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Timothy: Romans 5:12-21
Death in Adam, Life in Christ

12 Because of this, even as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death passed to all men, inasmuch as all sinned.

13 For sin was in the world until Law, but sin is not charged where there is no law;

14 but death reigned from Adam until Moses, even on those who had not sinned in the likeness of Adam’s transgression, who is a type of the coming One.

15 But the free gift is not also like the deviation. For if by the deviation of the one the many died, much more the grace of God, and the gift in grace, which is of the one Man, Jesus Christ, did abound to the many.

16 And the gift is not as by one having sinned; for indeed the judgment was of one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many deviations to justification.

17 For if by the deviation of the one death reigned through the one, much more those who are receiving the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall rule in life by the One, Jesus Christ.

18 So then, as through one deviation it was toward all men to condemnation, so also through one righteous act toward all men to justification of life.

19 For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were constituted sinners, so also through the obedience of the One the many shall be constituted righteous.

20 But Law came in besides, that the deviation might abound. But where sin abounded, grace much more abounded,

21 that as sin ruled in death, so also grace might rule through righteousness to everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

[Literal Translation of the Holy Bible]

Dear God, my Beloved Father, I offer thanks and praise to You for Your constant love and faithfulness that bring me peace and joy in life. I am busy with the good works that You have prepared for me, and my heart is content. I thank You for the Eternal Living Word that You provide me every day so that I can reflect with my brothers and sisters in the Church. I pray that Christ will strengthen me on this new day, and that the Holy Spirit will guide me in reflecting on Your Word. I am grateful to the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

I reflect and write down my understanding of Romans 5:12-21 as follows:

Dear Father, I understand that because of Adam’s disobedience, sin and death entered the world. Since then, Adam’s disobedience has been transmitted to the human race because all people are descendants of Adam. Although Eve sinned before Adam, I understand that her sin was not passed down to future generations; only Adam’s sin, the first man, was passed down. I understand that each person’s physical body is composed of a cell from the father and a cell from the mother, but only the cell from the father transmits life and the nature of sin. That is why when Jesus Christ was conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary, He was not transmitted the nature of sin, but He still had a human body and was called the offspring of the woman.

Dear Father, I understand that it was not the descendants of Adam who were punished for Adam’s sin. The Bible teaches clearly that “The soul that sins, it shall die. A son shall not bear the iniquity of the father. And a father shall not bear the iniquity of the son.” But the descendants of Adam inherited the nature of disobedience to God, so everyone sins on their own. And once we sin, we will die, whether there is a law or not. This is similar to jumping from a high building, which leads to death, whether or not there is a law forbidding it. A child who plays with a knife will have his hand cut, whether or not his parents have a law prohibiting playing with knives.

Dear Father, I understand that the consequence of committing a sin, which is to go against God, is always death, regardless of the type of sin committed. God is the Living God. Obeying God means living, while rebelling against God means death. I understand that living means existing in God’s grace, being close to God, while death means existing outside of God’s grace, being separated from God. Both are eternal states, hence they are called eternal life and eternal death.

Dear Father, I understand that the gift of salvation cannot be obtained through a sinner, which is why the Word of God became human without sin to be able to die for those who committed sins. The punishment for Adam’s sin became the standard and model for the punishment of all who followed in sin.

Dear Father, I understand that the phrase “by the deviation of the one the many died” means that Adam’s sin passed down his rebellious nature to all humanity, causing all to sin and die. The phrase “the grace of God, and the gift in grace, which is of the one Man, Jesus Christ, did abound to the many” means that in Jesus Christ there is abundant forgiveness and the ability to be cleansed of sin nature. This is the grace of God bestowed upon humanity through Jesus Christ alone. Therefore, when one sincerely accepts the Gospel, they are born again in Christ, imputed with a pure nature, obeying God from Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit of God to live a life that does not rebel against God.

Dear Father, I understand that death came into the world through Adam’s sin alone. Since then, death has continued to reign over humanity because everyone has sinned. However, those who are in Christ, through faith in the Gospel, have passed from death to life, as affirmed by Christ in John 5:24 and then confirmed by the Holy Spirit in I John 3:14. Therefore, death no longer has power over them, and they are free to rule themselves in life, transforming their bodies into instruments of service to God, doing righteousness, and glorifying God.

Because of Adam’s sin, everyone born of Adam inherits a sinful nature that opposes God, continually committing sin, and subject to punishment and death. But because of Christ’s obedience, everyone born of God in Christ receives Christ’s righteous nature, obedience to God, and life. Being born of Adam is natural for anyone in the human race, but being born of God in Christ is a choice each person can make.

Dear Father, I understand that sin existed before the law was given. The law was given to make people aware of the seriousness of sin. But when the horror of sin was exposed by the law, Your grace provided abundant salvation to save those who believe from the punishment of the law. Sin has the power to hold humanity in death, but Your grace through Christ has the power to liberate humanity from sin and death, making them clean, alive, and living forever.

Dear Father, I am grateful for Your salvation, for making me a new person in Christ, for empowering me with the Holy Spirit of God to overcome temptation, sin, and death. I am extremely thankful to You, to Christ, and to the Holy Spirit. May my life be an instrument of righteousness in Your hands. Amen!

In the grace of Jesus Christ, my Lord.

Timothy Christian Huynh
03/18/2023