Romans 5
Every once and a while I get asked, “What
difference does it make if Genesis 1-3 really happened? Why does it matter if
there was a man named Adam who disobeyed God with his wife Eve? Why can’t all
of that be a metaphor, or even a creation myth?” Romans 5 provides a key to
this conundrum.
The whole of the Bible is focused on one
issue: how God reconciled us to Himself in Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Genesis 1-3 gets at the heart of why we needed to be reconciled. Romans 5 takes
us to that critical moment and says, “sin came into the world through one man,
and death trough so, and so death spread to all men because all sinned….”
The Bible is not a book of basic instructions
for righteous living. Its message is not about making people better. This is
the message of how God took people who were dead in trespasses and sins and
made us alive in Christ. Why were we dead in the first place? It is because
Adam sinned, and we, each and every one of us, has inherited his sin. We are in
essence born dead because of that fatal choice. This is foundational to our
faith and essential to understanding who God is and what He has done for us!
What about Eve? Didn’t she make a
choice? Yes, she did. However God holds Adam accountable for that choice. Adam
was there when Eve had the choice before her. He had the responsibility of
leadership, and he failed his wife and his God.
And let’s not overlook that God made a
choice, too. He chose to seek Adam and Eve after they sinned. He chose to give
His Son to die for the ungodly. Jesus chose to offer His life freely to redeem
sinners. His choice is matched with Adam’s. Adam shirked his calling, but Jesus
did not. He bore the cross given to Him, entered into the sin we inherited and
committed, He stood between us and sin, and He rescued us.
Why does Genesis 1-3 matter? Why is it
important to believe it is true? It is because there is where we find people
becoming sinners, and God seeking sinners to save them by His grace.
Lord, help me believe Your Word and, in
believing Your Law and Gospel, receive forgiveness for my sins. Amen.
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