By One Man

Romans 5:18-19

               Therefore as by the offence of one judgement came upon all men to
                condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came
                upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's
                disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall
                many be made righteous.

Have you ever wondered what your life might be like today, if somebody you knew that passed away was still alive? Maybe its somebody who was a close friend, a family member, a teacher, a co-worker, a boss, etc. Or maybe it's someone you never really knew personally, because they died before you were born. If they were alive today, what impact, if any, would they have on your life today?

I bring this up, because I started to think about my own grandfather (His name was Leland). He had died when I was only just a baby. So, I never really got to know him myself. However, after listening to my parents and my grandmother tell me stories and facts about him and his life I can start to get a sense of who he was as a person and what it would be like if he was still around. I also found out what we both had in common.

Leland liked to listen to big band music. His favorite bandleader was Glenn Miller. Guess what! Glenn Miller is my favorite, too. Apparently, when Leland was working hard, he would stick his tongue slightly out. The same is true with me. If he was still alive today, soon enough you'd probably find us working hard on a project together with our tongues sticking out with Glenn Miller playing in the background!

So, what is the point of this? Well, I wanted to show the effect that just one person (dead or alive) can have on another person. This verse above says that by "one man's disobedience many were made sinners." This one man is, of course, referring to Adam. As Adam sinned in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3), sinned passed over the whole earth and every man, woman, and child since the fall of man are called sinners. We all have a sin nature. "For all have sinned, and have come short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23)." And because of the sins we've committed, as Romans 5:18 says, "the offence of one judgement came upon all men to condemnation." Because we are sinners and have sinned against the Almighty God, we deserve condemnation. We deserve death (Rom. 6:23a).

But, thank God that is not how the verse ends! "By the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life," and "by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." This person is the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is the one that died on the cross for our sins. He is the one that has given us the free gift of eternal life. That gift is found only in the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ has already done all the work for us. Our sins are paid for. We were declared guilty and dead in our sin, but now once we accept Christ as our personal Savior we are delivered from the guilt of sin and even death itself. Now, as believers in Christ, we are "dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom. 6:11)."

There are many people, including myself, in this world that have already come to know Jesus Christ as their own personal Savior. Christ has already made a big impact on the lives of these people, especially my own life. They once were dead, but now they are made alive because of Him. However, there are still many people in the world that are still lost (dead their in sin). As Ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20-21), it is our job to share Christ with those who still have not heard the Gospel of the Grace of God (Acts 20:24). If by one man, sin did enter this world, making everyone a sinner, and if by one man righteousness can come to all, then imagine how many people can hear the preaching of the cross (the gospel; 1 Cor. 1:18; 15:3,4) from just one person (then imagine the impact if every believer shared Christ). One person can have a great impact on many lives. He/she can bring many to the One who died for their sins. So that ultimately, many more could come to know Christ as their Savior and put their faith (trust) in Him.

We are a New Creature!

Galatians 3:27-28

           For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 
           There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither 
           male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Many Christians today think believers today are just Spiritual Israel. That each of us are Spiritual Jews. This conclusion comes from not rightly dividing the Word of Truth. (2 Tim. 2:15)

The verses above state that every believer, who has been baptized into Christ, has put on Christ. It also says there, in Christ, there is no difference between Jew and Gentile. These verses do not say anything about becoming spiritual Jews, once we're saved. What does it say? We are all one in Christ Jesus.

Believers today have become one Body. (Eph. 4:5) That one Body is the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ is a new creature. (2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15) Spiritual Israel is not something new. It's taking some old group, Israel, and modifying it to sound new. To make it sound more spiritual. However, it's not something brand new. The Body of Christ is something completely new. It was never prophesized/spoken of by the Old Testament prophets or by the 12 apostles. It was made manifest, first, to the Apostle Paul. Then, he revealed it to us. And besides, why insist on calling believers today Spiritual Jews? Why not Spiritual Gentiles?

This passage also doesn't mention anything about water baptism. All it says is that believers have been baptized into Christ. How does this happen? By the working of the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor. 12:13) Now, read Romans 6:3,4 and Colossians 2:10-12. Both talk about how each believer  was buried with Him in baptism. In the context, these passages are talking about Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. Christ was buried in a physical tomb (the earth), not water. If we have died and been raised with Christ, well then we also must've been buried with Him. Baptism means "identification." When we believe that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day, we automatically become identified in His death, burial, and resurrection. This happens by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit baptizes us into Christ, into the Body of Christ, and we therefore, have put on Christ. In Christ, we are all one.

Therefore, Jew and Gentile believers are joined together in one Body, the Body of Christ. (1 Cor. 12:12-13) We each are made a new creature. We are one new man. In this new creature, our old identities (Jew/Gentile) are done away. At this time, we aren't all made Spiritual Jews, nor are we all made Spiritual Gentiles. Instead, we are all one in Christ. We are one new man. We are all the Body of Christ. We all belong in Christ, and Christ is in each and everyone of us. Don't try to downgrade this wonderful truth by saying we are Spiritual Israel. We have been made into something completely new, the Body of Christ!