Made Alive in Christ
A Sermon on Romans 5:12
Originally preached March 7, 1958
Scripture
12Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Sermon Description
In the previous sermon, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones addressed that all humanity sinned when Adam sinned. But how is it that all sin in Adam? In this sermon on Romans 5:12 titled “Made Alive in Christ,” Dr. Lloyd-Jones dives into this topic by looking into several different views. The first view is the realistic view, which states that the whole of humanity resided in Adam. Because of this, when Adam sinned, all humanity sinned. Second is the representation view. This view states that Adam’s sin was passed to all because God had appointed him as the representative for all humanity. Dr. Lloyd-Jones states that his view of Scripture shows a mixture of these two views. He looks at the parallel between Adam and Christ. He shows how both Adam and Christ were appointed by God and represented all humanity. Adam represented all in his sin and Jesus represented all in His obedience. Dr. Lloyd-Jones ends his sermon by pointing out the important truth that Jesus is the last Adam. There will be no one to come after Him who will again represent all of humanity. Christians can rejoice in that fact, knowing that they can forever rest in the work of Jesus Christ.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon is focused on expounding Romans 5:12, specifically the last clause “for that all have sinned”.
- Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that this means we all sinned “in Adam”, that Adam’s sin is imputed to all of humanity.
- There are two main views on how exactly we sinned in Adam: the “realistic view” and the “representational view”. The realistic view sees Adam as containing the whole of human nature, and we are divisions of that nature. The representational view sees Adam as our representative before God.
- Dr. Lloyd-Jones sees merits in both views, but thinks the realistic view is too speculative. However, verses like Hebrews 7:9-10 show we were somehow “in Adam’s loins” and implicated in his sin.
- Adam was not just the natural head of the race, but God constituted him as our federal head and representative. So when Adam sinned, we sinned in and through him.
- Many modern commentators reject this view, seeing it as merely reflecting ancient rabbinic teachings. But if we reject this, why believe other teachings of Paul and the Bible? We must accept the authority and inspiration of Scripture.
- Adam is a “type” or figure of Christ, the “one to come” (v. 14). There are many similarities between Adam and Christ: both were appointed by God; both are heads of races; both are heads of covenants; both represented all their “seed”; both passed on effects to their seed (sin/righteousness).
- However, there are also contrasts and differences between Adam and Christ which Paul will go on to explore. Dr. Lloyd-Jones will address questions about whether “all” and “many” mean the same in both cases, and whether this implies universalism.
Sermon Q&A
Questions and Answers from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Sermon on Romans 5:12-21
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain is the meaning of "all sinned" in Romans 5:12?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the phrase "all sinned" in Romans 5:12 doesn't merely mean that we are all sinful or that we have all committed sins. Rather, it means that we all sinned at that particular point in time - in Adam. He explains that "we all sinned in Adam" and that "we are all guilty in Adam, guilty of that sin, that transgression of Adam's against that specific commandment of God." This is proven by verses 13-14 which show that death (the punishment for sin) came upon all, including infants who had never personally sinned.
What are the two main views Dr. Lloyd-Jones presents about mankind's relationship to Adam?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones presents two main views of our relationship to Adam: 1. The Realistic View - which sees Adam as containing the totality of human nature, with each human being a division of that nature, so that when Adam sinned, the whole human nature sinned. 2. The Representative View (or Federal View) - which teaches that God constituted Adam as the federal head and representative of the entire race, making a covenant with him where Adam's actions would affect all his descendants.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones use Hebrews 7:9-10 to support the concept of our relationship to Adam?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones references Hebrews 7:9-10, which states that Levi (who was not yet born) paid tithes in Abraham "for he was yet in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him." He applies this "seminal identity" principle to our relationship with Adam, explaining that just as Levi was in Abraham's loins, so all humanity was in Adam's loins when he sinned. Therefore, when Adam transgressed, all humanity was implicated in his sin because we were seminally present in him.
What similarities does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify between Adam and Christ?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies five key similarities between Adam and Christ: 1. Both were appointed by God for their roles 2. Each is the head of a race (Adam the first man, Christ the second man and last Adam) 3. Each is the head of a covenant made with him 4. Each represented all his seed 5. Each has passed on to his seed the effects and fruits of his work (Adam's sin and its consequences passed to all; Christ's obedience and righteousness passed to believers)
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones respond to modern critics who reject the historical Adam and Paul's teaching?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones firmly rejects modern critics who claim Paul was simply repeating rabbinical teaching or was influenced by his Pharisaical background. He argues that if we dismiss this teaching as error, we undermine the entire authority of Scripture. He states, "If you begin to say that the apostle was in error, that he was simply governed by the ignorance of the time, how do you decide what to believe and what not to believe?" He emphasizes that we must either accept apostolic authority as divinely inspired or be left with no objective standard for truth.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones mean when he calls Christ "the last Adam"?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones distinguishes between calling Christ "the second Adam" (which isn't strictly correct) and the biblical designation of "the last Adam." He explains that Christ is called "the second man" but "the last Adam" because "there will never be another. There are only two heads of a race. The first was Adam. The second is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the last Adam. There will never be a successor to him." This emphasizes the finality and completeness of Christ's redemptive work.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones respond to those who question the fairness of Adam's sin being imputed to us?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones responds to objections about the fairness of Adam's sin being imputed to us by turning the question around: "If you say to me, is it fair that that sin of Adam be imputed to me, I will ask, is it fair that the righteousness of Christ be imputed to you?" He points out that if we reject the imputation of Adam's sin, we must logically reject the imputation of Christ's righteousness, which would leave us "without a gospel and without a hope and without a salvation."
What upcoming question does Dr. Lloyd-Jones preview at the end of his sermon?
At the end of his sermon, Dr. Lloyd-Jones previews a crucial question for future discussion: "If you are going to say this, that this is a perfect parallel, you've already told us that because of the one sin of Adam that everybody is guilty before God and all die. Are you therefore going to say on the other side that Jesus Christ saves everybody and that you are a universalist and that there is universal salvation? Is the many in the one place identical with the many in the other? Does all always mean the same thing?" This sets up his exploration of the extent of salvation in Christ compared to condemnation in Adam.
The Book of Romans
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.