132. I have chosen my words carefully here. While the sin
of Adam brings sin and condemnation upon all men, the death of Christ
does not save all men. Paul clearly states in verse 17 that the
blessings which are the outflow of the work of our Lord are for those
who receive them, in and through Christ. I do believe, however, that
there are certain aspects of our Lord�s work on Calvary which affect all
men. For example, I believe that His resurrection from the dead is the
basis for the resurrection of all mankind, some to everlasting life, and
others to everlasting torment (see John 5:28-29; Revelation 20).
133
An illustration of the concept of federal headship can be found in
Hebrews 7, where Aaron and his descendants (the Levitical priesthood)
are said to have paid tribute to the greater priesthood in Abraham, when
he gave a tithe to Melchizedek. In Abraham, the Levitical priesthood
offered a tithe to Melchizedek, acknowledging the superiority of this
priesthood over their own.
134 Our sin nature is the result of Adam�s sin, and thus, we sin because we are sinners, thanks to Adam.
135
Adam is the only person who is specifically identified as a type of
Christ in the Bible. While others, like Joseph, Moses, and even Jonah,
may have served as types in certain regards, only Adam is identified as
such in God�s Word. Isaac is the only other person who is spoken of as a
type (Hebrews 11:19). His return to his father, as one who seemed
doomed to death, was a type of the resurrection of our Lord.
136
Allow me to illustrate this by likening the work of Adam to the captain
of the Valdez and the work of Christ to the clean-up operation. It
really was not that hard to run the oil tanker aground, to rupture the
ship�s storage tanks, and to contaminate a vast area. What was hard was
cleaning up the mess. Adam�s sin was like the grounding of the ship.
Christ�s work will bring about a perfect �clean-up.� Christ�s work is
vastly greater than that of Adam�s, just as the work of the clean-up
crews is much greater than that of one man, the captain of the Valdez.
137 I understand Paul�s reference to death to include both physical and spiritual death.
138 James A. Stifler, The Epistle to the Romans (Chicago: Moody Press, 1960), p. 97.
139
Let me suggest a matter for further thought. In our text, it is Adam�s
sin to which Paul refers, not that of Eve, even though Eve first ate the
fruit. Why did Paul not blame Eve, like Adam did? In 1 Timothy 3, Paul
tells us that Eve was deceived. Here, perhaps, Paul focuses on Adam as
the transgressor, since he is the one to whom the commandment was given
(see Genesis 2:16-17). Paul seems to be very consistent with his premise
that guilt is only imputed to those who have received God�s
commandment.