Romans 5:18-19 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.
Paul continues his comparison between Adam and Jesus and the outcomes of their decisions. Adam chose to trespass against God’s simple command not to eat of the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The tree in the garden represented the one way Adam could show his faithfulness and love towards God. The command set the boundary between obedience with its fellowship and disobedience with its separation. What Adam did by eating of the forbidden fruit affected all people and led to the condemnation of all people. How have all been condemned because of Adam? Something happened to Adam and Eve when they disobeyed God. Physically, death entered the world, with its impending decay, weakness, and drives for survival. Death has affected everything we do. We are weak and prone to temptation because of death. Spiritually, Adam and Eve became separated and alienated from God, the source of light and lift. They died spiritually in that they no longer had direct access to God who gives eternal life. Physical and spiritual death and separation cause every person to rebel against God in one form or another, leading to guilt and condemnation.
God’s answer to this hopeless situation was to send Jesus as the atoning sacrifice and reconciler. His “act of righteousness” was obedience to death on the cross (Philippians 2:5-11). This point is crucial to Paul’s theology and what he considered at the heart of his preaching (1 Corinthians 2:1-5). Jesus went to the cross in obedience to the Father, with full faith and confidence that the Father would raise him on the third day. This act of obedience resolved both the penalty for sins and the power of inbred and inherited power of sin. This happened because his resurrection overcame the power of death and confirmed the purpose of his atoning death. The result of this is life. This is not universal but universally possible. As Paul has shown in chs. 3-4, one’s participation in this is dependent upon faith. A person must take advantage of the free gift. The free gift of God’s grace in Christ does no good for a person who rejects it.
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