal phenomenon. It is a universal power over all humanity. So, if by the one man’s offense all died, and of course we are coming to all a bit later, because Paul is going to interchange these words many and all, indicating, of course, that he means all by many. If by the offense of one man many died, much more, so this is a comparison of opposites now, the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to many. Not many in the sense of a few, just as the word many was not used in the sense of a few in regard to everybody dying, but many in the sense of the masses and all. So let’s read it again, verse 15. But the free gift is not like the offense. So this is a comparison of opposites. For if by the one man’s offense many, that is, all died, much more, now there’s a comparison of similarities, rather, sorry, still the comparison of opposites, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to many. This is fantastic news. It is glorious in its breadth and its depth and height. Death is going to be removed from the planet. Everybody is going to experience life. As in Christ, as in Adam all die, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15, even so, in Christ, all shall be made alive. The salvation that Christ has brought is not limited to the few. It is going to be brought to effect all people. Now this is enormously encouraging to us who have families, who have children, who are going through terrible trials and addictions and troubles, whose life is messed up by the misfortunes of having gone in the wrong direction in this world, people whose life was short-circuited by an early death, people who have struggled and died and suffered with cancer, Others who are not believers at this point and refuse, God is able to bring them all to the place where they finally believe. It may not be in this world, but it will certainly be in the final judgment when God says in chapter 14 of Romans that every knee shall bow before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ. Every knee. Willingly. Not forced. But making a promise and an oath that in Christ alone is their righteousness and strength. What a glory this is. And so you can start praying differently for your family members. You don’t simply ask, oh God, please deliver them from this or that or the other. Oh God, please heal them. Oh God, please set them free and all the rest of it. Yes, the ultimate… The goal of all our prayers is that people be set free and healed and be brought to salvation and faith in Jesus Christ. But we mustn’t deny the journey, the journey that people have to go through to get there. And that journey is often incomprehensible to us. That journey may be darkness, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Our family members many times are walking through the valley of the shadow of death. Our sons and daughters that we worry about like crazy may be going through situations that we can hardly bear and we pray for their deliverance. It may be better not to pray for their deliverance at the moment. but rather to say, Father, thank you for taking my sons and daughters through the valley of the shadow of death. Thank you that you are bringing them to you even through the darkness. And I thank you that I can have confidence in you that you will bring them into the light in the end. Yes, that is the glorious faith prayer and many like it that we can pray. Let’s read the verse again. But the free gift, that is Christ, the gift of God’s Son to the world, is not like the offence. How is it different? Well, Christ brought in salvation. He brought in atonement, forgiveness. He brought in righteousness. He brought in resurrection. But what did Adam bring in, the offense? He brought in sin. He brought in death. He brought in misery. He brought in separation from God. For if by the one man’s offense, many, that is all, died, because many died, obviously means all, because all die, much more the grace of God, how wonderful, God’s loving kindness, God’s mercy, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man. You see how the gift of Jesus Christ is an indication of God’s grace. Christ is not more loving and merciful and good than God the Father. No, Christ’s coming to the earth is is God’s gift of grace, much more than the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many, that is, to all. He’s comparing the two. This is phenomenal news. It is, you need to recognize from this that Paul in the book of Romans has reached his high point here, right here in the book of Romans chapter 5 verses 12 to 21. That high point is that Christ undoes everything that Adam did. That’s why John in the book of Revelation declares that God says, Behold, I make all things new. All things, not a few things, everything will be made new. And this high point in the book of Romans, chapter 5, verses 12 to 21, helps us to discipline our minds to think far more expansively and in depth and in height and broadly about the message in the book of Romans than we have previously. When we see verses like, salvation is to those who have faith, we have tended to limit salvation only to those who have faith, as if salvation by faith, the phrase by faith, is a qualifying, moderating, limiting term. No, it is not. It is a descriptive term. It is not that salvation is for people. Oh, but only if you have faith. Rather, salvation is for people and everybody because it’s all by faith. And God will bring faith to all people. So what you need to do when you’re reading the book of Romans is expand your mind, stretch it, get it beyond its paradigms because you are not thinking correctly and nor am I. When we think of God’s grace, we don’t think of it as too expansive and all-embracing because we’re scared to believe it. We think it’s presumptuous. We think it’s diminishing our sin that God could save everybody. But no, it’s the very opposite. God’s grace is what we need to be looking at, not man’s sin. Man’s sin, yes, is terrifyingly horrible. It has brought devastation upon the planet. We must not diminish mankind’s sin, but do not let mankind’s sin diminish the grace of God, because where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more. Is there an area of the world where sin abounds, in places where there is no message of the gospel, in isolated tribes in Borneo? Yes. Well, then grace abounds there. They may not see it. They may not know it yet, but it is there. Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more. And so we lift up our hearts. We have courage. We have a brazen courage to believe that the gospel is for all mankind. And not only is it for all mankind, it will rescue all mankind because God loves the human race. Thank you. Thank you for joining me today, everyone. Colin Cook here, and you’ve been listening to my program, How It Happens. You may hear this program on the radio in the Denver and Colorado and surrounding states areas, KLTT, the call letters and the call numbers. AM 670. But you can also, oh, it’s at 10 o’clock at night, that is, and 4 o’clock in the morning repeated. But you can also hear the program on your smartphone. Simply download a free app, soundcloud.com, podbean.com, and key in how it happens with Colin Cook when you get there. And if you would like to make end-of-year donations, that would be so much appreciated. Please send your donation to FaithQuest, P.O. Box 366, Littleton, Colorado, 80160. Or you can make your donation online at faithquestradio.com. I do thank you for all the support you have given this year and all the little notes you have sent in kindness. Thank you so much. See you next time. Cheerio and God bless.
In this thought-provoking episode, we delve into the depths of Paul’s epistle to the Romans, specifically chapter 5, to explore the fascinating concept of Adam as a type of Christ. We unravel the comparison of opposites and similarities between the two figures and how this impacts our understanding of salvation. The episode sheds light on the universality of death and salvation, challenging listeners to expand their perception of faith as the mechanism through which God’s grace operates for all humanity.
