Romans 5:18-19 (Continued)

Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the One Man the many will be made righteous.

First, God was gracious in the way that He arranged the covenant of works in give Adam to us as our federal representative. In giving Adam as our representative, it would be like you’re in a million-dollar contest at half time of the NCAA Championship game. You make the half-court shot, and you win. But God says, “Look, you’re not going to have to take this shot in order to win salvation. I’m going to bring out Michael Jordan for you. I’m going to let Michael Jordan take that forty-five foot jump shot for you.” Or, maybe you’ve got to sink a snaking putt from 100 ft. away. God says, “I’m going to bring out Tiger Woods to take that shot for you.” When God made Adam our representative, He gave us someone of extraordinary capacities that we cannot even grasp. He was an optimal representative. We can’t even concede what an un-fallen human being had with regard to intellectual and moral potential. God was generous even in the construction of the covenant of works. You might say, “Well, I would have done better.” We’re sinners, and we can’t even think about how we would have functioned as non-sinful people. We can’t think in those categories. God gave us an optimal representative in Adam, and even Adam failed.

Second, why is it that the imputation of Adam’s sin is fair? Because God shows meticulous concern for justice in His covenant of grace. Think about it. In the way that God goes about saving us through Jesus Christ, He shows meticulous concern for justice. He doesn’t say, “Okay, look, I’m going to sweep those sins under the closet. He doesn’t just forget.” God says, “Okay, I love you so much that My Son is going to bear your sin.” Why does He do this? Because He is concerned for justice and fairness. So if, in the way of grace, God is concerned for fairness and justice, is it not reasonable to work back to the fact that in the original relationship that He sustained with man, that He was concerned with fairness and justice? And in that original relationship, what did He do? He appointed Adam as our representative as the representative of all humanity. It’s clear that the covenant of grace and imputation is fair. And, therefore, looking back, you can see that the covenant of works is fair. Consider the imputation of Christ’s righteousness. It’s the same with Adam’s sin. In other words, we were constituted sinners in Adam, but we were constituted as righteous in Jesus Christ. You might say, “It’s not fair! I didn’t exist when Adam was brought into being in this world. Adam died at least 5000 years before I was brought into being. It’s not fair that what he did would impact me. And Paul will ask, “Do you believe in Jesus Christ? Do you believe in Christ alone for salvation? Do you trust in what Jesus did and was for your salvation? Were you alive when Jesus was alive? Did you exist when Jesus came to this earth to live and die on your behalf? Is Jesus’ righteousness imputed to you? Then I don’t know what you’re complaining about.” Are you willing to accept the gracious imputation of the righteousness of Christ, but unwilling to accept the imputation of Adam’s sin?

Thirdly, once again, there are biblical patterns that establish and teach us to expect this kind of representation. There are numerous Biblical examples that show us the principles of representation: David and Goliath, Abraham and his descendants, David and the 70,000 people of Israel (1 Chronicles 21), Pharaoh and the Egyptians, etc. Over and over in the Bible we see these principles of representation.

Finally, consider that you’re not in a position to judge. You are standing in the dock, before the bar of God’s justice. You’re not here to judge the Judge. God is so sovereign that even if it were unfair for Adam’s sin to be imputed to you, there would be nothing that you could do about it. Here’s the song we sing in church sometimes: “You are not a god created by human hands. You are not a god dependent on any mortal man. You are not a god in need of anything we can give. By Your plan, that’s just the way it is. You are God alone, from before time began, You were on Your throne, You were God alone. And right now, in the good times and bad, You are on Your throne, You are God alone. You’re the only God whose power none can contend. You’re the only God whose name and praise will never end. You’re the only God Who’s worthy of everything we can give. You are God, that’s just the way it is.” So accept the condition explained in Scripture: that you are a sinner on account of the sin of the first man Adam, that his sin was imputed to your account the moment he sinned, long before you were even born. One sin = the condemnation of all people. And then rest in this: One work of Jesus Christ, the God-man, guarantees the justification of all His people, of which you are one by faith.