Clan Adam or Clan Jesus?

On Sunday night we strayed from Galatians 4 into Romans 5. So I thought it might be helpful to restate what I was trying to explain with a few embellishments (it’s a ‘preacher thing’ – sorry!).

In Romans 5 (as in Galatians) Paul is at pains to show that Law-keeping (or legalistic religion) contributes absolutely NOTHING to our standing before God. He is insistent that our acceptance and inclusion into the family of God is a gift, entirely provided by Jesus, and received on trust, that is, through faith.

To hammer home this point he presents us with the contrast between ADAM on the one hand and JESUS on the other. Adam sins in Eden – he breaks God’s command concerning the Tree and the result is death. A penalty that subsequently falls on all Adam’s descendants (i.e. all humanity) because everyone from Adam onwards dies (v12). But here’s the thing – in the period between Adam and Moses there was no law. The Law only came in with Moses at Mt Sinai - and where is no Law then there can be no Law-breaking (v13). The people between Adam & Moses were not breaking any laws (there were none) and therefore they can’t legally be held to be doing anything wrong in that sense. YET they are all dying – they all nonetheless come under the penalty of sin (v14). Why?

Well it’s because they are counted as being ‘in Adam’ – their identity is bound up with their ‘Clan Head’ so to speak. It is Adam’s disobedience that communicates death to all his descendants. So even though they haven’t actually broken any of God’s commands (v14) – they nevertheless bear the fall-out of being a member of ‘Clan Adam’.

But – and this is the great bit – conversely Christians do not receive the gift of life and righteousness by keeping the Law but simply by being in ‘Jesus’ – having their identity bound up in Him. It’s Jesus obedience and righteousness that communicates life to all those in ‘Clan Jesus’. Just as the members of Clan Adam (in the period up until Moses) didn’t die because of any Law-breaking they had done – so members of Clan Jesus do not receive life because of any Law-keeping they do. It is all about the Head of the Clan.

So Christian - both Galatians and Romans shout at us – put aside your fixation with Law-keeping as the basis of your security and joy in Christ. Stop measuring your standing before God on the basis on your religious performance and look again to Jesus. A minister commented to me once that when he considered all the junk and sin that seemed to crowd into his life that he felt at times the only option was to be saved all over again. In one sense, of course, he was right – we need everyday to gather up all that junk and sin and throw it on the bonfire of the Cross – and be liberated and thankful all over again.

Too often as Christians we are like football fans watching Manchester Utd or music lovers listening to Mozart – but rather than being captivated and thrilled by what is before us - we just sit depressed and agitated because all we can think about is how rubbish our football skills or musical talent is in comparison. We need to live the words of that old chorus:

Fix your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth [including ourselves] will go strangely dim,

In the light of His glory and grace.