For By One Man 

Scripture Reading: Romans 5:12-21.

Memory Verse: "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life" (1 John 5:12).

Introduction: "The purpose of this great passage in Romans is to explain to all believers that salvation in Christ provides life and power now. Our faith does not promise merely 'pie in the sky by and by'; it is for today. It provides present, prevailing righteousness, dynamic, effective life, and irresistible, invincible dominion. The Lord does not want us to be weaklings; He proposes to live through us.
  "In order to obtain this righteousness, life and dominion, we must realize that we are joined to Christ; and to understand our union with Him, we must understand our union with Adam. We are inseparably joined to the original man who, created in the image of God, lost that image in the fall. Through oneness with Adam we are partakers of sin, death, and judgment. By the work of the Lord Jesus Christ we become partakers of His life, endowed with His righteousness and dominion.
  "The earlier chapters of Romans deal with the outbreak of sin in all human beings. considered not as sin but as sins; not the poison in the bloodstream but the boils caused by that poison. Here, however, God is discussing not sins but the poison, which is original sin.
  "This passage contrasts the actions of two men, and the results of their actions. Adam disobeyed and brought death to all humanity. Jesus obeyed and brought life to all who become His in the reconciliation. Thus, as we were one with Adam in sin, we are one with the Lord Jesus Christ in righteousness.
  "This passage connects the first part of the argument with all that follows. Our oneness with Adam explains the universality of sin and its fatal hold on humanity. Oneness with Christ is the basis for the life of triumph expounded in succeeding chapters of Romans. Failure to live victoriously in Christ results from not understanding this passage, one of the most important in the Bible. If man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4), surely this rich passage will furnish incalculable nourishment to the soul that feeds upon it. Here justification is joined to sanctification.
  "At this point it is important to understand that nowhere does the Bible teach justification without sanctification . . . Beyond question, one of the principal aims of salvation is to produce holiness within those who are joined to Christ."--Donald Grey Barnhouse, God's River, (Romans 5:1-11), p. 180.

Lesson Questions:

1. By what means did sin and death enter the world? Romans 5:12a,b; Genesis 2:17.
"Paul's argument begins with the assertion that, through Adam, sin entered into the world. He does not speak of sins, plural, but of sin, singular. In this sense, sin does not represent a particular unrighteous act but rather the inherent propensity [tendency] to unrighteousness. It was not the many other sinful acts that Adam eventually committed, but the indwelling sin nature that he came to possess because of his first disobedience, that he passed on to his posterity."--Donald Grey Barnhouse, God's Grace, pp. 10,11.

2. How did death spread to all men? Romans 5:12c; 3:23; Ezekiel 18:20; 1 Kings 8:46; Psalm 14:3; 51:5; Proverbs 11:19.
(In reference to Romans 5 and Ezekiel 18:20 . . . ) "A man dies because of his own sins, not because of his father's sins. Every man is personally responsible to God."--John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Romans 1-8, pp. 292, 293.

3. What consequences did the "sin nature" produce in men even before the giving of the law? Romans 5:13,14; Jude 14:15; Genesis 6:5,6.
" . . . it seems confusing for Paul to say in verse 13, 'But sin is not taken into account when there is no law.' However, he does not mean that it is not counted, for it is because of sin that men died during the Law's absence. Paul means that in comparison with what happens when the Law is present, when God's Law is absent sin does not seem to be reckoned. The Law makes sin apparent and sharply defined."--The Preacher's Outline & Sermon Bible, Romans, Volume 7, p. 94.

4. Though similar in introduction, how was the free gift of righteousness by Christ Jesus so greatly superior from the sin that came through Adam? Romans 5:15; Acts 13:39; 1 John 3:5.

5. How many sins were required for judgment to be passed upon mankind, and how many sins can be forgiven through Christ Jesus? Romans 5:16; 1 Corinthians 15:21,22; 1 John 1:7,9; Isaiah 1:18.

6. Consider the far superior quality of the abundant life found in our Savior. Romans 5:17; John 10:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 9:8; Philippians 4:19; Psalm 36:8; Ephesians 3:20.

7. How were Adam's and Christ's acts opposite in nature? Romans 5:18,19; John 4:34; 5:30; 6:38; Philippians 2:8.

8. Why did God give the Law? Romans 5:20a; 3:20; Galatians 3:19,24.
"The law was given to point out and magnify sin, but God's grace was so much greater. If righteousness is by Jesus Christ, then why did God give us the law? What is the purpose of the law? Very simply . . . 'The law entered [the world] that the offense might abound.' The law was given . . .
-to point out and magnify sin
-to make men more aware of sin
-to give men a greater knowledge of sin
-to stir more conviction over sin
-to increase the fact and awareness of sin more and more
-to make men more responsible for their sin"
--R. Kent Hughes, Romans, Righteousness From Heaven, pp. 115,116.

9. What summary statement affirms that Christ's one act of redemption is far greater than Adam's one act of condemnation? Romans 5:20b,21; John 11:25,26; 2 Timothy 1:10.