inchrist

In Romans 5:12-21, the Apostle Paul fully develops this doctrine of the two representative men pointing out the similarity and differences between them. Christ is similar to Adam in that as through Adam death reigns over many, so also through Christ many shall reign in life (Rom. 5:17). They both acted representatively on the behalf of all men. It is in connection with this similarity of Adam and Christ as the representative men that Paul uses the phrase “in Christ.” In I Cor. 15:21-22 Paul says,

“For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.  For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”    (I Cor. 15:21-22)

Note that the similarity of both men acting as representatives is brought out by the use of the similar phrase “in Adam” and “in Christ.”  But it should also be noted that it is impossible to speak of the similarity between Adam and Christ without at the same time speaking of their differennces. Through Adam — death; through Christ — life. Paul is not here speaking of just physical death and physical life, but also of spiritual death and spiritual life. Through Adam, men not only are going to die physically but are in a state of spiritual death — separation from God. Men do not die physically and spiritually because of their own sins but because of Adam’s sin; Adam (and Eve) is the only one of the human race who died because of their own sin. Adam’s descendants die and are born into a state of spiritual death because of Adam’s sin, not because of their own sins. (See Rom. 5:13-14; I believe that the last clause of Rom. 5:12 [eph ho pantes hemarton] is incorrectly translated in our English versions [“because all sinned” RSV, NAS, NIV]; it makes it appear that each man dies because of his own sin which is just the opposite of what Paul says in the next verses. [See Appendix B for my interpretation and translation of this clause.]) So similarly, through Christ, not only will men be made alive physically in the future resurrection but also are now being made alive spiritually in the new birth. Men are not made alive spiritually and physically because of their own righteousness but because of Christ’s act of righteousness and obedience (Rom. 5:18-19).

And so we cannot speak of the difference between Adam and Christ without speaking of their similarity. Christ acting representatively brings life to all men as Adam acting representatively brought death to all men. All men die because of another, so also they are made alive because of another.

But there is another difference between the representative work of Christ and that of Adam; Christ’s representative act is a participation but Adam’s representative act is not a participation. All men died in Adam but did not sin in Adam; they did not participate in Adam’s act of sin. Nowhere in the Scriptures does it say that “all men sinned in Adam.” The words “in Adam” have been added to the last phrase of Romans 5:12 by those commentators who believe this doctrine that death passed unto all men, because all sinned in Adam. Nowhere in the Scriptures does it teach that all men sinned in Adam. On the contrary, this interpretation appears to contradict what Paul says in verse 14:

“¹³ sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law.   ¹⁴ Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.”    (Rom. 5:13-14 RSV)

If all men sinned when Adam sinned, then they all would have sinned after the likeness of Adam’s transgression. But those from Adam to Moses did not sin after the likeness of Adam’s transgression because there was no law from Adam to Moses. So all did not sin in Adam. Thus this Reformed doctrine of original sin is unscriptural. (See my discussion of this doctrine in Appendix C).