Adam & Jesus
About this series
Obviously we are always focussed on Jesus, but in our first series - Just Jesus - we’re going to look, over 13 weeks, at some of the high points in the New Testament that show us who Jesus is, why he’s so wonderful, what he’s done for us and what it means to live in the light of all that.
Sinclair Ferguson wrote, ‘We need to expend our energies admiring, exploring, expositing and extolling Jesus Christ’ - that is precisely our aim in the Just Jesus series. The more we see of Jesus, the more we’ll have to be delighted in and the greater will be our motivation to live for him in our everyday lives.
So, come with great expectation that the Holy Spirit will be powerfully at work leading us to know and love our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
About this talk
Scripture: Romans 5:12-21
Building on his position to the end of v 11, Paul speaks of Adam, the representative head of humanity, and Christ, the representative head of a new humanity, in this section of ‘contrast and compare.’ He begins by explaining how it was that sin was in the world in the first place - through Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden being ‘passed down’ to future generations. But not only had sin entered the world, death, it’s natural consequence, had too (even before the law was given to Moses, vs 13-14).
From v 15 he starts his ‘contrast’ section, twice using the phrase, “how much more” (vs 15,17) to make his points.
v 15: If many died through Adam’s sin, how much more did God’s grace overflow to many through Jesus.
v 16: Judgement followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.
v 17: If death reigned through Adam’s sin, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through Jesus Christ!
Secondly, his ‘compare’ section in which he states three times, “just as...so also”:
v 18: Just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people.
v 19: Just as through the disobedience of one man many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of one man many will be made righteous.
v 21: just as sin reigned in death, so grace reigns through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
We explore:
One of the glorious ways of looking at the gospel is seeing all that being ‘in Christ’ has saved us from, in contrast to all that was ours ‘in Adam.’
Assurance: all this is secured for us by virtue of us now being ‘in Christ’ - not by our achievements, behaviour or merit.
This is how we reign in life, not by doing but by receiving: by “receiving God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness.”
If you have any questions about this talk, want to find out more about Citygate Church, or want to know more about what it means to be a Christian, please fill in our online Connect form at citygate.church/connect.
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In Revelation 1, John sees a magnificent vision of Jesus. This chapter presents us with the magnificence of Jesus Christ - the Lion, the Lamb, the one of whom all in heaven and earth forever cry “Worthy.”