Romans 5: 12
Covenant Theology

The Westminster Confession and the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechism from the 1600's were strongly rooted in it.  They are the doctrinal documents in the back of our hymn books.  It was prominent in theological thinking during the 1600's, but it is as old as Paul, and is essentially a Biblical way of looking at Salvation.  Here in this passage it is very clear: It is the idea that sees our lostness and our salvation as being opposite sides of the same truth.  Adam was our spiritual "head" and we became sinners as a result of his headship.  And in our salvation, Jesus Christ himself became our new Head, the Head of the Redeemed Race, or you might say, of the corporate people of God.

In this theological way of looking at things, we first think of

I. THE FEDERAL STRUCTURE OF THE HUMAN RACE. 

It is clearly taught in this passage by implication.  We are lost because of our ancestors and because of our own sin.

1. Why is it that every person who is born into the human race, turns out to be a sinner?  (Our dear Lord Jesus Christ being the single exception. And that exception is thought to be connected to his Virgin Birth.)  Why are there not 20% exceptions or 1% of people who were not included in and influenced by Adam's fall.

Why are there not rare exceptions?  Why does every person born, turn out to be a sinner?  Indeed, some are horrible, monstrous, disgusting sinners.  But others are different and due to upbringing in a disciplined environment they are polite and decent and respectful of others.  But they are sinners nonetheless.  Every parent sees this as he rears his children.  He sees in his child the effect of the fall, even though the child is trained in such a way as to be socially decent and kindly to some extent.  Thank God that there is a possibility of modifying and civilizing that fallenness.

But, why aren't there 10% or 20% exceptions?  Paul says there are no exceptions: "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God," he says (Romans 3: 23).  Why is it that every person born of natural generation is a sinner and begins to show that sin in subtle ways very early in his environment?  Indeed, some are horrible, ghastly, disgusting sinners.  But others are different, due to a Christian upbringing and they are decent and respectful to others.  But they are sinners, nonetheless.  Every Christian parent sees this in his children: not necessarily ghastly and monstrous sin, but sin nonetheless.  It is the mark of the Fall that infects all of us.  But others are different.  Their sins may not be as awful as we might think, but there are sins nonetheless.  "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," Romans says,

If this were not so, we would find, once in a while, people who never sinned.  But the book of Romans here says "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God."

2. It certainly isn't because everybody is neutral when they are born. Otherwise, we would find some people who never sin.  The Westminster Confession says, and rightly so, that this sin is universal.  And this Romans 3 passage says: "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." 

Why is it that one can see in little children, sin manifesting itself?  Indeed, it may be touchingly pathetic and mindless sin, but sin nonetheless.  Be assured that like all the other things about a baby, it is going to grow into adult characteristics. 

3. How can the Bible be sure, as to say: "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God?"  "There is non righteous, no not one."

4. Because of the Federal Structure of the human race, we are all descended from common parents way back at the beginning of the race.  Now, this does not mean that your parents were monsters, who were guilty of murder and theft and blasphemy and idolatry in the worst form.  Civilization and discipline and especially Christian nurture in Christian families and society, does indeed tend to rule out the most gross and vicious kinds of behavior.

And, by the way, this does put great responsibility upon you parents in your nurture of the children that God has given you.  Proper parenting and loving discipline will not make them sinless, but it will have the effect of civilizing them and delivering them from the most horrible forms of sins.  There is a proper combination of the right amounts of both love and training, mixed with appropriate discipline (i.e."appropriate" to the age of the particular child or children.)

5. Paul clearly teaches this here: that we all are descended from one man -v.12- That man is Adam. ("v.12") The supposed proof is not only in the fallenness of everyone, but in the universal experience of death. "v.12"

II. NOW, THE GOOD NEWS IS JUST THE OPPOSITE OF THE BAD NEWS.

See the train of thought:

1. As we have seen, sin is a major factor in all of our lives.

2. But our salvation is just the opposite of Adam's sin, which effected our fallenness. "v15-17"

3. The end of the matter is in v.18-19.  See this worked out positively in your life, by God's grace: Your lostness and your salvation in Christ, in which God imputed your sins to Jesus and Jesus' perfection to you, making you perfectly righteous in how God, as your Judge, sees you.

4. The clear statement is in "vv.18-19."

1. It is good news!  It is not all happy news.  But our salvation is, indeed, a salvation!  But to deny "lostness," is to ignore the fact of universal human fallenness.  It is bad news at the first, but good news and, even, blessed news, in the outcome of the bad news!

2. We don't know why God purposed to create a universe and a human species in such a way, with the outcome as he did.  But our not knowing is just one of many things we do not know "why" about.  But we believe he did so for his glory and for our blessedness forever and ever into the infinite extent of eternity.

3. How sad it is for the lost people around us, as they lack the hope and the outcome of that hope of sharing in eternal life forever and ever in the presence of God and his holy angels and of our fellow citizens of the Kingdom of God.  Believe me, that when you begin to approach the end years of you mortal journey here on earth, and face eternity itself, it is a continually "blessed thought" that you will consciously spend forever and forever and ever in the presence of the Savior who purchased us by his dying and bearing our sins; and by doing so, making us perfect in his sight!

While that hope into the next life is hard to grasp in our attempt to imagine its nature, it is -- we know -- a "blessed hope" that God has constituted for us who honor and worship him whom we approach by the blessed atonement of the Second Person of the Godhead, who became incarnate in our race for our sake.

We shall live forever and continually bless God for our creation in his image and our salvation through the Second Person, the dear Son of God, our Savior Jesus Christ!

We are incapable of fully appreciating the blessedness of that "blessed hope" (as it is sometimes called in the New Testament) and realize that the ultimate outcome will be joy and also an appreciation and fulfillment beyond all possible present expectations of our minds, limited by our knowledge and mortality.

May I ask you -- Is this your ultimate hope?  Do you have appropriate assurance of it, by way of your understanding of the Holy Gospel and your commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ?  I dearly hope so!

As a minister I have often had the opportunity to be with soon-to-die-Christians.  My own mother, who came to live here in this house in her old age, died here in this back parlor.  What a privilege it was to be able to assure her that in a few hours or a few days she was going to pass over into eternity, and that she would be in the presence of Jesus her Savior who purchased her for the Triune God and, by doing so, insured her eternal life.

And I hope that you will find this hope, standing with the truth of the Holy Gospel, grasping this wonderful truth that God has saved you through the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, and knowing that you will be in his presence and in the presence of his saints forever and ever.

Do you have this hope?  You might not have it and still be a child of God.  But it makes a big difference if you have that blessed security, no matter where you might be in your own particular life cycle.  What a difference it makes, when we understand our eternal richness, even when we have to wait a little time before we actually enter into its full reality!

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Savior who loved us and redeemed us, and the Holy Spirit who has filled us and informs us and assures us of that fact!