What is the meaning of Romans 5:12? Therefore Paul begins with a hinge word that links everything he is about to say with what he has just declared. In Romans 5:1–11 he celebrated the peace, hope, and reconciliation believers enjoy “through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Now, with “Therefore,” he turns to explain why Christ’s work is indispensable. The flow is: • Peace with God (Romans 5:1) • Joy in suffering (Romans 5:3–5) • God’s love proven at the cross (Romans 5:8) • Reconciliation accomplished (Romans 5:10–11) “Therefore” sets up a contrast: the ruin Adam caused versus the rescue Christ provides (see 1 Corinthians 15:21–22). just as sin entered the world through one man The Spirit, speaking through Paul, treats Adam as a real historical person whose single act of disobedience (Genesis 3:6) opened the floodgates of evil. Key truths: • Sin was not created by God; it “entered.” • The entry point was “one man,” Adam, emphasizing individual responsibility (Hosea 6:7). • Adam represents the entire human race; this is the basis for Paul’s later comparison with the “one Man” Christ (Romans 5:15). and death through sin Death is not a natural evolution; it is the direct wage of sin (Romans 6:23). God had warned, “In the day that you eat of it you will surely die” (Genesis 2:17). Scripture consistently pairs sin and death: • Physical death: the body returns to dust (Genesis 3:19; Hebrews 9:27). • Spiritual death: separation from God (Ephesians 2:1–3). • Eternal death: the “second death” for those outside Christ (Revelation 20:14). so also death was passed on to all men The consequence did not remain confined to Adam and Eve; it spread universally. Evidence surrounds us: • Universal mortality (Psalm 90:10). • A creation “subjected to futility” (Romans 8:20–22). • Even infants, though sinless in personal acts, still die, confirming the reach of Adam’s fall (see 1 Kings 14:13 for God’s compassion yet realism about inherited ruin). because all sinned Humanity is not merely the victim of Adam; each person ratifies Adam’s rebellion. • We inherit a corrupted nature (Psalm 51:5). • We commit personal sins (Romans 3:23). • Our shared guilt is proven by universal judgment (Ezekiel 18:4). This phrase balances the previous clause: inherited death and personal culpability stand together. summary Romans 5:12 traces a straight line: Adam’s single sin opened the door, sin brought death, death spread to everyone, and every person confirms the verdict by personal sin. The verse explains the universal human need that only Christ, the “last Adam,” satisfies (1 Corinthians 15:45). Sin and death came through one man; righteousness and life come through One greater, our Lord Jesus Christ. |
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