A Tale of Two Adams

Today on Senate life with JD Greer.

Why is it as a race that despite all of our education and all of our history. We still have such trouble doing what is right even when we know something is wrong. We know it's bad for us. Why do we not do to others what we want them to do to us what riches almost always leads to selfishness. Why does power almost always lead to corruption.

Why are we attracted to the wrong so so much and so pervasively had a problem we are living under the curse that all because of the choice of one man is pretty depressing as it the gospel is help today.

Pastor JD Greer walks the Romans five and shows us how. Even though we all need the same choice as Adam sin, they can all make the choice today to accept salvation through the second. Pastor Jenny call this message exhale to Adam let out and I want you to open everything that you can Romans chapter 5 I was going to tell you.

I hope that you brought your theological big boy pants this morning and I hope that you have the belt on those things pulled really tightly because little advance warning.

This one is going to be a doozy and you're going to need to take some notes because you might need to come back to this, various points just to rethink some of the things were going to go through. I mentioned at the beginning of the series on Romans that I believe that this is one of the two most difficult passages in the book of Romans. The last half of Romans five is one of the most difficult passages in Romans.

The other one I think is Romans chapter 9 may be the most difficult passages in the entire Bible is not hard to comprehend what is being said per se, it's just difficult to get your mind around the concept that Paul is teaching them and the internal logic of them and how they are our fair to be really candid with you.

This is one of those passages were. I really struggled to believe it's one of those places where it since the Holy Spirit saying to me they are. Do you require the ED, are you willing to accept my word because it's my word because it comes by authority or do you have to understand everything in order to to be able to consent to it. I told you that there's an image that I have for for faith.

It's basically the midst of my questions that I have sometimes of things I cannot understand that some of the pictures of Jesus to appear to me, Jesus would appear in the flesh and did something to demonstrate that it really was him. It shall be the nails in his hands and his feet are said something about the past or the future. I could know and and I know was in and he said you know whatever question you have. Whatever question you're dealing with it. What if I don't to be the answer to that.

Ever in this life.what is you need to have your mind expanded in heaven. And then you can understand it. Are you willing to trust me.

In the meantime into doubt your doubts and in the trust me that that it is what I say it is because I am who I say I I think about that all the reason I think about that.

By the way comes from John chapter 6 because that's pretty much what Jesus said to Peter how much of Jesus's followers had left Jesus because they had this difficult question. This objection to some of things Jesus was teaching and the rest same objection that all the people that left Jesus, which appears as will be a reasonable way. Also, Peter says there is now infamous words he says will.

Where else can I go, you're the one that has the words of eternal life.

In other words II don't understand this.

In fact, I find it offensive, but because you are who you say you are. Where else can I go that's what I since God often saying to me for passages like this one all the evidence for Jesus being the son of God is solid to me. The evidence for Jesus raising from the dead is indisputable to my question is where else can I go and yes I have doubts like the rest of us, but I learned to doubt my doubts because of who Jesus is Araz my doubts might not be. Tell me the truth, it may be that there some things on just don't have the capacity to comprehend. Yet, I told you some of my favorite definitions of faith that you should probably write these down to my favorite definitions of faith is.

Faith is when the unexplainable meets the undeniable so there's a lot of things I can explain in the Christian life. A lot of them but I have this other thing and that is the undeniable, and that is Jesus Christ rose from the dead, and I want to accept the unexplainable.

Because of the undeniable because the Jesus who rose from the dead, told me it was the way it said it was faith is accepting what you cannot understand sometimes based on what you can understand you can understand Jesus easily says he is and that means you except what you cannot understand the way you should be writing this down little dog in about okay and what you do, so high and mighty pages never have any questions and then you should be of your teaching okay but otherwise you should by writing things down as you need to be able to explain to other people who have these kinds of questions I realize that there could be a lot of things in the Christian life that I I just struggle to get my mind around that I have this image of having a basically the first couple years. I'm anticipating us being in like a big stadium a big classroom and Jesus just taken questions and by the way, if that's the way goes down, you just need to be prepared. There's going to be an annoying kid on the front row named JD where she was going to have his hand up and eventually Jesus is going to say anybody else in the human race beside JD have some questions. I'll be happy to take some time and answer them but I want to live with those unanswered questions because I know Jesus is recess. He is so want you to keep that in mind as weak as we work our way through this passage.

This passage is going to address a few questions that I get asked a lot as a pastor. One of the questions is what is Original Sin. A lot of Christians have heard that phrase but I get the most interesting definitions of it when I said what is Original Sin people think like maybe to send nobody's ever done before. The you're the first one actually do it. You know I I still Hershey bar and a Mountain Dew and I was thinking unkind thoughts about my neighbor animal smoking illegal. We all the same time and nobody's ever done that combination of nuts and Original Sin. That's not an Original Sin. Okay that's that's not over talk about what is Original Sin and how is it fair how is the logic of it fair on the second question this passage is going to address what about babies. What about infants who die in infancy do they go to heaven about the mentally handicapped. What happens to them when they die. What about people who have never heard the gospel.

What about them pausing to teach concepts in these last 10 verses of Romans five that are going to touch on all of those questions. If you remember, if you were here last week in the first 11 verses Romans five were all were Paul shows us how the gospel reshapes our view of trials and suffering. Paul shifted I told you in that passage from argumentation for the gospel to celebration of the gospel or here in verse 12. He's been a shift back into argumentation. This might be one of the densest doctrinal sections in Romans. But it is really important for you not to separate not to separate this doctrinal section from the felt needs section about hope in the midst of trials that we just went through last weekend, we tend to think you see that there are two kinds of Christian teaching. There's the touchy-feely felt needs relevant, practical stuff are normal people over here and then there's the deep doctrinal stop for seminary nerds over on the other side. But that's not helpful. Solid the practical for Paul is connected to the deep.

The way to deal with problems in your day-to-day life. Paul is going to explain this to go deeper into who you are in Christ.

That's why you should notice of the very first word that bridges the two sections of Romans five, the felt needs for the doctrinal side. The first will go toward the connection is the word therefore, therefore, Paul is saying what I just said about about how to have hope in trials that connects to what I'm about to teach you about the gospel. Paul is showing us that that these are not doctrinal musings for the seminary murder. These are truths that that show all of us how we can face life with hope and balance. Enjoy how we can live free of bitterness and regret. Okay so here we go. Verse 12 therefore, just the sin of the world through one man, and death through sin in this way death read all people because all sin. Verse 14, and death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam's transgression to remember in chapter 4 when working with Romans four, we saw the Paul use the story of Abraham from Genesis 12 to show that Abraham's life illustrated justification by faith here in chapter 5. Paul's going to go back even farther than Abraham. Abraham was the father of the Jewish nation.

Paul's noggin jumped all the way from Genesis 12 Genesis 1 to the father of the human race is your essay Adam and Eve and Adam's life demonstrates the gospel. It sets out the gospel story, pausing to show us that all of history could be told is the story of two atoms just out of curiosity, how many Star Wars fans. We got we got in the house this morning I razor and Star Wars fans. I've heard it said that you could describe Star Wars as the tale of two skywalkers the first Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker gave into the temptation to embrace the dark side and in so doing, he brought death and destruction and chaos into the entire galaxy far far away.

The second Skywalker Luke the face the same temptation as his daddy but Luke was faithful and obedient to the Jedi way good and he was cuter might say, because of that Luke was able to reverse the curse that came from the disobedience of the first Skywalker.

He was even able to redeem the first Skywalker, George Lucas, the writer said that the central theme of episodes four through six of Star Wars which were the ones the first one that came out 20, 30 years ago the central theme of those was the redemption of Anakin the first Skywalker by Luke the second okay now realize I walls all the ladies and giving that illustration next week. Ability will Gilmore girls illustrations for you guys. Okay so similarly similar, you can say you could say that the entire storyline.

The Bible is about the redemption of the first Adam by the second Adam, Jesus Christ. That's what's going to happen.

In Romans 512 to 21. There is the basic idea you're ready to take the theological submarine.

The whole crush death, Adam, who was the first human created chose to defy God's authority and to reject God's clear command to avoid the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Because of that choice. Paul explains death descended on all people, even though you and I were not physically present with Adam.

God regards Adam's choice to be ours, and God holds us guilty of Adam's sin. That is called the doctrine of original sin. Notice how Paul in verse 12. It's very important. Paul says death spread to all people because all sin, past tense in Adam's choice. God regards us to be guilty. We send him him now we say wait a minute that's not fair. How could I be held responsible for something I had no part in. I wasn't consulted. This decision wasn't made by committee. I didn't get a vote. Adam just made the choice why my hell guilty of it and to be candid. That's where I struggled with were people like CS Lewis have struggled also. I mean think about you all the effects of this choice were not insignificant. Because of that death passed on the whole human race so that means every disease and every natural disaster every painful struggle with cancer.

Every child born with a birth defect. Every abortion every divorce, every rate, every war, every case of abuse. Even hell itself went back to that choice and I wouldn't even therefore, my best friend growing up. When our Sunday school teacher first taught this concept. He said man and when I get to heaven.

I want to take Adam's tail, you know, for making this choice on behalf of all of us.

So how is this fair well and calling Adam our representative God is saying that he knew that what Adam shows is what each of us would have chosen had we been given that same choice. Keep in mind, God is not some passive observer in this process. God is the infinitely wise creator.

He understands literally everything there is to know about us and God knew that how Adam acted in that situation is how each of us would have acted had we been given the same temptation to we cannot say no no no no no. Had I been there I would've done the right thing because that would be to imply that we know more than God.

God, who is infinitely wise and infinitely just knew that, given the same temptation. Every single one of us would have done the same thing that Adam did and that's not even hard for us to the grass right mean think about it. You can't even keep Oreos in your house without being tempted you most, you gotta get them out. That's all it is my house.

My wife is like there were three bags of chips in here might work is the operative word.

I started on one just get them out because otherwise I'm the cleaning out the warriors going to be gone you can keep Oreos in your house without being tempted. Do you really feel like you could have resisted the temptation to eat from a tree that promised godlike power and knowledge you say. But still I didn't make the choice personally so it doesn't seem fair that I should be held accountable for something I didn't even choose okay but have you not ratified that choice at some point in your life. Hasn't there been a point in your life at some point were you adopted Adam's identical line of thinking. I know better than God. I know what I want more than God wants and I would rather do what I want to God.

Once I know what's better and wiser for me than anything the God essay right-how many times are you adopted that same process in the last week. Only time to you adopted that in the last hour.

How many times in your life. Had you known what the right thing to do was and chosen to do the opposite right you ratified Adam's choice of million times over. There's a story the same and just entail sending us a look about 1500 years ago in St. Augustine tells a story about he grew up not as a Christian time. He ran a pretty rough group of teenagers had had some name in Latin for their gang like the destructors or something and he said we are out playing sports one night and we are coming home and made a couple buddies walking on the road we noticed when our neighbors had a pear tree that was filled with tears since we climbed over the wall. We stole those pairs.

He said what haunted me later is I wasn't hungry. I didn't even want the payers we ended up throwing away that even look that good. We have given them to the logs.

He said the only reason why I did it was because it was wrong. Here's what he said.

He said I've always always haunted me why I stole those pairs. The only reason I did it was because I delighted in doing the wrong in all of our lives. He explains, we can look back and see some point were we chose the wrong just because it was wrong because we had an inward delight and attraction to doing something rebellious just because we wanted to do it and just because it demonstrated our independence we will nurse a secret resentment of God and his authority, we possess that is even coming out of the womb, even though you and I were not physically present with Adam when he sin we all ratified that choice as you think that's all been implied in that last phrase of Romans 512 because all sin, all sin.

God regards us all to be sinners because first of all, he knew that what Adam shows is what any of us would've chosen had we been there.

Secondly, we've all ratified that choice a million times over. So because of that we've all sin and because of that, Paul says, death has passed all people, which of course means physical death and spiritual death.

Death spread to all people, even if were struggling with the logic behind why Original Sin works the way that it does. At least you have to concede the presence of its effects right GK Chesterton that the British philosopher said Original Sin is the only doctrine that is empirically verifiable. Look around right mean don't you see the effects of of spiritual and physical death everywhere. Death affects everyone indiscriminately with all of our technical and medical advancements. The death rate in the United States is still one-to-one death and disease affect nice people as much a screw people. They affect smart people is much as ignorant people. They affect even innocent infants as much as they would guilty adults, it affects all indiscriminately spiritual death means that all of us are born in a posture of rebellion toward God, we come out of the womb, as it were, with a fist clenched toward the heavens just assuming that our way is better than our parents way and always better than God's way of our desires are the most important thing. Every parent knows this right here, like you want to not your habit you want to commit your kids but you're like Yep that's when I kicked him out and the kids come out of her not to come along C goals and finding Nemo, you know, they come out want my my my my my my my my my mind. Nobody taught him that he seriously had you ever seen a two-year-old displaying gentleness and selflessness you parents as your 18 month old ever said to you mom dad yelled like you had a really tough day. You know why I just go up in our room.

I played my toys. I'll close the door, you guys go have some you time. I will tell you as a parent of four awesome children that is happened to me exactly never times in my parity life. We never had to sin any of the Greer kids to send camp we never had to ascend into selflessness seminars. They came by that stuff instinctively have inherited that stray from their mom said it's also been a part of their nature, I was reading a book today. Probably one of my favorite things is when I read a secular some kind of you secular author who stumbles onto something and think this is great insight of the Bible's been teaching all.this is the case with the scabbard. What he's is a rather acclaimed child psychologist. I does all this empirical research in the early here's what he said in a book if it's a classic statement from 1560 month so it 15 or 16 month old, you lessen your half as child self-awareness becomes more substantial something in his nature.

We don't fully understand, will lead him to deliberately try each of these forbidden activities specifically to see what will be allowed and what will not. In other words, he will begin systematically to challenge the authority of the adults. He lives with resistance. The simple request becomes very common at this time and if there is more than one child around this Camilo point in the parenting experience of Mike's hollowpoint.

That's what you call those moments when I wanted to call my eyes out in that season right something in his nature that we don't fully understand yet we understand what it is because God's word does what it is. It is the spirit of Adam that is born and every child that is born to the human race that is the assumption that I know better than God in my way is more important than my desires are more important, it is affected every single human that is ever been born. So even if you don't understand the logic of Original Sin, you can at least concede the effects are everywhere. I mean honestly, how else to explain the pervasive wickedness of the human race. Why is it as a race that despite all of our education and all of our history. We still have such trouble doing what is right even when we know something is wrong. We know it's bad for us.

Why do we not do to others what we would want them to do to us what riches almost always lead to selfishness widest power almost always lead to corruption.

Why are we attracted to the wrong so so much and so pervasively I should know by the way, that there is one alternate theory as to where our selfishness comes from and that is that the explanation that is posed by a theistic evolution basically that theory says that selfishness is bred into us through the principle of survival of the fittest. Selfishness helped our species and help our family line survive in a very harsh and competitive environment. The reason that our species and the reason that your family line is here is because our ancestors figured out a way to claw and crawl our way to the top and that certainly did not happen by being kind and selfless. According to this theory, there's no such thing as wrong.

Selfishness isn't wrong, of course, because wrong implies that there is a referee who was establish the rules. There's only useful or harmful for the propagation of the species now.

I should also add that in recent years, certain evolutionary theorist, guys like Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris realizing the absolute moral bankruptcy of this worldview has started disabling amendment now that we're in this advanced evolve state. Now we can see that kindness and love actually helps humans survive in community so we should choose not selfishness.

We should choose sacrificial love.

But note, even in that explanation.

They're not saying that love is inherently good there just saying that now. Love appears to be more useful for the species and selfishness. Whereas before cruelty and dominance were useful. Now, love and sacrifice is useful. According to the internal logic of this theory, selfishness and exploitation and rape are not wrong or evil per se because there is no wrong or evil because there's no lawgiver. There simply not useful. You see, if you're not a Christian, you're an agnostic, you have to consider this because this is a really big deal, especially when it comes to things like arguing for justice. If there is no wrong than what actually is justice. Martin Luther King, for example, said that the reason segregation laws in America were unjust is because they conflicted with the higher laws of God didn't say that they were unjust because they were no longer useful because you know whether were probably some racist around the time would've been like. Actually, they're very useful.

There useful for helping our family line survive in our family line thrive.

The old system is more useful to us and what you're proposing.

But Martin Luther King said useful or not it's wrong because all of us are made in the image of their creator and, therefore, to write for any of us to think they were superior to anybody else.

You see, if all we are is accidental biology or chemistry. You can't say that you can't say that you could only argue in terms of usefulness not right or wrong because in order for something to be wrong. There has to be some higher standard to appeal to Jesse basically got two options when it comes to explaining evil in the human race. You get the atheistic option which says that there's no such thing as good and evil.

There's just useful, which makes arguing for justice really difficult if not impossible.

The other basic option is the Christian one which says we are created for good which is why we know what injustice is that every single one of us even though we know what justice is, is horribly bent toward evil and it's caused all these problems in the human race to the questions. Which of these two Jews were dealing with online career gaining the first message in this series is titled who's your one for this evening admits the first message what you mean by who's your one and that team will find recurring atmosphere well. The idea is that all of us. There's somebody they got is put in our lives that the intention is for us to reach out to them.

Pray for them and look for opportunities to point to faith in Christ to Hoosier one is just asking you to prayerfully identify one person over the course of a year that you cannot only pray about and think about how can you move that person closer to faith in Christ. Maybe you have a chance to explain the gospel that you have a chance actually leave in the Bryson see them get baptized. When you think about the number of people in our country that are prayerfully approaching at least one person. Just imagine the impact this can make in our nation and we really love for you to be to be to be one of those people that are doing that. So as a free resource that we want to give away this month. There's a 30 day prayer guide that will help you pray for your one even help you.

Pray to identify your one has versus prayers of those are written out based on versus and that's us so much fun there. So you go check that out today as I am now dictating here.com. I on the site. You can also see if that the new setting. We've been talking about all week letting you happy today and it comes as our way of saying thank you for your essential partnership with his ministry. When you give a suggested donation of $25 or more to life your helping around the world die and we are still grateful to be sure to ask for the Romans had a same display not speaking today, 866-335-5220 866-335-5225 it's easier you can give enterprise the setting online TV.com and out next week will conclude the first part of our study sure to connect next time you hear seven light