Romans 5:19, “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”
Anyone who has turned on the television or listened to the radio lately knows and understands something about representatives. In the United States of America, we have a House of Representatives that gather together regularly to represent the people from the district they were elected. Each time one of these representatives speak or vote, they speak and vote in that districts place, for the people they represent.
In the verse previously cited, we can clearly see two representatives. The first representative is the man Adam, who was created by God and placed in a garden to keep it and dress it. He was given a responsibility, Genesis 2:15-17, “And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” He was a good and moral man who was made upright (Ecc 7:29). According to our study verse, as well as many other Bible verses we could cite, this man failed in his responsibilities before God. He did eat of the tree that God commanded him not to eat (Gen 3:6). In this sin, Adam represented all of his posterity. Adam plunged himself and all of us into a place of sin. A place where he, nor we, can recover ourselves (Rom 3:9-12).
The other representative found in our study verse is the Lord Jesus Christ. He, Who is called the “last Adam” in 1 Corinthians 15:45, came into this world to represent His people, all who are in Him. John 17:2 teaches us that He came into the world “that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.” The Lord Jesus Christ did not fail to keep His promise and pleased God the Father in all that He did (Matthew 3:17; Matthew 17:5; John 12:28). In this, He spoke for all who are in Him. By His perfect “obedience” all who are represented in Him are “made righteous.”
Few questions? What did we do to be represented in Adam? Did we request this? Did we take a vote? No. The Lord created Adam and he was appointed by God to be our representative. I would caution anyone, who in their minds and speech, would question the wisdom and sovereignty of God. The Lord required and appointed Adam to be our representative and we were not asked. What have we, the elect family of God, done to be represented in Jesus Christ? Nothing, it was the Father’s good pleasure to give us, an innumerable host, to the Eternal Son of God. I’m just thankful to have this hope that He, the Lord Jesus Christ, came into the world to represent me. I am unworthy of this grace and feel to be bound with His cords of love to praise Him forever and ever. What then? Romans 5:19 is another verse in God’s Holy Word that declares eternal salvation is by God’s grace and His grace alone. Amen!