Chapter five of Paul’s letter to the church at Rome has revealed that sin was not in the world until Adam sinned.  Since that that time Satan has successfully used the result of Adam’s sin to pull the vast majority of salvation seekers away from the Biblical God and to himself.  At one point, God killed everyone on earth except eight people for embracing the devil.  Fast forward several thousand years.  Following the establishment of the New Testament (Covenant) Church, Satan began his onslaught against her.  By the time Paul came on the scene, much damage had been done.  Part of Paul’s job involved repairing the damage.  The apostles preached and wrote about sin in the New Testament Church.  No one moreso than the Apostle Paul.

As stated by the Apostle Peter, Paul’s words can be very confusing.  Due to a confusion of terms, Romans 5:15-21 has produced one of the most misunderstood, and most dangerous, passages found in the Holy Bible.  Multitudes of people have been led astray by those seven verses because of a lack knowledge of “the deep things of God” (1 Cor. 9:10).  Therefore, we will approach this passage with utmost care and fear.  God wrote the Bible in such a way that, in order to find His Truth one must study it according to Isaiah 28:9,10,13.  I believe He did so in order to separate contenders from pretenders.  Pretenders will read/hear what pleases them (“headlines”), then stop reading and refuse to read/hear anything else from the Holy Scriptures.  Contenders will diligently search out the “fine print” which is reserved for those who want to know all that the Lord has to say on a subject.  Only by obeying His study instructions in Isaian 28 can the “deep things of God” be brought to light.  God’s hidden nuggets must be searched for, and when “found,” must be believed and obeyed.  In Matthew 7:13,14 Jesus declares that one must “FIND” His right way.  FINDING the Truth (Jn. 17:17) requires SEARCHING.  Contenders either search for and find those scriptural nuggets for themselves, or else they embrace them when God’s prophets and apostles reveal them.  Either way, it is only through the Holy Spirit that we can learn, believe and obey the Word of God.

The misunderstanding relative to Romans 5:15-21 relates to the fact that, contrary to church theology, the SUBJECT OF THE FIRST EIGHT CHAPTERS OF THE BOOK OF ROMANS IS JUSTIFICATION–NOT SALVATION.  In those chapters justification is mentioned 22 times while salvation is mentioned only four times, and then only in terms of attaining eternal life following justification.  With that in mind, let us, with fear, approach this important subject.

In verses 15 through 17 we are told that Adam (“one man”) brought sin into the world.  Note that  Satan (the Serpent) was already in the world.  The devil did not bring sin into the world.  Note that both Adam and Satan were on the earth before Adam sinned, which proves that SATAN COULD NOT FORCE EITHER ADAM OR EVE TO SIN.  THE TONE OF EVE’S CONVERSATION WITH THE SERPENT SHOWS THAT THEY WERE FAMILIAR WITH EACH OTHER.  THEY HAD UNDOUBTEDLY TALKED BEFORE THE GENESIS 3:1-5 ENCOUNTER.  SATAN’S QUESTION ABOUT WHAT GOD HAD SAID SHOWS THAT THEIR PREVIOUS CONVERSATIONS HAD INCLUDED GOD AS A SUBJECT.

FROM MOMENT ONE ADAM AND EVE HAD THE CHOICE OF WHOM THEY WOULD OBEY.  SIN AND RIGHTEOUSNESS HAS BEEN AVAILABLE TO EVERY HUMAN EVER SINCE.  ADAM WAS CREATED SINLESS.  SIN WAS A CHOICE.  HIS DESCENDANTS WERE ALSO CREATED SINLESS.  SIN IS STILL A CHOICE.

Like Adam, all of us have CHOSEN TO SIN at some point in our lives.  Note that the gift of God’s GRACE enables man to receive JUSTIFICATION (vs 16), which results in forgiveness of all PAST SINS.  In verse 17 we note that JUSTIFICATION RENDERS ONE RIGHTEOUS (SINLESS, PURE, HOLY).  The key is in the following words which tell us that he who receives JUSTIFICATION is expected to: “REIGN (OVER SIN) IN (THIS) LIFE,” which is made possible by what Jesus did on the cross.  His death provides the Holy Spirit (“the promise”–Acts 1:4,8) with which to OVERCOME SATAN, which He says we must do in order to receive eternal life (Rev. 3:21).  Justification removes all of one’s PAST sins (Rom. 3:25).  Having been rendered holy, the question then becomes, “Now what?”  The answer is OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S LAW, which was the singular subject Christ and the apostles expounded upon continuously in their preaching and writings.

Verses 18 and 19 have been used by Satan to draw the masses away from God’s “strait (difficult) gate” and “narrow (restrictive) way” and into his (Satan’s) “wide (many choices) gate” and “broad (what feels good) way.  Mat. 7:13,14).  Let us examine the exact Words used by Paul to distinguish between what God said through Him and what has been preached concerning verses 18,19 over the past 2000 years.

In verse 18 we are told that because of Adam’s sin, JUDGMENT came upon all men.  God tells us that He will judge all people by their DEEDS (Rom. 2:6/ Col. 2:9/ Acts 10:38; 22:20), not by what Adam forced them to do.  “Judgment came upon all men unto condemnation” because of Adam’s sin.  Sin became AVAILABLE to mankind following Adams’ fall.  SATAN CANNOT FORCE MAN TO SIN.  SATAN DOES NOT HAVE THAT POWER.  HE CAN ONLY TEMPT MAN TO SIN.

The Apostle Peter declared that JUDGEMENT IS ONGOING IN GOD’S CHURCH (1 Pet. 4:17,18).  This proves that church membership does not guarantee salvation.  He notes that “only the righteous (in the church) will be saved, and they just barely.”  Following justification and conversion, THERE IS MUCH WORK (OBEDIENCE TO THE LAW) to be done before salvation will be awarded upon Christ’s return.  Read First John chapter three.

Satan and his fallen angels (demons) are described as “principalities and powers of the air.”  Satan and his agents work through mental suggestion and temptation.  Sin begins as a thought provided by their “fiery darts.”  IF the thought is not forced out by the one under attack, it will then unite with the person’s desire and “conceive,” thereby producing sin.  Read James 1:12-16.  The act (deed) that follows is simply the outward manifestation of a sin that has already taken place in the heart/mind (Mat. 5:27,28).

The Holy Spirit empowers us to reject Satan’s temptations (“fiery darts”–Eph. 6:16).  Notice that the one being tempted controls the outcome of the temptation.  Ultimately, man chooses whom he will serve.  We are all tempted continuously.  Jesus was no exception.  Satan’s attacks ended when He took His final breath.  He was a man like all other men.  He could have failed like any other man.  Read Jesus of Nazareth: God, Man or God-man?  Key word–God-man.  Like Jesus, we are all flesh and blood and subject to Satan’s onslaught against our humanness.  Adam and Eve are cases in point.  Being human, they had human desires.  A war was raging in and around them.  They allowed Satan to win.

As Paul tells us in chapter seven, there is a constant war going on inside and around every human being.  The ultimate decision as to which side wins is determined by man’s will.  Weak-willed “sinner saved by grace” yield to Satan and blame Adam for the resulting sin.  As far as I know, Christianity is the only religion that allows its constituents to disobey its god and be rewarded with eternal life in paradise.

Verse 19, if not understood, adds to the church’s “Adam made me sin” error.  “For as by one man’s sin many (people) were MADE SINNERS,” so by the death of one man will many (people) be MADE RIGHTEOUS.”  The devil dangles his bait (temptations) before people in verse 17.  They nibble on the bait.  In verse 18 he sets his hook by changing the people’s mind-set.  Paul said in Romans 3:23 that all people “HAVE SINNED.  Who made them sin?  Not Satan, who could not make either Eve or Adam sin.  All he could do was tempt them.  He deceived Eve.  Adam was simply weak.  Neither Eve’s deception nor Adam’s weakness was forced upon them; they chose to be deceived and weak respectively.  THE FAULT WAS FOUND IN ADAM AND EVE, NOT IN SATAN OR IN HIS TEMPTATIONS.  SATAN CAN ONLY TEMPT MAN TO SIN.  MAN CAN RESIST (OVERCOME) HIS TEMPTATIONS.  JESUS STATES THIS IN REVELATION 3:21.  MAN, THROUGH THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, MUST OVERCOME SATAN’S TEMPTATIONS. WHEN HE DOES NOT OVERCOME, HE IS OVERCOME AND SIN RESULTS.  

The second part of verse 19 says that because of Christ’s death, many were MADE RIGHTEOUS.  Here is the crux of the verse 19 deception.  This is where a Godly “headline” becomes a problem because it is not accompanied by the appropriate “fine print.”  According to church doctrine, ADAM’S SIN MADE EVERY HUMAN BEING EVER BORN A SINNER AT THE INSTANT OF CONCEPTION.  The belief is that when we are conceived, Adam’s sin gene becomes part of our spiritual dna.  That means that we are sinners before we break God’s Law–His definition of sin (1 Jn. 3:4).  Man needs only to be conceived to be MADE A SINNER.  Because of Adam’s sin, many ARE MADE SINNERS AND CONDEMNED (sent to hell)–verse 18.

However, conventional church wisdom dictates that, due to the death of another Man, many have automatically been MADE RIGHTEOUS AND SAVED (sent to heaven).  But that is not what the last part of verse 19 tells us.  The subject is  JUSTIFICATION.  TO BE JUSTIFIED MEANS TO BE MADE RIGHTEOUS–WITHOUT SIN.  VERSE 19 SAYS NOTHING ABOUT SALVATION.  

Christ’s death makes justification POSSIBLE.  Justification makes salvation POSSIBLE, IF one’s deeds render him worthy of salvation.  WE WILL BE JUDGED BY OUR DEEDS, NOT BY OUR FAITH (Rom. 2:6).  By faith we believe that by living according to God’s Law we will be awarded salvation at the return of Jesus Christ.  Read The Process of Salvation.  Key word–Process.  As Paul tells us in Romans 5:21 and 6:22, salvation is the END RESULT of living in obedience to God following justification.  Read The Message of the Cross.  Key word–Message.  Christ died so that we can receive the power to overcome Satan’s temptations as He (Christ) did (Rev. 3:21).  Contrary to popular opinion, He did not die so that we can sin and get away with it, which is what is preached repeatedly in Satan’s church system.

In verse 20 Paul tells us that God gave the Law so that sin could be identified and man could see where he stands in God’s eyes which is determined by his obedience to God’s Law.  His grace enables man to be forgiven of the sins the Law exposes.  In verse 21 Paul tells us that, in order to join Jesus in the future we must REIGN OVER (OVERCOME) SATAN’S TEMPTATIONS TO SIN.  JESUS TELLS US IN MATTHEW 10:22 THAT THOSE WHO ENDURE IN HOLINESS UNTIL THE END OF LIFE “SHALL (THEN) BE SAVED.  Note that while we are “ENDURING” Satan’s temptations and reigning over them in this life, we are not yet saved.  We will receive the crown of salvation IF WE “ENDURE TO THE END” WITH OUR JUSTIFICATION (RIGHTEOUSNESS) INTACT.  Romans 2:13 tells us that we will remain justified IF we obey God’s Law–IF WE ARE “DOERS OF GOD’S LAW.”  L.J.