"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." (Romans 5:12-13)
When Adam sinned all of creation, including man, animals, and the earth, became cursed with the effects of sin [See Genesis 3], all were considered guilty of sin, and all paid the penalty of sin which is death; sin, once committed by Adam, never ceased to exist for man or in the world.
"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." (Romans 5:14)
It is as though a germ was spread from Adam to all living things, a germ that caused death for all, even for those who did not specifically break a known command of God, which means infants, which means folks who loved and were obedient to God.
Adam, being the cause of death to all creation, became a very public figure to the world. He was meant to be a public figure, for God meant to use him to show the "pattern" of a second public figure in the world, One to come later, who would be known in theological terms as "the second Adam," or as Paul calls Him in 1 Corinthians 15:45 "the last Adam":
"And so it is written: the first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly." (1 Corinthians 15:45-48)
The first Adam failed to keep God's command, and thus brought sin and death into the world. The second Adam would not fail. The second Adam would obey God perfectly and thus bring reconciliation between God and man, by His perfect righteousness; by His ability to be a man, and yet keep the law of God perfectly; by His ability to know the mind of God, and be obedient to it, because He was of God and because He was God: "the Lord from heaven."
But Paul says here that even though sin was in the world, it could not have been "taken into account" or "imputed" (laid to one's charge legally) if there had been no law. But the law of God had not yet been handed down to Moses on Mount Sinai, so what law was there that found all mankind guilty of sin and punishable by death? What law was it that "imputed" sin's effects upon man?
The law in question was that brought about by the Edenic covenant that transpired in the Garden of Eden, which contained the law of the curse of sin; the law of the divine pronouncement, the divine command from God; the law which Adam and Eve broke; the law that, because it was a universal covenant, the curse that followed was universal as well.
Under the Edenic covenant, Adam was to do the following:
- Populate the earth (Gen. 1:28);
- Subdue the earth (gen. 1:28);
- Exercise dominion over the animals (Gen. 1:28);
- Care for the Garden of Eden and enjoy its fruit(Gen. 1:29, 2:15);
- Refrain from eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, under penalty of death (Gen. 2:16-17)
A covenant is normally between two people, in this case Adam and God; Adam's part was to tend to his responsibilities, enjoy what God had given, remaining faithful and obedient to God's Word. Meanwhile, God gave Adam life, a helpmate, everything that he had need of, and the privilege of enjoying the presence of his Creator and God. Ahh, the humanness of taking things for granted. Adam took his relationship with the Lord and all the blessings that it entailed for granted; much as we do still today. We are indeed Adam's children.
And we, like Adam, still fall under the curse of that first sin: death, both spiritual and physical. And because the covenant was universal, and so also the curse, even creation "groans" and "travails" as it suffers along with all of mankind (Romans 8:22).
But then, God, our just and holy God who, unlike so many overly-lenient parents of today, allowed mankind to experience the consequences of sin; but then afterward, knowing man's weaknesses, provided a way of escape from the pain of future sin and future hard consequences.
He introduced grace.
More on this in the next posting.
