From the MLJ Archive

Romans 5:12-21 — Sin destroys everything. It ruins relationships, perverts what is pure, and undoes the underpinnings of society. In this passage, the apostle Paul explains the effect of sin on the world and the salvation that Christ has brought from sin. Because of Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden, all have sinned because all are descendants of Adam. That guilt and condemnation is on all people. However, just as all are related to Adam, all who are saved are related to Jesus Christ! In the sermon on Romans 5:12–21, “As in Adam, So in Christ,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones argues that Romans 5:12 is one of the most important verses in the whole Bible in terms of theology. This verse confronts with two facts: the universality of sin and the universality of death. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains the biblical and non-biblical view of this passage. It would be easy to create excuses for sin or to become angry that all are guilty because Adam is guilty, but the passage clearly points out that sin is active and so now there is death by sin. Instead of condemning the sin that Adam passed on, the Christian should be rejoicing that Christ’s work on the cross has also passed on.