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Morning Thoughts |
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Romans 5:14, "Nevertheless
death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the
similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come." This morning, many ignore the obvious. Sometimes the obvious is ignored by a simple oversight, such as missing the proverbial "right under your nose." However, other obvious things are ignored due to stubborn or self-willed bullheadedness. Sometimes, we "know" that something is true, but we refuse to admit that it is true even when posed with overwhelming evidence to support that truth. So much of the natural world and universe cries out to the testimony of created origins by Divine power yet so many refuse the overwhelming evidence to support it. (Romans 1:19-21) Likewise, the Biblical doctrine of representation, that we have sought to examine many times, is refused or unaccepted by many even with overwhelming evidence to support it. Whatever the Bible portrays about the idea of representation is true, but founded, experiential data also corroborates what the Bible says. Yet, even with such powerful witnesses and testimonies, the evidence is ignored and unacceptable to a great many in this world, even by some professing Christians. Paul, in our study verse, is in the midst of one of his two most descriptive portions of the doctrine of representation. His other descriptive section is I Corinthians 15 in conjunction to the resurrection, but here his description of our represented state is coming off the heels of a vivid description of total depravity and hastening onto the eventual proclamation of eternal security that culminates in the 8th chapter. The reason for such a crisp and relevant discussion about representation is the necessity for us to understand why the depravity and the atonement/redemptio Our name that we are born with can come with stigmas or blessings depending on the morality or immorality of our ancestors. (Proverbs 22:1) Our secular bosses make company decisions that affect the company and our environment. Politicians make laws, enforce laws, repeal laws, and/or make policy changes that affect everyone that they represent, regardless if we voted for them or not. In all of these cases and more, we see that whether we think it fair or not or like it or not, the reality of representation surrounds the world in which we live. Therefore, let us discover some of the details about Biblical representation from the verses above. Paul just opened (in the verse before ours) a large parenthetical expression that states that sin is imputed due to law, but that sin was in the world before the law was given (Mosaical law). Therefore, even though Moses had not yet received the tablets of stone on Sinai, sin reigned in the world by the imputation of the law. Not the law of Moses, but rather the law of sin and death that Adam fell under the very day that he ate of the forbidden fruit. (Genesis 2:17) From the moment of the transgression, he died a death in trespasses and in sins that separated him and his posterity from the fellowship of God that he had previously enjoyed. Furthermore, it separated him from a perpetual, unhampered natural life that he could have enjoyed otherwise eating of the tree of life freely. The point that Paul affirms in our verse is that death was present and unavoidable (save for Enoch's translation) for every generation of people even before Moses arrived on the scene to whom God manifestly gave a law that was worthy of being kept. This point proves, beyond question, that certain laws are in force whether accepted or not. If I speed down the highway at 100 miles per hour, I might get away with what I am doing provided the enforcer of the speed laws does not detect or discover what I am doing. That law may be avoided should we avoid the enforcer. However, I cannot avoid the law of gravity, for there is no where to go in this natural world that frees me from it completely: the enforcer of the law - gravity - is always present and always in force. So likewise, the enforcer of the law of sin - death - is ever present and nigh unto all of us. We cannot avoid it by natural feats of ability. Now, to the critic that cries, "Unfair, unfair" to this doctrine, consider also that Paul affirms consequence of the law of sin and death over those that did not do exactly what Adam did. I have never been in a literal garden and eaten of a literal forbidden fruit the way that Adam did. I have not sinned in that manner. Does that matter? Paul says no, for I am tainted, naturally speaking, with what Adam has done even if I have not done exactly what he did on that day. Furthermore, while not much of Adam's actions post-Garden of Eden are recorded for us, I am quite sure that the daily struggles that we have with sin vexed him as well. (I Corinthians 10:13) However, I may not have failed on a day to day basis as he did. Does that matter? Paul says whether we sinned after the similitude (likeness) of Adam's transgression or not, we are all guilty of that transgression in him. This idea of Adam's work tainting us even though we have not literally done what he did, shows that being in Adam by representation, we are just as guilty, regardless of what we have or have not done in our lives. This carries the reason - as hard as it is to accept sometimes - that babies die. When a child is stillborn, has that child been guilty of active sin upon birth? No, for the child did not have time to manifest its Adam nature due to never performing a physical act. So, why did the child die? With no active transgression, how could sin be imputed by way of death upon one that did not actively sin? The action of Adam just as much touched that child as it touches every person that lives and dies in this old world. Lack of time to prove one's nature does not nullify the existence or the consequence of that nature. Babies die without validating their nature in action, but the nature is validated in death: showing the polluted fountain of Adam from whence they sprang. While none of these thoughts are pleasant to consider, let us notice the bright spot in this verse that shows up in the last phrase. Paul asserts that just as these vivid details of Adam's representation apply to us, so should we look for similar scope of applicable detail in Christ. Adam is "the figure of him who was to come." Now, Paul will go on to show some of the differences between Christ and Adam in the succeeding verses by contrasting and comparing the two. However, many of the details of their representation are similar. Hence, the reason that Paul calls Adam a figure (or shadow) of Christ. Adam did not come close to portraying Christ perfectly; far from it. However, just as a shadow gives some general outlines of a person, so also Adam gave some general details of scope to Christ. Death reigned from Adam to Moses even though there was no manifest law given yet. This validates Adam's representation on his posterity. God's children went to heaven before Christ set foot on this earth, validating Christ's representation on His family before the legal work was yet performed. (Romans 3:25) God's children in the Old Testament were received into heaven after passing from this life no differently than any today. Even though people before Moses did not have a literal law to point to, death still occurred in this old world. Even though people before Christ did not have the literal work of the Messiah to look upon, eternal life was still given through regeneration as they looked forward to His coming. (Job 19:25-26) Yet, there is another caveat of this discussion that bears some space. We have before shown in this writing that death reigns upon people even if they have not done exactly as Adam did. Whether we literally ate of that fruit or not, we are still guilty. Babies with no opportunity to show their fallen state still die under the consequence of that position. So, likewise, with the representation in Christ - Him that was to come - we have people who may not live just as Christ lived that are still part of His representative family. Indeed, babies dying shows them to be part of Adam's fallen race, but there will undoubtedly be people in heaven, whether stillborn infants or mentally incapacitated people, that will never have shown the evidence of that new nature that comes from Christ's representation of us. The evidence that these people were part of Adam's corrupted representation is that they die. The evidence that these people are part of the redeemed family of Christ's representation is that they go to heaven. As the scope of those people is greater than any man can number singing unto Him (Revelation 5), so there will be people in heaven that perhaps did not "prove" their standing in God's family the way that many would think necessary. It should be noted that man's capacity to "veil" his intentions can be highly successful for a time, but death will always prevail. So likewise may men believe on Christ and fail to confess it as they should for a time (John 12:42), but their eternal standing in heaven and immortal glory will always prevail. No matter how veiled we can be with our sinful conduct, our deeds are still evil, and no matter how veiled we can be with our righteous nature, we are still made pure inside by the blood of the Lamb. While we cannot escape the consequence of natural death that manifestly shows our representation in Adam (provided the Lord's return does not occur before then), we should seek to try to avoid the deformed extensions - sins - that come from that corrupt nature. While we cannot do anything to fall from the consequence of eternal life that will manifestly show our representation in Christ in heaven, we should seek to promote and exalt all the fruitful branches - righteousness - that come from the new nature. By so doing, we may not be performing the righteousness after the similitude of Christ - perhaps very far from it - but we will hopefully be showing steps that are indicative of our Head: Jesus Christ. Just as we have shown the image and steps of our first head Adam, we will bear and show the image of the last Head Christ and may we gleam even more brightly in anticipation of that blessed time.  In Hope, Bro Philip |