Romans Chpater 5 cont'd
Sin entered into the world through Adam's fall and death was the consequence. Moreover, death spread to all mankind for they all became sinners themselves- through both natural birth and by personal choice. (Sin was in the world before God gave the law to Moses, but sin remains nebulous if there is no clearly revealed standard.)
But even though sin itself was not clearly defined from the time between Adam and Moses, its consequence, death, still had dominion over mankind- even over people who did not commit the same transgression that Adam did. He was given a role in influencing humanity that can only be compared with Jesus Christ himself.
Comments:
As Paul continues his version of the meta-narrative of "God's Story", he compares and contrasts Jesus with Adam. This is fitting given Paul's awareness that, through the events surrounding his first coming, Jesus has inaugurated the New Creation...the New Genesis...that the earth has been longing to witness. Adam and Jesus...the "first Adam" and the "last Adam" (Jesus "terminated" Adam's fallen race in his death on the cross)...the "first man" and the "second man" (Jesus "raised" humanity in his resurrection and ascension.) cf. 1 Cor 15. Adam and Jesus are the heads of the only real two "races" in the earth...despite all our international variety and color! It's also not insignificant that Jesus, as the eternal Word, was instrumental in the First Genesis...giving strong reassurance for whatever might potentially go wrong with innocent, but untested, humanity.
It is also important to note that sin is pictured in Scripture as an "alien" invasion of God's good original creation that has tragically affected both the earth and the heavens...the visible and the invisible realms. This understanding undermines the common gnostic notion that the "material" realm is evil and the "spiritual" realm is holy. (A personal confession: I really hate gnosticism and its effects on unsuspecting believers who are continually beat up by its modern forms in the church world.) The downside of the Fall is obvious as we simply rehearse human history, read our daily world news and take an honest look at our own personal historic struggles, temptations and failures. And then, of course, there is death...a harsh reality we tend to face squarely only during funerals. As much as people may argue about whether sin is a real issue in human life...there is always death to bring us back to the reality that something terrible has happened to all creation. The only word I can think of for the popular denial of sin in our culture is...well..."ridiculous".
The up side of this tragedy is that there really is something more original than sin in this world! It is the goodness of God's original design that has been horribly marred, but still powerfully on display and a conduit of great provision and joy for human life, despite our first parents' garden rebellion. Furthermore...God hasn't given up on his original design. The New Creation, rather than completely destroying the original, assimilates and incorporates the remnants of it's goodness and renews it's sacred purposes. The ultimate form of God's intentions for the universe is not to enshrine an eternal ethereal realm of disembodied spirits and endless church services but, I deeply believe, one of physical substance, unimaginable Trinity-worship, purpose, noble work, meaningful peer relations, ongoing development, exploration and discovery...a new heavens and a new earth...without any broken-ness to interrupt God's...or our...total satisfaction.
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